How Does An Auger Filler Work?

Auger fillers, as the name suggests, are a type of filling equipment based on auger metering. Auger fillers are the machine of choice for all fine powders or any product that has consistent size particulates such as talcum powders, flour, cake mixes and more. Auger powder-filling and dispensing equipment consists of a main hopper, stirring bar to keep the auger fed (even on powders that are not free flowing), and an auger that fits in a closeley fit cylinder. So long as the auger flights can be consistently fed, these machines can be extremely accurate. Since auger powder fillers are volumetric they do not actually weigh the product, except in cases where mated directly to a scale, but depend on accurate revolution counts of the auger (VKPAK's Auger Fillers are equipped with an in-line weighing and feedback system).

Auger Filler Working Principle

Powder stored in the hopper is fed into the auger tooling. The tooling consists of an auger, an agitator blade, and a funnel. Two motors mounted atop the filler offer separate precise control over the rotation of the auger and the agitator blade. The auger rotates to move the product down to the funnel, while the agitator blade works to prevent any product buildups or leftovers in the hopper.

The auger directs the product to the funnel, where it is dispensed into the container. The fill volume is controlled by adjusting the auger speed and the fill cycle. And then, the conveyor transports the filled container to the next station of the packaging line.

After bulk materials are fed into the hopper, the auger drive keeps the auger rotating at a constant speed to move the materials down to the funnel.

The agitator blade is operated and controlled separately. The agitator blade rotates in the opposite direction of the auger. It works to get rid of air in the powders, making the mixture more uniform.

Further, the agitator blade is designed to go all the way down to the funnel. This keeps rat-holing and cavitation from happening and ensures that the auger flights are always packed with the products.

The auger flights are spaced at the same distance. This ensures that each flighting pitch is filled with ingredients of the same bulk density and particle size. It helps achieve precise dosing as the auger rotates.

Semi Automatic Powder Filling Machine

A semi-automatic powder filling machine is designed to partially automate the process of filling and dispensing dry powders and granules into bottles, cans, cups, pails, buckets, sachets, pouches, bags, boxes or other forms of container. Unlike automatic machines, which are completely automated, semi-automatic machines require some level of manual input and operation. For example, an employee may need to manually...

Automatic Powder Bottle Filling Machine

For powder filling applications, the servo driven auger automatic filling machine offers precision, speed and versatility when handling powders and granules. Engineered to accurately dispense and fill a wide range of products, our automatic auger dispensing machine includes stainless-steel construction, easy-to-remove tooling and hopper allow for simple cleaning and maintenance. VKPAK powder filling machine can be also called auger filling...

Auger Filler Videos

Advantages And Disadvantages of Auger Fillers

Auger fillers are the machines of choice for all dry products that have consistency of granule size and powders. In some cases auger filling equipment can be used as a depositor for moist products such as cooked rice and pastes. The biggest advantage of auger filling machinery is that the systems are relatively closed making auger fillers the ideal choice for very fine powders such as talcs, flour, and baking soda which tend to get airborne with other systems. Auger fillers are also capable of relatively high fill rates compared with net weight fillers and take up less floor space.

Advantages of Auger Fillers

Disadvantages of Auger Fillers

The Best Powders for This Method

Before we look at the different types of tooling for different product characteristics, we first need to identify the type of product we are handling. There is a simple (but not completely foolproof) test for evaluating the flow characteristics of powders. If, when you insert a pencil into the top of a container full of power and then remove it, the hole immediately collapses in on itself, then the powder would be deemed to be free flowing. If, however, a perfect impression of the pencil remains, then it is deemed non-free flowing. Partial collapse might indicate a semi-free flowing powder.

Non-Free-Flowing Powders (E.G. Talc)

This diagram shows the tooling set-up where the auger is flush with the bottom of the funnel and the agitation blade extends into the throat of the funnel. The auger featured shows larger diameter “over-flights” in the hopper section. This pushes the otherwise reluctant powder downwards to the funnel throat where the agitation blade feeds the flights of the smaller diameter parallel section. The agitation mode can be controlled so that it stops between fills to avoid overworking and compacting the powder. If the powder is aerated coming into the hopper, the agitation mode can be changed to “continuous running” to assist with removal of the air. A larger hopper volume will aid de-aeration and homogenisation by allowing greater agitation/residence time.

Semi-Free-Flowing Powders (E.G. Instant Coffee Powder)

A delicate or granular product might be damaged if large diameter compressive auger over-flights are used within the hopper section. In instances like this, an auger with parallel flights would be selected. Furthermore, a semi-free flowing powder might tend to dribble after the auger has stopped. In such cases, it is necessary to create a slight back pressure to retain the powder in the funnel by fixing a “drip washer” to the bottom of the auger, or adding a lip or crosswires/gauze to the bottom of the funnel. The correct solution varies with each powder.

