Think of it like a gasoline pump nozzle that shuts off when the tank is full. No seal is required between the nozzle and the container. Cans or other open-mouthed containers may be filled with cascade or overflow fillers. A continuous, recirculated curtain of product is discharged over the cans as they pass through on a conveyor. Fill volume is regulated by angling the containers off the vertical.
Cascade fillers are particularly useful for high speeds or for products containing solids.
They are also useful when a can must be filled with liquid on top of a solid product, such as tuna fish. The tuna is packed by weight and the can topped off with water or oil using a cascade filler. This article has been a brief look at some of the major filling architectures on the market today. Within each are many variations. When designing a liquid filling line, it is important that we consider the different types of equipment and be sure that we select the architecture most appropriate to our requirements.