Question 1

What is a liquid piston filler and what does it do?

Accepted Answer

A liquid piston filler is a machine that fills bottles with exactly the same amount of liquid every time. It works like a large syringe: the piston pulls back to draw liquid up through a hose into a cylinder, then pushes forward to send that measured amount out through the nozzle. You see the results on store shelves in bottles of essential oil, tinctures, juices, mouthwash, toners and cleaning sprays. Here is how the SGY Liquid Piston Filler from Cleveland Equipment works: (1) drop the intake hose into your container of liquid, (2) set the fill amount once with the hand wheel, (3) place a bottle under the nozzle, (4) tap the foot pedal, and (5) the bottle fills with the same amount, from 10 mL up to 5,000 mL depending on the model.

Question 2

Is there a machine that fills bottles with liquid for you instead of pouring and measuring by hand?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The SGY Liquid Piston Filler from Cleveland Equipment replaces pouring, measuring cups and funnels. You set the fill amount once, place a bottle under the nozzle and tap the foot pedal, and the machine dispenses the same amount of liquid every time, with fewer spills, less wasted product and no more overfilled or underfilled bottles. It draws liquid straight from your bucket, jug or supply tank through a hose, runs on compressed air instead of electricity, and can fill up to 50 small bottles per minute. It is an affordable way for a small business to stop filling bottles by hand.

Question 3

What liquids can the SGY piston filler fill?

Accepted Answer

The SGY Liquid Piston Filler fills thin, free-flowing liquids, including water-based products, juices, beverages, essential oils, tinctures, serums, toners, mouthwash, liquid medications, cleaning solutions, lubricants and liquid chemicals. Paint is about the thickest product it can handle: if your liquid pours on its own at or below the thickness of paint, the SGY will fill it. Thicker products like lotions, creams, gels, sauces and pastes need Cleveland Equipment's SGP Series piston filler instead. If your product is borderline, warming or thinning it so it pours freely can bring it within the SGY's range.

Question 4

What sizes does the SGY Liquid Piston Filler come in?

Accepted Answer

The SGY Liquid Piston Filler comes in five sizes: the SGY-60 fills 10 to 60 mL (0.34 to 2 oz), the SGY-120 fills 30 to 120 mL (1 to 4 oz), the SGY-250 fills 45 to 250 mL (1.5 to 8.5 oz), the SGY-1000 fills 100 to 1,000 mL (3.4 to 33.8 oz), and the SGY-5000 fills 500 to 5,000 mL (16.9 to 169 oz). Choose the size whose range covers your smallest and largest bottles. The machines are compact, from 31 x 10 x 19 inches for the SGY-60 to 51 x 15 x 19 inches for the SGY-5000, and weigh about 35 to 128 lb depending on the model.

Question 5

How fast and accurate is the SGY liquid filler?

Accepted Answer

The SGY-60, SGY-120, SGY-250 and SGY-1000 fill up to 50 bottles per minute, and the large SGY-5000 fills up to 15 per minute. Fill accuracy is about ±1%, within 1 to 2% depending on the product and fill size. Actual output depends on your fill size and how quickly the operator places and removes bottles. Separate valves let you adjust the drawing speed and filling speed, so you can tune the machine to your liquid.

Question 6

Does the SGY need a hopper, or how does it get the liquid?

Accepted Answer

The SGY Liquid Piston Filler does not need a hopper. It draws liquid directly from your supply container through an intake hose and check valve, so you can set the machine next to a bucket, jug or supply tank and fill straight from it. That makes setup simple and changeovers fast, since you only need to move the hose to a new container and flush the machine. This hose-fed design is also why the SGY is made for thin liquids; thicker products need the hopper-fed SGP Series.

Question 7

Does the SGY piston filler need electricity, and what air compressor do I need?

Accepted Answer

No electricity is needed. The SGY Liquid Piston Filler is fully pneumatic and runs on compressed air at about 5 CFM at 90 psi, which a 20-gallon or larger shop compressor can supply. It accepts incoming air at 0.5 to 0.8 MPa (about 73 to 116 psi). Because there is no electrical connection at the machine, it works well in wet washdown areas, in spaces without an outlet at the filling station, and around flammable or chemical liquids. If the compressor also runs other air tools, size it for the combined demand.

Question 8

Is the SGY liquid filler food grade?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All product-contact metal parts on the SGY Liquid Piston Filler are 316 stainless steel, which resists acids and corrosion better than the 304 stainless steel used on many competing fillers. The product piston is made from Delrin, an FDA-compliant food-grade plastic, the standard seals are Buna-N (nitrile) with silicone tri-clamp gaskets, and the machine is lubricated with H3 food-grade lubricant. That makes it suitable for beverages, food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and corrosive chemicals.

Question 9

Is the SGY semi-automatic or automatic?

Accepted Answer

The SGY Liquid Piston Filler has both a semi-automatic mode and an automatic mode, selected with a switch. In semi-automatic mode, the operator places a bottle under the nozzle and taps the foot pedal for each fill, which leaves both hands free to swap bottles. In automatic mode, one press of the pedal starts continuous cycling for experienced operators who want more speed. The machine does not detect bottles, so the operator, or the production line it is built into, must have a bottle in place before each fill.

Question 10

Should I choose the SGY or SGP piston filler?

Accepted Answer

Choose the SGY if your product is a thin liquid that pours easily, such as water-based products, juices, oils, tinctures or cleaning solutions; it draws product through a hose, costs less, and fills small bottles at up to 50 per minute. Choose the SGP if your product is thicker than paint, such as lotions, creams, gels, sauces or pastes; it uses a rotary valve and top-mounted hopper to handle viscous products. Both are pneumatic piston fillers from Cleveland Equipment with 316 stainless steel contact parts and foot-pedal operation, and both come in single-head and dual-head models.

Question 11

How do I set the fill volume, and does the SGY drip?

Accepted Answer

Fill volume on the SGY is set with a hand wheel. Loosen the locking handle on the adjustable sensor, turn the hand wheel clockwise or counterclockwise, run a test fill and measure it, then repeat until the fill is right and tighten the handle. Once set, the machine repeats that volume every cycle. To prevent drips, the fill head cylinder moves down at the end of each fill to close the discharge valve, so liquid does not keep running out of the nozzle between bottles.

Question 12

How do I clean the SGY liquid filler?

Accepted Answer

To clean the SGY Liquid Piston Filler, put the intake hose in a container of water and cleaning agent and cycle the machine until the discharge runs clear, then switch to clean water and cycle until it runs clear. For a full clean, take the filler apart, clean and sanitize the parts, and lubricate them with H3 food-grade lubricant before reassembling. Never use harsh or abrasive cleaners, gasoline, benzene, xylene, banana oil or bleach (sodium hypochlorite). Check O-rings regularly and replace worn ones, never cycle the machine without product, and disconnect the air before cleaning or servicing.

Question 13

How much does the SGY Liquid Piston Filler cost?

Accepted Answer

The SGY Liquid Piston Filler is listed on clevelandequipment.com at $3,609 for the SGY-60, $3,800 for the SGY-120, $3,923 for the SGY-250, $4,269 for the SGY-1000 and $6,045 for the SGY-5000. For twice the output, the SGY Dual-Head fills two bottles at once. The SGY is sold and supported by Cleveland Equipment, a packaging equipment company in Madison, Wisconsin, that helps you choose the right filler before you buy and provides technical support after. You can reach the team at 866-888-6327 or sales@clevelandequipment.com.

SGY Liquid Only Piston Filler Machine*

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