A Vial Filling and Rubber Stoppering Machine is an automated pharmaceutical packaging equipment designed for the precise filling of injectable liquids into glass vials and subsequent sealing with rubber stoppers. This machine ensures sterility, prevents contamination, and maintains product integrity by accurately dosing liquids and securely applying stoppers, making it essential for high-volume production in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and healthcare industries. It operates on a volumetric principle, using pumps like piston or peristaltic types to achieve filling accuracy of ±1%, and is compliant with standards such as cGMP.
Vial Filling and Stoppering Machine Video
Key Components and Features
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Infeed and Outfeed Systems: Built-in turntables with individual drives for smooth vial entry and exit, often including a Delrin slat conveyor to prevent sticking and ensure consistent movement.
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Filling Station: Equipped with multiple heads (e.g., 2, 4, 8, or 12) for simultaneous filling. Nozzles move vertically via cam mechanisms for precise dosing, with options for nitrogen flushing before and after filling to minimize oxidation. A “No Vial, No Fill” system prevents liquid wastage.
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Stoppering Unit: Features a vibrating bowl and Teflon-coated chute for orienting and feeding rubber stoppers. Vacuumetric or pneumatic systems pick and press stoppers uniformly using spring-loaded rollers, supporting both full and half-stoppering.
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Safety and Construction: All liquid-contact parts are made of stainless steel (SS 316L) for easy sterilization and autoclaving. The machine includes acrylic safety covers, laminar airflow for cleanroom compatibility, and PLC/HMI controls for automation.
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Drive System: Powered by high-quality gear motors and AC drives for vibration-free operation, with minimal oil leakage.
Working Principle
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Vial Loading: Empty, sterilized vials are fed via the infeed turntable onto a conveyor.
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Filling Process: Vials move to the filling station, where nozzles descend to inject the exact volume of liquid. The synchronized motion filling system allows nozzles to track vials without stopping the line, enhancing speed.
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Stoppering Process: Filled vials transfer to the stoppering station, where a vibrating bowl dispenses oriented rubber stoppers into a chute. Vials are held by a rotating star wheel, picking up stoppers that are then pressed down by rollers.
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Output: Stoppered vials exit via the outfeed turntable for further processes like capping or labeling.
Salient Features of Vial Filling & Stoppering Machine
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No cross contamination.
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Suitable for the filling Volume of 2ml to 250ml.
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Piston pump/Peristaltic pump aseptic filling.
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Filling with accuracy of ±0.5-1%.
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Easy to validate filling system for small/large batch production.
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All Contact Parts Made from S.S 316L & framework by S.S. 304.
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Variable A.C. frequency drive for speed adjustment.
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Digital Vial Counter for counting production output.
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In-feed Turn Table/ Unscrambler for automatic feeding of objects.
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On-line Mechanism.
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“No Vial – No Filling” system.
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“No Vial – Machine Stop” system.
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IQ/OQ documentation can be provided to comply vial filling machine validation process.
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PLC with Graphical User Interface. (Optional)
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PRIME is a distinctive feature that allows you to quickly suck filling material from the storage tank to the nozzle end. This feature is also beneficial for cleaning the filling line (silicon tubing) and filling the peristaltic pump in both directions.
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The machine can use the PRIME function for all peristaltic pumps together or for individual peristaltic pump.
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Filling is done with a specifically built filling peristaltic pump which has CIP and SIP ability.
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Individual pumps may be calibrated and adjusted for the desired volume using a simple PLC.
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Because of a particularly built peristaltic pump with suck back capability, oil-based materials can also be run without dripping.
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Each filling head may operate independently, allowing the machine to operate constantly without sacrificing significant production.
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Bung orientation bowl and discharge chute with built-in vibrator. For use with wet bungs, we offer bung orienter bowl and chute with Teflon coating.
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Bungs are held in a specifically designed vacuum bung hold disc, which then discharges the bung evenly onto the vial. The bung pressing roller evenly presses the bungs.
