Practical production guidance for your product, pack and output

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Wines, spirits & liqueurs · practical process guide

How to fill and pack table wine in approved plastic bottles

A practical route from product preparation and container handling through filling, closing, labelling, coding and distribution.

Best starting point

Table Wine is a flammable formulation requiring hazardous-area review, ignition control and appropriate extraction. For approved plastic bottles, begin with a ATEX-assessed gravity, pump, peristaltic or flowmeter filling system and prove the complete process using production samples.

A practical production route

Use the eight stages below to compare the complete route for your product, from preparation and pack handling through to dispatch. For table wine, the critical issues are vapour ignition, static discharge, spills, worker exposure and incompatible materials.

1

Define the product window

Measure the production range for table wine: fill volume or weight, density, viscosity or flowability, temperature, largest inclusion, foam, chemistry and shelf-life process. Select equipment against the worst case, not the easiest sample.

2

Prepare and feed consistently

Prepare table wine to a repeatable specification and supply the filler through bonded and earthed closed transfer with vapour management. Control batch-to-batch variation and avoid long, restrictive or difficult-to-clean pipework.

3

Apply the required treatment

Complete a hazardous-area and ignition-source assessment for table wine. Include bonding, earthing, extraction, spill control and suitable electrical or pneumatic construction.

4

Prepare the empty pack

Inspect empty approved plastic bottles for damage, contamination and dimensional variation. Rinse, air-clean or sterilise only where the product risk assessment and packaging specification require it.

5

Fill accurately and cleanly

Use a ATEX-assessed gravity, pump, peristaltic or flowmeter filling system. Classify the area and select electrical, pneumatic and mechanical equipment accordingly. Set the nozzle and container handling so the outside of the approved plastic bottles remains clean for closing and labelling.

6

Close or seal the pack

Apply compatible screw caps with repeatable torque or force. Include cap/closure presence detection and a routine check of opening performance, leakage and tamper evidence.

7

Label, code and verify

Apply wrap-around, front-and-back, top or tamper-evident labels as required by the approved plastic bottles. Add batch/date coding and use vision or barcode checks where label mix-up is a material risk.

8

Inspect and pack for distribution

Check fill quantity, pack integrity, code and presentation before accumulating or case packing. Confirm the finished approved plastic bottles survives handling, sleeve wrapping, case packing, palletisation and transport.

Equipment options for table wine

These machine types provide an initial route. Dose range, contact materials, output, utilities, change parts and controls should be agreed after a representative product and pack trial.

Controlled liquid filling platformRecommended filling route

Controlled liquid filling platform

A practical starting point for table wine: ATEX-assessed gravity, pump, peristaltic or flowmeter filling system with product-specific contact parts and controls.

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Automatic closure applicationClosing and sealing

Automatic closure application

Apply and tighten compatible screw caps with controlled torque, force or position.

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Automatic labelling systemLabelling and coding

Automatic labelling system

Apply labels and traceability data to approved plastic bottles, with inspection where mix-up risk justifies it.

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Engineering, safety and quality controls

Product behaviour

Test viscosity, density, foaming, particle size or flowability using production-representative table wine. Classify the area and select electrical, pneumatic and mechanical equipment accordingly.

Fire and explosion safety

Complete DSEAR/ATEX assessment where applicable, remove ignition sources, provide bonding and earthing, and select extraction and equipment for the classified zone.

Cleaning and changeover

Plan for safe solvent recovery, ventilation and line clearance under an approved procedure. Confirm recovery, flushing, allergen or chemical segregation and safe disposal before purchase.

Pack validation

Run the actual approved plastic bottles and compatible screw caps through filling, closing, labelling and transit tests. Supplier drawings alone do not show real production variation.

Selecting equipment by weekly throughput

Weekly volumeTypical equipment levelPlanning approach
Under 500Desktop or manual-assistPrioritise low changeover time, flexible tooling and safe repeatability.
500–2,000Compact semi-automaticSeparate filler, closer and labeller can provide a practical step up without a full conveyor line.
2,000–10,000Two-head or compact inlineUse controlled product feed, powered conveyors and automatic closing or labelling where labour is the constraint.
10,000+Multi-head automatic lineBalance every station, include accumulation and specify inspection, rejection and end-of-line handling.

Prove the line with your product and packaging

The most useful test uses the final table wine, approved plastic bottles, compatible screw caps, label and code. Include the most difficult size or formulation, not only the easiest product.

Discuss this application

Common questions about filling table wine

What filling machine is best for table wine?

A ATEX-assessed gravity, pump, peristaltic or flowmeter filling system is the usual starting point because table wine behaves as a flammable formulation requiring hazardous-area review, ignition control and appropriate extraction. The actual choice depends on dose, temperature, inclusions, required accuracy, cleaning regime and output.

Can table wine be filled into approved plastic bottles?

Yes, provided the approved plastic bottles, compatible screw caps and product are compatible. Test dimensional variation, fill temperature, headspace, leakage, closure performance, label adhesion and distribution before specifying the line.

Should table wine be filled hot or cold?

Keep table wine within the supplier safety and process specification. Do not add heat without a formal compatibility and hazard review of the product, vapour, equipment and approved plastic bottles.

Does table wine need ATEX-rated filling equipment?

Possibly. The answer depends on flash point, vapour generation, ventilation and the hazardous-area classification. A DSEAR assessment should define the required ATEX category and operating controls.

How should approved plastic bottles be closed after filling table wine?

Apply compatible screw caps with repeatable torque or force. Include cap/closure presence detection and a routine check of opening performance, leakage and tamper evidence.

What output can a table wine filling line achieve?

Output depends on dose size, pack handling, fill time, closure method, cleaning and operator loading. As a planning guide: desktop equipment suits under 500 packs/week, compact systems 500–2,000, two-head lines 2,000–10,000 and multi-head systems 10,000+.

What samples are needed to test table wine?

Supply representative table wine, the complete approved plastic bottles, compatible screw caps, labels and any coding specification. Include the full product range, especially the highest viscosity, largest inclusion or most difficult pack size.

Calculate, compare and de-risk the application

Turn the table wine and approved plastic bottles route into a testable specification.

Use the resources below to challenge output, product behaviour, pack handling and project evidence before final equipment selection.

Application guidance updated 2026-09-01 · Generated from the product-behaviour and pack-format rules described in the guidance method. Final selection requires representative samples and project review.
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Send your product, pack sizes and target output to Lancing.

The team can review the full route from product feed and filling through closing, labelling, coding and end-of-line handling.

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Technical planning note · Updated 2026-09-01
This guidance should be confirmed with the real product, complete pack, sustained-output target, cleaning method and site risk assessment. Read how the guidance is produced.