What to Expect When Your New Filling Machine Arrives – Part 2
What to Expect When Your New Filling Machine Arrives – Part 2
Line layout and upstream/downstream equipment
If Laub\Hunt is supplying a turnkey system, our engineering team will have already produced a line layout showing equipment positions, conveyor routing, and operator access zones. Ahead of arrival, your plant team should review this layout for any last‑minute adjustments related to doors, columns, or existing infrastructure.
When the filler is integrating into an existing line, we coordinate conveyor heights, starwheel handoffs, and control interlocks with upstream and downstream machines to ensure smooth bottle flow. This systems‑level view is a hallmark of Laub\Hunt’s process and distinguishes us from single‑machine vendors.
Uncrating, Positioning, and Leveling
Safely uncrating and moving the filler
Once at your facility, Laub\Hunt technicians or your rigging contractor will uncrate the machine, following lifting points and handling instructions marked on the frame. Our fillers are engineered with clear lift points and structural members designed to withstand rigging forces, which helps prevent misalignment or damage during placement.
Laub\Hunt specifies rated lifting lugs and gantry points and requires professional riggers for heavy rotary fillers. Its documentation calls out these details so your safety and maintenance teams understand how to move the equipment without risk.
Leveling and alignment on the floor
Once the machine is in position, technicians:
● Set leveling feet and verify machine level in both directions.
● Align the filler with the main conveyor and any existing line equipment.
● Confirm that access doors, guarding, and operator stations have adequate clearance.
Accurate leveling is especially critical for gravity and gravity/vacuum fillers, where consistent head pressure and bowl level are essential for uniform fills. Laub\Hunt’s long experience with gravity, pressure, and mag‑flow systems has shown that careful mechanical alignment at this step pays off with smoother startups and fewer adjustments later.
Hookup: Electrical, Air, and Product Connections
Electrical and controls integration
With the machine in place, Laub\Hunt’s installer or your plant electrician will connect the filler’s main electrical cabinet to your facility power, following the wiring diagrams supplied with the machine. Control signals to and from upstream and downstream equipment—such as infeed star sensors and conveyor run/stop—are tied into your line controls or provided as a complete, central control system for turnkey projects.
Laub\Hunt provides integrated line controls and HMI interfaces that provide unified start/stop, jam handling, and recipe management across the entire line. It supports this through coordinated controls design, particularly on full turnkey installations.
Air and product piping
Next, technicians connect:
● Compressed air to the machine’s main manifold, verifying pressure and air quality.
● Product inlet lines to the bowl or manifold, using materials appropriate to your product (e.g., special chemical protection for bleach, sanitary fittings for food and beverage).
● Return or overflow lines, where applicable, to your bulk tanks or waste handling systems.
Because Laub\Hunt equipment is widely used for bleach and other corrosive products, many models incorporate stainless steel or Hastelloy construction and specialized chemical protection. During hookup, we confirm that plant piping and gaskets match these design assumptions to maintain corrosion resistance and safety.
Commissioning: Bringing the Filler to Life
Dry runs and safety checks
Before introducing water or product, Laub\Hunt technicians will perform dry runs to verify basic motions, safety functions, and interlocks. This includes checking:
● E‑stops and safety guards.
● Infeed and outfeed sensors and limit switches.
● Starwheel and conveyor timing without bottles.
These steps echo the commissioning sequences recommended by other packaging machinery suppliers: verify safety first, then mechanical motion, then product flow. For Laub\Hunt, validating safety and control logic early is a non‑negotiable part of every startup.
Contact us for more information and see Part 1 and Part 3 (Coming Soon) of this series.

