Butter Filling Machine for Margarine, Whipped and Spreadable Butter Tubs
Fill soft tub margarine, spreadable and whipped butter, compound butters and dairy-free plant butters into pre-formed tubs, then seal and snap on lids in one pass. Servo piston filling at ±0.5% accuracy, up to 30 cups per minute.
A butter filling machine for tubs deposits pumpable butter, margarine or plant-based butter into pre-formed cups and seals them. The Hummus Pack SDH-R is a rotary butter filling machine that fills 50-500 g per tub at ±0.5% accuracy with a servo-driven volumetric piston, runs up to 30 cups per minute (18-25 real-world), heat-seals a membrane, can add nitrogen flush and snap-on lids, and starts from $45,000 USD.
- Machine
- SDH-R automatic rotary cup filling, sealing and lidding
- Output
- Up to 30 cups/min (18-25 real-world)
- Fill range
- 50 g - 500 g (approx. 2-17 oz) standard
- Accuracy
- ±0.5% (servo-driven volumetric piston)
- Tub sizes
- 4, 8, 10, 16 oz standard; custom 2-32 oz
- Closures
- Roll-film membrane seal, pre-die-cut lids, snap-on plastic lids
- Price
- From $45,000 USD (single filler)
What a Butter Filling Machine for Tubs Does
A butter filling machine for tubs takes butter, margarine or plant-based butter while it is still soft and plastic, deposits an exact weight into a pre-formed tub, and closes it with a sealed membrane and usually a snap-on lid. Our SDH-R does all of this on one rotary turret: it denests the tub, fills it with a servo-driven volumetric piston, heat-seals film cut from the roll, and can add a nitrogen flush and a reclosable plastic lid before discharge.
Scope matters. Block, stick and foil-wrapped print butter are formed and wrapped on dedicated machines, not filled into cups; the SDH-R is a tub machine. Our general spread filling machine page covers sweet and savory spreads broadly, while this page goes deeper into the crystallization, aeration and allergen questions specific to butter and margarine.
Margarine, Spreadable Butter and Whipped Butter: Products We Fill
Tub products in the dairy case look alike on the shelf but behave very differently in a butter filling machine. We configure the SDH-R around the product you run:
- Soft tub margarine: a water-in-oil emulsion crystallized to spread straight from the refrigerator, including light versions with a larger water phase.
- Spreadable butter blends: butter plus vegetable oil; softer than butter and prone to oiling-out if handled warm.
- Whipped butter: butter aerated with air or nitrogen; the gas is part of the product and has to survive filling.
- Compound and flavored butters: garlic-herb, honey or cinnamon butters carrying particulates or sweeteners.
- Dairy-free plant butters: plant-fat blends formulated to perform like butter, often bought by consumers avoiding milk.
- Cultured and salted tub butters: conventional butter filled soft into tubs for retail or foodservice.
In the US, butter must contain at least 80% milkfat. That fat content means these products hold their shape once set, but a few degrees of difference at the filler changes how they flow, how they finish and whether fat reaches the sealing flange. Cream cheese tubs share some of these traits, but butter and margarine are more temperature-sensitive.
How the SDH-R Butter Filling Machine Fills and Seals a Tub
Every tub passes through the same sequence on the rotary dial, with each station working while the turret is stationary:
- Cup loading: a pneumatic denester places an empty tub in each turret pocket.
- Base filling: the servo-driven volumetric piston filler deposits butter or margarine at ±0.5% fill-weight accuracy.
- Secondary filling (optional): a second or third filler adds a honey swirl, herbs, seeds or flavored oil.
- Membrane sealing: film cut from the roll is heat-sealed to the flange for a tamper-evident closure.
- Nitrogen MAP flushing (optional): residual oxygen in the pack drops to 0.3-0.4%.
- Lid placement (optional): a plastic lid is picked and placed, and a snapping device presses over-top lids home.
- Discharge: tubs leave on the conveyor toward coding, labeling or a weight checker.
Piston stroke, fill speed, seal temperature, dwell and lid settings are stored per SKU as HMI recipes, so changeover between SKUs takes under about 15 minutes. Full dimensions and options are on the SDH-R product page.
Margarine Filling Machine Basics: Fill Temperature and Crystallization
Margarine and spreadable butter do not reach the filler as a liquid. The emulsion is typically chilled in scraped-surface heat exchangers and worked in pin rotors, and it leaves the crystallization line as a plastic, semi-solid mass that is still setting. Tub products are filled in that state and finish crystallizing in the tub, so fill temperature and working history largely decide the final texture.
What goes wrong when the fill window is missed
- Too warm: the product slumps, fat can separate as an oily layer, and the tub may set grainy.
- Too cold or over-worked: the product resists flowing into the tub corners and traps air pockets.
- Drifting during a run: fill volume stays constant but density changes, so weight and finish drift.
Your formulation and process line set crystallization; we configure the margarine filling machine for the plastic state your line produces through piston size, valve bore, nozzle type and stroke speed. We do not publish a universal fill-temperature limit for the SDH-R, so our engineering team confirms your fill temperature and texture before quoting.
