Main parts of an automatic capping machine
- Cap feeder — a hopper with an elevator or vibratory bowl that orients caps.
- Cap placement — a chute or pick-and-place head that puts the cap on the bottle.
- Tightening — wheels, a chuck or a spindle that screws the cap down.
- Bottle handling — side belts or a star wheel that hold the bottle still.
Types of bottle capping machines
| Type | Best for | Catalogue example |
|---|---|---|
| Four-wheel inline capper | Round screw caps on jars and bottles, mixed sizes | XG4 four-wheel screw capping machine (20–50 bpm) |
| High-speed inline capper | Food, beverage and cosmetic bottles at higher speed | CG120 high-speed capping machine (30–120 bpm) |
| Servo single-head chuck capper | Lotion pumps, trigger sprays, oriented caps | Servo single-head capper for pump and screw caps |
| Rotary capper with cap loading | Plastic bottles and glass jars, automatic cap feeding | Rotary bottle capping machine with cap loading |
| Vibratory-feeder small capper | Dropper and nail polish bottles | Dropper & nail polish bottle capping machine with vibratory feeder |
| Vacuum twist-off capper | Lug caps on glass jars | ZK4 vacuum twist-off capping machine |
For a deeper comparison of wheel, chuck, vacuum and seaming closures, see capping machine types explained.
Cap torque: why it matters
Too little torque and the bottle leaks; too much and the cap is hard to open, the thread strips or the liner is crushed. Wheel cappers set torque by wheel speed, pressure and clutch setting; servo chuck cappers set it digitally and can record it. Ask your closure supplier for the application torque range for each cap size.
How to check cap torque
Most plants use a bench cap torque tester: a clamp holds the bottle while the operator turns the cap and the meter reads removal torque. Test a few bottles at start-up and at set intervals. Removal torque is normally lower than application torque and drops further over the first day as the liner relaxes, so compare like with like.
How to choose a capping machine
- Cap type: flat screw cap, sports cap, pump, trigger, dropper, lug cap, ROPP.
- Cap and bottle diameter and height ranges (for example our inline cappers list caps on bottles of 30–120 mm diameter and 50–300 mm height).
- Speed in bottles per minute, matched to the filler.
- Whether bottles are stable or need a puck or star wheel.
- Whether foil induction sealing follows — see induction sealing.
Manual, semi-automatic or automatic?
Handheld electric cappers and tabletop cappers suit small batches. Once you fill continuously on a conveyor, an automatic inline capper keeps up with the filler and gives consistent torque. Send your caps and bottles (photos are fine) through the quote form.
Questions and answers
Can one capping machine handle different cap sizes?
Inline wheel cappers adjust to many round cap sizes without change parts. Chuck cappers usually need a chuck insert per cap size.
What speed does a bottle capping machine reach?
Our inline cappers list 20–50 and 30–120 bottles per minute, depending on model, cap and bottle.
Which capper is best for pump and trigger caps?
A servo single-head chuck capper, because it can orient and grip irregular closures and control torque precisely.
How is cap torque tested?
With a cap torque tester that measures the torque needed to remove the cap. Check samples at start-up and at regular intervals.
Related buying guides
Browse machines: Capping & sealing machines
