Filling SOP
The filling SOP, station by station
Ten stations, the control point at each one, and the error that actually happens there. This is the page we rewrite for your line before the first drum is opened.
| No. | Station | Control point | What goes wrong here |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Feed and preheat | Drum temperature 18–25 °C, lid and bung clean, pump inlet clear | Cold drum, or crust on the surface drawn into the pump |
| 02 | Stirring | Low shear, 5–10 min, no air vortex; filler stays suspended | High-speed stirring whips in air — bubbles in the can, not in the foam |
| 03 | Filtration | 80–120 mesh, pressure drop logged; change when it doubles | Filter changed only after a blocked nozzle, never before |
| 04 | Filling | Fill weight within ±2 g of the card; weigh 5 cans per hour | Setting weight by eye, or not accounting for valve tare |
| 05 | Valve crimping | Crimp diameter per valve spec, checked with a gauge every 500 cans | Worn crimping head — looks sealed, leaks in the water bath |
| 06 | Gas filling | Pressure from the card, gassed at the temperature the card assumes | Gassing cold cans with a warm-pressure setting — overpressure at 40 °C |
| 07 | Leak test | Water bath at 50–55 °C, 3 minutes, one can per row inspected by hand | Bath too cold to reveal a slow leak |
| 08 | Drying and coding | Batch and date code legible after the bath; one code per batch, never re-used | Re-using a batch code across two production days |
| 09 | Sampling | One can per batch retained, cut at 24 h, photographed and filed | No retained sample — every later dispute becomes an opinion |
| 10 | Palletising | Height per your warehouse, straps clear of the valve, top sheet on | Valve crushed by the strap — the can leaks standing still |
These ten stations are the skeleton. The version we write for you carries your station numbers, your machine settings and your shift names — because an SOP nobody recognises is a poster, not a procedure.
See the parameter card that goes with this SOP.
Technology brand
Request the technology package index
- 1 tonne minimum, five 200 L drums
- SDS, COA and Form E with every shipment
- We reply within 24 hours, Monday to Saturday.