Get a configured SDH-R quote for your productSend your product, cup size and target cups per minute — we reply within 24 hours.
Request a quoteWhipped Butter Filling Machine Setup: Low Shear, No Deflation
Whipped butter is sold by weight but bought by volume, so the gas worked into it is part of the product. Every pump, bend and narrowing between the whipping unit and the tub can knock that gas out, leaving a tub that looks short-filled, feels dense and may weep at the surface. A piston filler suits it because each portion moves in one controlled stroke rather than being sheared continuously. For whipped butter we:
- Specify large-bore valving and nozzles so product is never forced through a narrow orifice.
- Use the servo drive to slow intake and dispense strokes, saved as a dedicated HMI recipe.
- Recommend a short product path from the whipping unit to the hopper, with no recirculation loops.
- Add the optional weight checker with feedback loop, because a fixed volume at a different overrun means a different net weight.
Our servo cup filler page explains how the servo drive profiles each stroke.
Flat Surface Finish, Air Voids and Clean Sealing Flanges
Consumers judge a margarine tub the moment they peel the membrane: a level surface reads as quality, while a cratered top, product tail or air pocket reads as a problem, even at the correct weight.
Getting a level, void-free fill
Finish starts with plasticity: product at the right temperature relaxes slightly in the tub, while stiff product holds every ridge. We specify a cut-off nozzle for a clean break or a suck-back nozzle to stop tails, and tune the piston stroke so the portion lands as one mass. Air voids usually start on the supply side, from a low hopper, overly stiff product or air beaten in by an upstream pump; a steady hopper level and correct fill temperature solve most of them.
Why fat on the flange causes leakers
A butterfat smear on the flange melts under the seal head and stops the film bonding, producing weak seals and leakers that may only appear in distribution. A clean cut-off, centered deposit and correct headspace keep the flange dry; seal temperature, pressure and dwell are then set for your film and tub and confirmed with peel tests, as covered in our cup sealing machine guide.
Butter and Margarine Tub Formats, Snap-On Lids and MAP
US butter and margarine tubs are typically 8 oz and 16 oz, while European and UK retailers commonly stock 250 g and 500 g tubs. The SDH-R butter filling machine handles 4, 8, 10 and 16 oz tubs as standard and custom sizes from 2 to 32 oz with matching change parts, in round, square or rectangular shapes, within a standard fill range of 50-500 g.
Common tub formats on the SDH-R butter filling machine
| Tub format | Typical use | SDH-R fit |
|---|---|---|
| 8 oz tub | US whipped butter, spreadable butter, margarine | Standard tooling |
| 16 oz (1 lb) tub | US margarine and spreadable butter | Standard tooling |
| 250 g tub | EU and UK retail spreads | Custom change parts (within 2-32 oz) |
| 500 g tub | EU and UK family-size spreads | Custom change parts; top of 50-500 g range |
Most margarine tubs carry a heat-sealed membrane for tamper evidence plus a reclosable over-cap. The SDH-R seals roll film or applies pre-die-cut lids, then uses lid pick-and-place and a snapping device for over-top lids. Variable data coding and top and side labeling can be integrated after discharge.
Does nitrogen flushing help butter and margarine?
Oxidation, light and water-phase hygiene usually limit butter and margarine more than the spoilage that drives fresh dip shelf life. The optional nitrogen MAP flush lowers residual oxygen to 0.3-0.4%, which can help oxidation-sensitive whipped or flavored butters; validate any shelf-life gain with your own testing. If a compound butter contains fresh garlic or herbs, assess low-oxygen packaging in your hazard analysis.
Butter Filling Machine Configuration by Product
Here is how we approach the main butter and margarine products. Our engineering team confirms each configuration against your product before quoting.
Product vs filling challenge vs SDH-R option
| Product | Main filling challenge | SDH-R option |
|---|---|---|
| Soft tub margarine | Plastic, still-crystallizing product; texture depends on fill temperature | Servo volumetric piston sized to the product; recipe-stored stroke; cut-off nozzle for a level top |
| Spreadable butter blend | Oiling-out if handled warm; fat on the flange | Suck-back nozzle; centered deposit; validated seal temperature, pressure and dwell |
| Whipped butter | Deflation from shear; weight drift as overrun changes | Large-bore valving; slow servo stroke; weight checker with feedback loop |
| Compound or flavored butter | Herbs, garlic and inclusions; sweet swirls | Wide-bore valving for particulates; second filler for a honey or sauce swirl; garnish filler for toppings |
| Dairy-free plant butter | Allergen segregation from dairy; different melting behavior | Tool-free strip-down; optional CIP; separate HMI recipe |
| Light or reduced-fat spread | Larger water phase; emulsion can weep if overworked | Gentle servo stroke profile; recipe-specific seal settings |
Allergen Changeover: Dairy Butter vs Dairy-Free Plant Butter
Milk is one of the nine major US food allergens under FALCPA as amended by the FASTER Act, and a priority allergen in Canada. Many margarines also contain soy lecithin, and some plant butters are made from cashews or other tree nuts. Running dairy butter and a dairy-free plant butter on the same butter filling machine therefore makes the changeover an allergen control, not a SKU swap.
