Dip Filling Machine for the Whole Fresh-Dip Aisle

What Is a Dip Filling Machine?

A dip filling machine is packaging equipment that portions fresh dip into pre-formed cups and, on an integrated system, seals and lids each cup for retail. Our SDH-R automatic rotary cup filling, sealing and lidding machine does the whole job in one frame: empty cups and a hopper of product go in, sealed retail-ready dip cups come out, and no operator touches the product. Each cup rides an indexing turret through one pass:

1. Cup loading: a pneumatic denester places an empty cup into each nest.
2. Base fill: a servo-driven volumetric piston doses 50-500 g at ±0.5% accuracy.
3. Secondary fills (optional): up to two more fillers add oil, spices, nuts or herbs.
4. Seal: roll-film membrane is heat-sealed to the rim and cut, with optional nitrogen flushing of the headspace.
5. Lid (optional): a plastic overcap is snapped on before the cup discharges to the conveyor.

Running those steps on separate machines is where many dip lines lose money. A standalone filler and a standalone sealer handle every cup twice and convey it open between them, and each transfer risks smearing product onto the sealing flange, the most common cause of leakers. An integrated cup filling and sealing machine holds the cup in one nest from denest to discharge, so fill position and seal tool share one datum, with one recipe, one operator, one changeover and one 44 × 52 in footprint.

Typical buyers are co-packers running several brands, private-label manufacturers supplying grocery, dairies adding cultured dips, and fresh-dip brands that have outgrown hand-filling. This page is the hub for the category: it covers what every dip line shares, and each dip has its own detailed page, linked in the guide below.

Dip Viscosity Classes and How a Dip Filling Machine Handles Them

No two dips flow the same way. Four variables decide how hard a dip is to dose: viscosity (how cleanly it moves and breaks at the nozzle), particulates (cucumber, onion, herb leaf, curd), oil separation (a free oil phase that skews shot weight) and entrained air (whipped product that doses light). Grouping SKUs into viscosity classes shows quickly what a dip cup filling machine must handle.

Dip viscosity classes and the matching filler setup

A servo-driven volumetric piston covers all four classes because the fill profile is programmable, not fixed by cams. Draw speed, push speed, dwell and suck-back are stored per recipe at the HMI, so a stiff spread is drawn slowly while a thin dip is cut off sharply to stop stringing. With nozzle bore and piston size matched to the product, every cup holds ±0.5% of target from 50 g to 500 g.

Watch two more variables. A volumetric filler doses by volume, so a whipped dip whose density drifts will drift in weight; control overrun upstream or add the optional weight checker with feedback loop. And dairy and cheese dips change viscosity sharply with temperature. The SDH-R targets fresh and refrigerated dips filled at a pumpable temperature; hot-fill needs, viscosity extremes and unusual particulates are confirmed with our engineering team before we quote.

Dip Sealing Machine Essentials: Membrane Seals, Lids and Clean Rims

Roll-film membrane sealing

The standard SDH-R closure is a roll-film membrane heat seal: film indexes off a reel across the rim, a heated tool bonds it to the flange, and the web is cut. The membrane must be broken to reach the product, so it is inherently tamper-evident, and roll stock keeps consumable cost per cup low.

Pre-cut lids and snap-on overcaps

Pre-die-cut lids suit short runs and pre-printed branded lidding. The optional lid pick-and-place and snapping device add a rigid overcap, so the membrane provides tamper evidence while the overcap provides reclosability and protects the seal through case packing and shelf handling.

Rim cleanliness is seal integrity

Most seal failures on a dip sealing machine trace back to product on the sealing land, not the seal tool. Oily dips such as pesto, aioli and nut butters are the worst offenders, because a thin oil film stops the weld from bonding. Correct nozzle sizing, positive cut-off or suck-back and controlled fill height keep the flange clean, and seal temperature, pressure and dwell are stored per SKU so proven settings are recalled rather than re-guessed.

Build peel and leak checks into shift QA, ask film and cup suppliers for food-contact declarations (for EU-bound product, under Regulation (EC) 1935/2004), and send us your cup and film specification so we can confirm compatibility before tooling. Our cup sealing machine guide covers film selection.

Sanitation, Allergens and Changeover Across Dip SKUs

A multi-dip line is an allergen matrix before it is a schedule. Milk runs through tzatziki, sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese and queso; tree nuts through pesto and nut spreads; egg through many aiolis. Sesame, found in hummus, tahini and baba ganoush, became the ninth major US food allergen on January 1, 2023 under the FASTER Act, which amended FALCPA. Garlic and onion are not allergens but carry over strongly as flavor.

The FDA's Preventive Controls rule under FSMA (21 CFR Part 117) expects allergen cross-contact to be controlled where your hazard analysis identifies it, and Canada's Safe Food for Canadians Regulations require most licensed businesses to keep a preventive control plan. The SDH-R is designed to support plants operating under HACCP, BRCGS and SQF: 304 stainless steel, CIP, and tool-free strip-down so every product-contact part can go to the wash area.

1. Sequence: run non-allergen SKUs first and nut, sesame and heavy dairy SKUs last.
2. Strip and verify: remove all contact parts, inspect, and swab (ATP, protein or allergen-specific) where your plan requires.
3. Validate: document chemistry, temperature, contact time and verification.
4. Recall recipes: fill volume, fill profile, seal temperature, pressure and dwell are stored per SKU.
5. Stage change parts: denester magazine, nest tooling and seal tool swap as a matched set by cup size.

With recipes stored and parts staged, a SKU or cup-size changeover runs in under about 15 minutes. That figure covers mechanical and recipe changeover; a validated allergen wash-down adds whatever time your sanitation procedure needs, so schedule allergen changes at shift boundaries.

Dip Packaging Machine Price, Cup Formats and What to Specify

The SDH-R starts from $45,000 USD for the single-filler configuration; additional filler stations, MAP, lidding, labeling and cup tooling move the number. Our cup filling and sealing machine cost guide breaks down each option. Standard cups are 4, 8, 10 and 16 oz, with custom tooling from 2 to 32 oz:

• 2-4 oz: snack packs and foodservice portion cups.
• 8-10 oz: the core retail dip set.
• 16 oz: value, club and deli sizes.
• Up to 32 oz: foodservice and bulk packs.

Tooling a format you will not run for two years is the most common way to overspend on a dip packaging machine; buy change parts for the cups you sell now. Other options include an extended discharge conveyor, top and side labeling, variable data coding, a CIP system and a weight checker with feedback loop.

Every machine is built in Calgary, Alberta, is CE marked, FDA compliant and UL listed, and carries a 12-month warranty, with 8-12 week delivery and support from our Alberta, New Jersey and California service centers. To get a quote:

1. Name the product or products you will run.
2. Give the cup size, shape and lid or film format.
3. State your target cups per minute.
4. List options: extra fillers, MAP, lidding, labeling.

Submit those through our quote request form; our team may call to understand the application and usually replies within about 24 hours.