A bottling line is a sequence of container-handling machines, and nearly every one of them is built around parts that are specific to the container it is running. Those format parts, together with the guides and wear parts between machines, determine how fast a changeover goes and how long the line runs between stoppages. This checklist walks the line from infeed to palletizer and lists what each machine consumes, so maintenance and procurement teams can audit their format sets and wear-part inventory against it.
Container infeed and unscrambler
Unscramblers orient empty containers and feed them to the line. Their change parts are sized to container diameter and height and wear with every bottle that passes.
- Orientation and selector change parts by container
- Infeed and discharge guides and rails
- Transfer plates and dead plates
- Polymer wear strips and lane dividers
Rinser and filler
Rotary fillers and rinsers handle containers on star wheels and feed screws, and every container format needs its own set. These are the parts most often missing or damaged at changeover, and the parts most often sourced from an outside supplier when the manufacturer’s lead time runs to weeks.
Materials matter here. Container-contact parts in a beverage filler are typically food-contact-grade polymers such as acetal and UHMW, or 304 and 316 stainless, and washdown exposure means the choice of grade and finish affects service life directly.
- Infeed and discharge star wheels and star wheel segments
- Timing screws and feed screws
- Neck guides, center guides, and side guides
- Transfer plates and discharge guides
- Rinser grippers and change parts
- Stainless brackets, mounts, and hardware
Capper and closer
Cappers are format-specific on both the container and the closure. Star wheels and guides change with the container; chucks and closure-handling parts change with the cap. Wear on capper change parts shows up as torque variation and misapplied closures, which is why they are replaced on a schedule rather than on failure.
- Capper star wheels and container guides
- Closure chute and feed change parts
- Capping head wear parts to the machine specification
- Discharge guides and transfer plates
Labeler
Pressure-sensitive and roll-fed labelers position the container precisely while the label is applied, so their change parts hold tighter tolerances than most on the line. Worn guides and star wheels appear as skewed or wrinkled labels long before they cause a stoppage.
- Labeler star wheels and timing screws
- Container guides and centering parts
- Vacuum drum and transfer wear parts to the machine specification
- Polymer wear strips and bottle plates
Container conveyors
Tabletop and mat-top conveyors link every machine on the line and run continuously. Their wear parts are consumed steadily rather than at changeover, so they belong in a consumption-based stocking program rather than a format set.
- Wear strips and chain guides in UHMW
- Side guides, guide rails, and rail brackets
- Transfer plates, dead plates, and corner wear parts
- Lane dividers, combiners, and divider wear parts
- Drive and idler shafts and sprockets
Shrink wrapper, case packer, and palletizer
End-of-line machines handle packs and cases rather than single containers. Their change parts are sized to the pack pattern, and their wear parts take the highest loads on the line.
- Pack-pattern change parts: lane guides, pushers, and collators
- Case packer pusher plates and guides
- Flight bars and wear strips
- Palletizer pusher and layer-forming wear parts
- Formed and machined stainless guards and brackets
Keeping format sets complete
The most common bottling-line changeover delay is a format set with one part missing or damaged. The remedy is organizational as much as mechanical: each format set is kitted by line and by container, labeled to the plant’s part numbers, and counted when it is returned to storage. A missing star wheel segment is then found at the end of the previous run, not at the start of the next one.
Esco Precision manufactures the change parts and wear parts listed above to print or from a worn sample, in stainless and food-contact-grade polymers, and holds kitted format sets per line and per plant under stocking programs. Parts are made to a documented specification and are not represented as OEM parts.
Key points
- Fillers, cappers, and labelers consume format-specific change parts; conveyors consume wear parts continuously.
- Container-contact parts need food-contact polymers or 304/316 stainless chosen for washdown.
- Labeler change parts hold the tightest tolerances on the line.
- Kit format sets by line and container, and count them on return.
- Put conveyor wear parts in a consumption-based stocking program, separate from format sets.