Plants operating under FDA FSMA Preventive Controls (21 CFR Part 117), Canada's Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, BRCGS or SQF document this as a validated clean with verification. The SDH-R is designed to support that work with:
- Food-grade 304 stainless steel construction.
- Tool-free strip-down for manual washing and inspection.
- An optional CIP (clean-in-place) system.
- Separate HMI recipes for dairy and dairy-free products.
A SKU changeover takes under about 15 minutes; a full allergen clean takes longer because fat films need hot detergent washing, rinsing and verification. Many plants run dairy-free products first after full sanitation. See our plant-based filling page for more on dairy-free products.
When a Dedicated High-Speed Tub Line Is the Better Choice
The SDH-R is a rotary butter filling machine built for flexibility: several tub sizes, recipes and multi-component products on one 44 × 52 in frame. It runs up to 30 cups per minute on a dry cycle and typically 18-25 CPM in production; at 20 CPM that is 1,200 tubs an hour, which suits regional dairies, private-label producers, compound butter makers and growing plant-based brands.
It is not the right machine when:
- You run one margarine SKU at national-brand volume well above 30 tubs per minute; a dedicated high-speed tub line or inline cup filling machine is the better investment.
- Your product is block, stick or foil-wrapped butter, which needs a forming and wrapping machine.
- You pack foodservice butter portions below 50 g, outside the standard fill range.
- You want to thermoform tubs in line; the SDH-R uses pre-formed tubs only.
Our guide to rotary vs inline filling machines covers the volume and SKU-mix trade-off.
Butter Filling Machine Price, Lead Time and How to Get a Quote
The SDH-R starts from $45,000 USD in its single-filler configuration, with price scaling for additional fillers, nitrogen MAP, lid snapping, labeling, coding, the weight checker and custom tub tooling. Machines are designed and built in Calgary, Alberta, carry a 12-month warranty, deliver 8-12 weeks from order confirmation, and are supported from our Alberta, New Jersey and California service centres. Our cup filling and sealing machine cost guide breaks down how each option affects the total.
To quote, we need your product, tub size and shape, target cups per minute and the options you are considering. Our team may reach out to learn more about your fill temperature and texture first, and we typically reply within about 24 hours. Request a butter filling machine quote or call +1 (888) 922-7271.
Butter Filling Machine — Frequently Asked Questions
The Hummus Pack SDH-R butter filling machine starts from $45,000 USD in its single-filler configuration. Price rises with options such as extra fillers for swirls or garnishes, nitrogen MAP, lid snapping, labeling, coding, a weight checker and custom tooling for 250 g or 500 g tubs. Send your product, tub size and target speed through our quote request form for an itemized price.
The SDH-R runs up to 30 cups per minute on a dry cycle and typically 18-25 cups per minute in production, depending on product, tub size, fill weight and options. Stiff margarines and whipped butters often run toward the lower end to protect surface finish and overrun. At 20 cups per minute, one SDH-R produces about 1,200 tubs per hour.
The SDH-R fills 4, 8, 10 and 16 oz tubs with standard tooling and custom sizes from 2 to 32 oz with matching change parts, in round, square or rectangular shapes. Its standard fill range is 50-500 g at ±0.5% accuracy, covering US 8 oz and 16 oz butter tubs and European 250 g and 500 g margarine tubs.
No. Block, stick and foil-wrapped print butter need dedicated forming and wrapping machines. The SDH-R is a rotary cup filling, sealing and lidding machine that fills pumpable butter, margarine, whipped, compound and plant-based butters into pre-formed tubs, then closes them with a heat-sealed membrane and an optional snap-on plastic lid. It does not thermoform containers.
Yes, with the right setup. The SDH-R moves each portion in a single servo-controlled piston stroke, and for whipped butter we specify large-bore valving and slower stroke profiles to limit shear. Because a volumetric filler deposits a fixed volume, any change in overrun changes net weight, so we recommend the optional weight checker with feedback loop on whipped butter lines.
The SDH-R's servo-driven volumetric piston filler delivers ±0.5% fill-weight accuracy across its standard 50-500 g range. With butter and margarine, consistency also depends on steady fill temperature and density, because the filler measures volume rather than weight. Lines needing tight net-weight control, especially on whipped products, add the optional weight checker with feedback loop.
It depends on the formulation and line, because margarine leaves the crystallization line as a plastic product that is still setting. Filled too warm, it can oil out or set grainy; filled too cold, it resists flowing and traps air. Hummus Pack does not publish a universal fill-temperature limit for the SDH-R, so our engineering team confirms fill temperature and texture before quoting.
Treat it as an allergen changeover. Milk is a major allergen under US FALCPA, so switching from dairy to dairy-free butter on the SDH-R needs a validated clean and verification under your food safety plan. The SDH-R supports this with 304 stainless steel construction, tool-free strip-down, an optional CIP system and separate HMI recipes. Many plants run dairy-free products first after full sanitation.
The SDH-R is designed and built in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and ships 8-12 weeks from order confirmation with a 12-month warranty. It is supported from our Alberta, New Jersey and California service centres, and we typically reply to quote requests within about 24 hours.
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