Many breweries start with a mobile canning service or a contract packer. At some point the schedule, cost or quality control pushes them toward their own line. The filler and seamer are the heart of that line, so they are worth choosing carefully.
Start with the output math
Work backward from how many cases you need to package and how many hours you want to spend doing it:
| Filler output | Cans per hour | 24-can cases per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 50 cans per minute | 3,000 | 125 |
| 120 cans per minute | 7,200 | 300 |
Real-world output is lower than rated speed once you account for startup, changeovers, breaks and CIP, so plan with a realistic efficiency figure for your crew.
Protect the beer: dissolved oxygen
Oxygen picked up during filling and seaming shortens shelf life. Look for counter-pressure filling with CO2 purging or vacuum pre-evacuation, and for undercover gassing at the seamer. Ask suppliers how they measure total package oxygen and what results their customers achieve.
Can sizes and ends
Know the cans you run today and the ones you may want next. Common craft formats include 12 oz and 16 oz standard cans, sleek cans and slim cans, with 200 and 202 ends. Changing between sizes should be a matter of change parts and tooling adjustments, not a rebuild.
Footprint and utilities
- Floor space for the filler and seamer, plus depalletizing, rinsing, coding and accumulation.
- Electrical supply (single- or three-phase), compressed air and CO2 supply.
- Drainage and cleaning access.
Seam quality
A poor double seam can undo everything the filler did right. Ask how seaming rolls are adjusted and how settings are held between changeovers, and plan to check seams regularly.
Cleaning
Automated clean-in-place reduces labor and makes sanitation repeatable. Check the temperature rating and how much disassembly a normal clean requires.
Think about the whole line
A filler only runs as fast as cans reach it and leave it. Consider depalletizing, rinsing, date coding and an accumulation table as part of the same project. World Packaging supplies complete small-format filling lines as well as individual machines.
Support after startup
Ask who installs the line, who trains your crew, and how quickly you can get parts and a technician. Our CP-12 counter-pressure filler and seamer is built and supported from Summerville, South Carolina, by the same team that services high-speed bottling lines.