Linear Vs Rotary k cup filling machine: what are the differences? which one is better?
When a company is deciding to invest in a fully automated coffee capsule filling and sealing machine, it can be particularly challenging to find the right one for the production line because there are so many selections.
Buyers tend to get dazzled. One of the most common questions we receive is how to choose from a linear or rotary K cup filling machine.
In this article, we will focus on the most obvious differences between these two types of filling machines made in our factory.
What is a Linear K cup Filling Machine?
It refers to a K cup filling machine with a straight body.
In terms of internal structure, all working stations are in a straight line from the empty capsule drop to the filling and sealing, until the capsule output.
The mold plates carry the capsules and move in a straight line between all of the working stations.
At one end of the machine is the starting station for dropping the capsules, while at the other end is the final station for outputting the filled and sealed capsules.
What is a Rotary k cup Filling Machine?
It refers to a K cup filling machine with a cylindrical body.
In terms of internal structure, all working stations are on a circumference, starting from the capsule drop, through the filling and sealing, until the capsule output.
The mold plates that carry the capsules complete the circumference between all stations.
The starting station for the capsule drop is next to the final station for the output.
Big Difference
- Different workload when changing capsule type
We know that when changing the production capsule type(for example, from K cup to Nespresso), it is often necessary to change the whole set of mold plates on the machine.
A single-lane rotary filling machine has fixed 12 mold plates, while a single-lane linear machine has more than 44 mold plates (the number will be larger as the number of stations increases).
So when a linear machine needed to be changed from K cup to Nespresso, it will take much more operation time than a rotary K cup filling machine.
Meanwhile, the rotary machine saves material because it uses fewer mold plates.
- The different workloads in machine maintenance
If you look closely at the running of the machine, you may notice one thing the mold plates of the rotary machine can be lifted from the bottom (both auger filling and heat sealing station).
The purpose of doing this is not to spill the powder out at the auger filling station, and the second is that at the heat sealing station after lifting the mold plate, the air cylinder for heat sealing will not cause continuous downward pressure on the big round disk which will make it tilt after long working hours.
However, the linear machine is unable to do the lift-up of the mold plates, but only to pad an aluminum plate right below the mold plate at the heat sealing station to minimize the downward pressure of the mold plates caused by the heat sealing air cylinder.
However, the continuous downward pressure at this station still exists, and after long years of machine operation, there will be a possible result of a lateral or vertical change in the position of the mold plates, deviating from its original position.
When this phenomenon occurs, it is necessary to adjust the position of the whole set of mold plates.
This is a work cost time and requires specialized technicians to be there to do it.
That is to say, from this point, the rotary K cup filling machine has a higher stability.
- Internal space size
The linear machine has a long body and a large space reserved, so there is room to add several processes to the standard workstations.
In contrast, the rotary machine was designed to save space and make the machine compact.
Therefore, it is a little difficult to add processes to the standard stations when it has fixed only 12 stations.
For example, you want to produce Dolce gusto coffee capsules, and you prefer to fill each capsule with some special flavor additives.
For a rotary machine, it is difficult to do this because it requires two additional film cutting (inner and outer film) and flavor injection processes on the standard model.
In this case, the linear machine is highly recommended.
Conclusion
Features of linear K cup filling machine: larger space uses more mold plates, takes longer time when changing production capsule type, may need to adjust the mold plate position after long years of operation.
Features of rotary K cup filling machine: more compact space, fewer mold plates (12), takes less time when changing production capsule type, and no need to adjust the mold plate position after years of operation.
In terms of price, the rotary K cup filling machine is about 20% more expensive than the linear type.