Free-Flowing Granular Products (E.G. Table Salt, Granulated Sugar)

When free-flowing (granular) products are being filled, a method of cutting off the powder flow is required. The usual method is to use a spinner disc; a saucer-shaped disc attached to the end of the protruding auger, designed to retain the product flow. All powders have an angle of repose, the angle at which a collapsing heap of powder will come to rest rather than continue to spread outwards; the (top enclosed) angle for small smooth spherical beads for instance being much greater than for granulated sugar. The gap between the bottom of the funnel and the spinner disc is determined by the powder dosing rate, i.e. the gap needed to permit unrestricted product flow. The spinner disc is sized to prevent the powder trickling over the edge of the disc once the auger has stopped, taking into account this gap and the powder’s angle of repose. As the spinner disc throws the powder outwards, a simple collection cone funnels it down to an appropriate size. The spinner disc approach achieves a perfectly clean fill without expensive shut-off valves and complicated pneumatic/moving parts.

The Main Components Of The Auger filler

If you have a rough idea of the auger filling machine working principle, let's take a look at what parts enable the machine to work efficiently.

#1 Hopper

The hopper is an essential component of the auger filling machine. It is where the material to be packed is held before being dispensed by the auger screw.

This component can vary in size, shape, and other designs. It generally comes in a split design. The split hopper comes with quick-release clamps, allowing operators to get inside the hopper for easy cleaning and tooling changeover.

Further, the upper part of the hopper features clear viewing glass. It allows operators to see what’s going on with the products inside the hopper.

Hoppers are usually made of 304 stainless steel. But in the case of corrosive environments, they can often be upgraded to 316 L stainless steel.

#2 Tooling

The tooling used in the auger filling machine consists of the auger, agitator blade, and funnel. These components are all replaceable units depending on the product properties, fill weight, container neck finish, and other factors.

• An auger screw – Rotates vertically inside the hopper and feeds the product into the funnel.
• A funnel/tube – The outlet of the hopper in which the lower parallel flights of the auger screw doses.
• An agitator blade – Helps in feeding the powder product into the auger.

#3 Drive Assembly

The auger filling machine’s drive assembly is mainly made up of the servo drive and transmission mechanism. This assembly powers the auger and controls its speed so that accurate, constant-volume dosing can be done.

In addition, since the auger screw rotates in the opposite position to the agitator blade, an independent agitator motor is required to control the speed and the number of revolutions of the agitator.

#4 Control System

The control panel allows operators to easily adjust and control various parameters of the machine, such as the auger speed, fill volume, and filling speed.

The control panel should be user-friendly and have clear displays and buttons for easy operation. Some machines are built with a PLC-based touchscreen, allowing operators to perform tasks faster and with fewer steps.

How To Choose The Best Tooling

The size and type of the auger and funnel tooling is determined by a number of factors:

Consideration must also be given to the size of container that is being filled. For clean filling, the bottom of the funnel should be positioned as close to the top of the container as possible. If the container neck opening is 5cm ID, the funnel needs to be sized accordingly.

Another factor that must be considered when choosing suitable tooling is the product characteristics. Non-Free-Flowing Powders like talc may require an auger with larger diameter “over-flights” to push reluctant powder downwards to the smaller parallel section. The agitation mode can be controlled so that it stops between fills to avoid overworking and compacting the powder and if the powder is aerated coming into the hopper, the agitation mode can be changed to run continuously to assist with removal of the air. A larger hopper volume will aid de-aeration and homogenisation by allowing greater agitation/residence time.

Semi-Free-Flowing Products (e.g. instant coffee powder) that are delicate or granular might become damaged if large diameter compressive auger over-flights are used within the hopper section. In instances like this, an auger with parallel flights would be selected. Furthermore, a semi-free flowing powder might tend to dribble after the auger has stopped. In such cases, it is necessary to create a slight back pressure to retain the powder in the funnel by fixing a “drip washer” to the bottom of the auger, or adding a lip or anti-drip grid to the bottom of the funnel.

When filling Free-Flowing Granular Products like table salt or granulated sugar, a method of cutting off the powder flow is required. The usual method is to use a spinner disc; a saucer-shaped disc attached to the end of the protruding auger, designed to retain the product flow. All powders have an angle of repose, the angle at which a collapsing heap of powder will come to rest rather than continue to spread outwards. The spinner disc is sized to prevent the powder trickling over the edge of the disc once the auger has stopped. As the spinner disc throws the powder outwards, a simple collection cone funnels it into the container.