A
filling machine operable to dispense a fluid from a fluid supply to a container having an opening and a cap configured to cover the opening. The filling machine includes a housing that defines a fill chamber and a cap removal assembly at least partially located within the fill chamber. The cap removal assembly is operable to remove the cap from the opening of the container within the fill chamber. The filling machine further includes a fill line assembly having an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is configured to be coupled to the fluid supply and the outlet is located within the fill chamber. The outlet is configured to be placed in fluid communication with the opening of the container. The fill line assembly is removably coupled to the
filling machine, and fluid flowing from the fluid supply to the container flows through the fill line assembly.
The
filling machine of claim 1, wherein the container defines a body portion and a fill conduit extending from the body portion, the fill conduit in fluid communication with the body portion, wherein the opening of the container is defined by the fill conduit, and wherein the housing further defines an aperture in fluid communication with the fill chamber and configured to receive the fill conduit of the container such that the body portion of the container does not enter the fill chamber.
In yet another embodiment, the invention provides a method of installing and removing a fill line assembly from a filling machine. The
filling machine is operable to dispense a fluid from a fluid supply to a container. The method includes coupling an inlet of the fill line assembly to the fluid supply, routing a flexible fill line of the fill line assembly through a portion of the
filling machine, and positioning an outlet of the fill line assembly within a fill chamber of the filling machine such that the fluid passes through the fill line assembly without directly contacting other surfaces of the filling machine. The method further includes removing the fill line assembly from the
filling machine.
