Shall I setup a plastic bottle filling line or glass bottle filling line?
It is undeniable that plastic bottled beverages occupy a large share of the bottled beverage market. However, in the high-end and specialty beverage market, glass bottled beverages are more dominant. According to some market research agencies, the global glass bottle beverage market share is about 10%-15%. According to a report released by market research firm Technavio, the global glass bottle beverage market had sales of about $153 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow to about $186 billion by 2024.
Especially in developed countries such as Europe, Japan, and South Korea, glass bottles are a popular packaging method because glass bottles can provide better taste and quality and are easier to recycle and reuse. Therefore, beer and alcohol are the most used types of beverages in glass bottles. In addition, some juices, tea drinks, and carbonated drinks are packaged in glass bottles.
The glass bottle filling line process is similar to that of plastic bottled beverages. It mainly includes bottle cleaning, filling, sealing, labeling, date printing, and packaging. In actual production, the machine for glass bottled beverages also has some peculiarities.
1. Cleaning of bottles.
Unlike plastic bottle-filling lines, glass bottler filling lines can use recycled bottles or brand-new bottles. Cleaning new bottles is relatively simple. After rinsing with clean water, bottles can be filled directly. Recycling bottles requires professional equipment to clean the bottles.
First, you need to remove the label on the bottle. The way to remove the label is usually to soak the bottle in hot water, then use a high-pressure water gun to spray the inside and outside of the bottle, and finally use a brush to brush the inside and outside of the bottle. After all, spray bottles with purified water, and drain them for filling. Before using bottles for filling machines, users can do sterilizing such as high-temperature steam, ultraviolet rays, etc.
Which kind of bottle is better for beverage manufacturers? Recycle glass bottles or brand-new bottles?
You need to consider it based on factors like production cost, machinery equipment, and ease of operation.
In terms of cost, using recycled glass bottles saves raw materials and manufacturing costs compared to using brand-new bottles. Users can recycle glass bottles for reuse, reducing the need for new bottles. At the same time, the price of recycled glass bottles is relatively lower, which can also bring certain cost advantages. However, the use of recycled bottles also requires a series of cleaning and disinfection treatments, which are additional operating costs to consider.
In terms of machinery and equipment, the use of recycled glass bottles requires corresponding bottle cleaning and disinfection equipment, which may require high investment costs. Users should consider recycling or band new bottles based on the scale and economic capacity of the enterprise.
In terms of ease of operation, the use of recycled glass bottles requires more cleaning and disinfection operations and requires more manpower and time than using brand-new bottles. At the same time, improper cleaning and disinfection operations can easily cause problems such as cross-contamination or residual chemicals, which will affect product quality and consumer health. Therefore, enterprises need to train and manage employees accordingly to ensure operational specifications and quality safety.
In general, the use of recycled bottles has high requirements for the management system of the factory. When the production capacity of the enterprise is large, the price advantage of recycling bottles will be more prominent. The use of many recycled bottles dilutes the associated machinery and labor costs. If you are a start-up with limited upfront capital or small production capacity, using a new bottle is a better choice. When the company grows to a certain size in the later stage, consider recycling bottles.
2. Filling machine.
Compared with the filling machine of plastic bottles, glass bottle filling machines require higher precision, more complex processes, and more materials. This is mainly because glass bottles are more fragile, as well as heavier.
Since glass bottles are more fragile, the fit of the individual parts of the glass bottle filling machine needs to be higher. Starting from the bottle-feeding screw, the station of each bottle must be accurately calculated to ensure the perfect coordination between the guide plate, the star wheel, the clamp, and the bottle holder. In order to ensure that the bottle will not be stuck during transportation, so as to avoid the fragmentation of the bottle. An additional neck alignment cover for filling is to ensure that the bottle mouth and filling valve are in the correct position. In the three-in-one filling machine of bottle washing, filling, and capping, the hole position of each host machine must also be accurately measured to ensure the minimum error, so as to avoid the position deviation of the machine after long-term operation, which will affect the filling.
Also because of the weight of the glass bottle, the entire rinsing, filling, and capping process will adopt the method of clamping the bottle mouth and supporting the bottom of the bottle. So the glass bottle-filling machine uses more material than the plastic bottle-filling machine.
Therefore, the price of the same specification machine, a glass bottle filling machine is more expensive than the price of plastic bottle filling machine.
3. Packaging machine.
In the production of glass bottle beverages, carton packaging is a more common way. Plastic bottles are more often wrapped in plastic film (in recent years, many plastic bottles and beverages have been packaged in cartons). From the perspective of fully automatic machines, the price of carton packaging machines is much higher than the price of film packaging machines. The price difference can be up to 10 times. For small production lines, the method of man-made packing and machine sealing greatly reduces the cost and improves efficiency. It is a cost-effective choice.
If you are planning to build a beverage factory, glass bottles of beverages may be a good choice for you. Contact us and LINHO will provide you with the information you need.
