Capping System

The Nexus capping machine applies and tightens caps on bottles and containers, from an entry-level automatic capper running 20 containers a minute through to a high-speed in-line capping system at 40 a minute. Every model uses precision torque control, so it works as a reliable bottle capping machine and cap tightening machine, and it can be configured with robotic pick and place for pump caps and trigger sprayers. Nexus supplies and services automatic capping machines Australia-wide from its base in Western Australia.

Capping machines in the Nexus range

Four configurations cover most bottling lines. Each is built to the cap and container you run, so nothing here is sold off the shelf.

• Entry-level fully automatic capping machine: a twist-on cap machine for low to medium speed lines, up to 20 containers per minute. It handles jerry cans, round bottles and rectangular bottles, sorts caps in an adjustable vibratory bowl, and uses a servo-driven pick and place head that picks the cap and tightens it to a preset torque in one action. The usual first step off hand capping.
• High-speed in-line automatic capping machine: up to 40 containers per minute for medium to high volume production. One machine handles twist-on caps, trigger sprayers and pump caps, with a Yaskawa servo pick and place unit for pre-capping placement and an adjustable vibratory bowl cap sorter.
• Trigger sprayer and pump cap capping machine: built for caps with a dip tube. The straw has to be guided into the bottle neck before tightening, which is why this model pairs the cap sorter with a vision-guided pick and place system. Up to 40 per minute. The standard choice for cleaning products, garden sprays and personal care pumps.
• Semi-automatic benchtop capper: an operator-fed cap tightener for short runs, startups and lines with frequent changeovers. Handles twist-on caps and trigger sprayers with adjustable torque, using either a four-wheel torque tightener or a cap chute tightener.

How an automatic capping machine works

Filled containers arrive on the conveyor and are spaced by a timing screw or starwheel. Loose caps are tipped into a vibratory bowl sorter, which orients them and feeds them to the pick and place head. The head places a cap on each container, then the tightening station turns it down to a set torque. An optional inspection system checks that the cap is present, straight and sealed before the container moves on to labelling. On lines with several cap sizes a waterfall feed keeps caps supplied without stopping the machine at changeover.

Torque control

A loose cap leaks in transit. An over-tightened cap strips the thread, cracks the closure or is impossible for the customer to open. Precision torque tightening applies the same controlled torque to every container, which gives consistent, leak-free seals and doubles as a quality check on every bottle. Torque is set from the control panel and stored per product, so a changeover between a 500 mL bottle and a 5 L jerry can is a recipe recall rather than a mechanical adjustment.

Cap types handled

• Screw caps and twist-on caps, including tamper-evident ring caps
• Snap-on and press-on caps
• Flip-top caps
• Trigger sprayers, with dip tube guidance
• Pump caps and lotion pumps, with or without a straw
• Child-resistant closures, subject to trial on your cap

Containers and industries

The same capping systems run PET, HDPE and glass bottles, jars, jerry cans and drums. Typical installations are in household and industrial cleaning products, cosmetics and personal care, sauces and beverages, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, automotive fluids and agricultural chemicals. Where the line also fills, the capper sits directly after a liquid filling machine; a combined rotary filling and capping machine is available for tubs and cups.

Installation, support and lead times

Nexus installs and commissions every capping machine it supplies, anywhere in Australia. Our own technicians travel interstate for the job, and on a larger or more complex line an engineer from the manufacturer works alongside them. Over the last three years Nexus has installed machines in Perth, Melbourne, Shepparton, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, and we also supply customers in New Zealand.

After handover, Nexus supports every machine it supplies. That means operator training, preventive maintenance, spare parts, and help when something goes wrong. If a Nexus machine breaks down, we troubleshoot by phone or video call first, at no charge, then send a Nexus technician or an approved contractor in your state if the fault needs hands on it. Common spare parts are held in Australia. Every machine carries a 12 month return-to-base warranty, excluding wear parts.

Lead time from order to shipment is typically about 75 days for a standard configuration and 90 to 120 days for a complex application, plus freight and installation. Pricing is by quotation, because each machine is configured to your product and container. Nexus Australia is a member of APPMA, the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association. Nexus is also an authorised Australian partner for KWT, whose capping machines are part of the range described above.

Choosing between them

Start with the cap. Standard screw caps suit any of the automatic cappers. Trigger sprayers and pumps need the dip-tube handling of the trigger and pump cap machine. Then match speed: a semi-automatic capper covers a few hundred containers an hour, the entry-level automatic capper up to 20 a minute, and the in-line capping machine up to 40. Our guide to choosing a capping machine works through the decision in more detail. For a complete bottling line, pair the capper with a filler and a labelling machine.

Send us your cap, your container and your target output and we will recommend the right capping machine. Contact Nexus Australia for a quote.