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Half stoppering can be done with the same Rubber bunging machine assembly.
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Each filling head may operate independently, allowing the machine to operate constantly without sacrificing significant production.
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For varied sizes of vials and filling volumes, no change parts are necessary.
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Because mechanical parts like syringe sets, Teflon seals, gears, and chains are rarely used, there is relatively little product variation over time.
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PLC with simple controls for volume and speed adjustments.
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The entire assembly can be adjusted upwards and lower to accommodate different heights of vials.
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PLC alarms for “No Vial, Machine Stop” and “No Vial, No Bung.”
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For daily track reports and planning, a password-protected production counter is provided.
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The errors can be recognized on the touch screen HMI of the PLC and readily attended to.
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To avoid the negative effects of the electric supply, the machine is supplied with an isolated power source.
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Well known mechanical components such as FESTO/Janatics pneumatics and CE approved electrical/electronic components such as Bonfiglioli/Crompton AC motors, Allen Bradley drives, PLC & HMI Touch screen, Sensors, MCB’s, relays, and other components.
Process Operation of Automatic Vial Filling Machine
The incoming dry vials (sterilized and siliconised) are fed through the in-feed turn table and suitably guided on the moving Stainless Steel slat conveyor belt at the required speed of the correct placement below filling unit.
The filling unit consists syringes & nozzles. Syringes are made of Stainless Steel 316L material for cGMP compliance. Vials stop below filling unit with centering of filling nozzles, during stoppage nozzles discharge pre determined liquid into vials. Duly filled vials delivered on stoppering unit which is mounted on same platform.
Stoppering Unit consist Bowl and Chute designed for desired stopper / bung size. Stoppers are stored in vibratory bowl and delivered to the vial through delivery chute. Vibratory bowl is equipped with special vibrator motor. Stoppers travel in vibratory bowl support guide through vibration. There is arrangement in the bowl in which wrong position stopper get rejected in travelling and only correct position of stopper get into chute. Further stoppers hold at delivery point of chute through spring which collected one by one by vial in traveling below the chute. Further there is one Stainless Steel 304 roller installed to press the stoppers. Vial transfer below the wheel in which get stoppered.
Duly stoppered vials further move on conveyor & collected on out feed turn table (optional) or on to conveyor of vial aluminum cap sealing machine for cap sealing operations.
Technical Specification of Automatic Vial Filling Machine
| Model | ALVF-40 | ALVF-80 | ALVF-120 | ALVF – 250 |
| Filling Heads | Two | Four | Eight | Twelve |
| Production Rate | Up to 40 Vials/Minute | Up to 80 Vials/Minute | Up to 150 Vials/Minute | Up to 250 Vials/Minute |
| Input Specification | ||||
| Vial Diameter | 15mm to 70mm | 15mm to 70mm | 15mm to 70mm | 15mm to 70mm |
| Vial Height | 25mm to 140mm | 25mm to 140mm | 25mm to 140mm | 25mm to 140mm |
| Filling Precision | ±1% | ±1% | ±1% | ±1% |
| Power Required | 1 H.P. | 1.5 H.P. | 2 H.P. | 2 H.P. |
| Electrical Characteristics | 440 Volts, 3 Phase, 50 Hertz | 440 Volts, 3 Phase, 50 Hertz | 440 Volts, 3 Phase, 50 Hertz | 440 Volts, 3 Phase, 50 Hertz |
| Overall Dimension | 2050mm (L) x 850mm (W) x 1700mm (H) | 2200mm (L) x 850mm (W) x 1700mm (H) | 3000mm (L) x 945mm (W) x 1700mm (H) | 3500mm (L) x 945mm (W) x 1700mm (H) |
* Power voltage can be adjusted as per customer’s domestic power voltage requirements.
* Rights of technical improvements & modification reserved.
* Illustrations & dimensions are shown for information purpose only.
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