Food Filling Machine for Dips, Dairy, Spreads and Fresh Cups
Pick the filler by the food, not the brochure. Our SDH-R rotary machine fills, seals and lids pre-formed cups at up to 30 cups per minute with ±0.5% fill accuracy, from smooth dips to chunky salsas and layered desserts.
A food filling machine doses a measured portion of food into a container, and the right type depends on the food's viscosity and particulates. For fresh dips, spreads, dairy and sauces in pre-formed cups, our SDH-R is a fully automatic rotary food filling machine: servo piston dosing of 50-500 g at ±0.5%, up to 30 cups per minute (18-25 real-world), roll-film sealing and optional lidding, from $45,000 USD.
- Machine type
- Fully automatic rotary fill, seal and lid machine (SDH-R)
- Output
- Up to 30 cups/min (18-25 real-world)
- Fill range and accuracy
- 50-500 g (approx. 2-17 oz) at ±0.5%
- Fillers
- Up to 3 per pass: piston, vibration, garnish, peristaltic
- Containers
- Pre-formed cups and tubs; 4, 8, 10, 16 oz standard, 2-32 oz custom
- Construction
- Food-grade 304 stainless steel, CIP, tool-free strip-down
- Price and delivery
- From $45,000 USD; 8-12 weeks; 12-month warranty
What Is a Food Filling Machine?
A food filling machine is equipment that doses a controlled amount of food into a container, by volume or by weight, at a repeatable speed. The category is broad: it includes bottle fillers for thin liquids, auger fillers for powders, weighers for snacks, and a family of piston and pump fillers for pastes, dips and sauces. This page covers that last family, built into a fully automatic rotary cup filling machine that fills, seals and lids pre-formed cups and tubs.
We design and build the SDH-R in Calgary, Alberta, and supply it to food producers across the USA and Canada. It is a specialist. It does one job, filling fresh and refrigerated foods into pre-formed cups, and the rest of this guide helps you decide whether your product fits, which filler configuration it needs and what the machine costs.
Food Filling Machines Compared: Piston, Pump, Auger and Weigher
Most food filling machines fall into four metering technologies, and each one handles product differently. Our overview of the main machine families on a food line places filling in the wider line; the table below focuses on the filler itself.
Food filling machine technologies and where a cup filler fits
| Filler technology | Best for | Limits | On the SDH-R |
|---|---|---|---|
| Servo piston (volumetric) | Dips, spreads, purees, dairy and chunky sauces through wide-bore valves | Fixed volume per stroke, so product density must stay consistent | Standard base filler, ±0.5% |
| Pump (peristaltic, gear, lobe) | Thin to medium liquids such as oil, dressings and liquid spices | Poor fit for heavy pastes and large pieces | Peristaltic pump is optional |
| Auger or vibration | Dry powders such as spice blends and seasonings | Powders only; not for wet or sticky food | Optional vibration filler for powders |
| Weigher (net-weigh, multihead) | Free-flowing pieces such as nuts, snacks and produce | Wet, sticky food bridges and clings to the hoppers | Optional garnish filler for nuts, seeds, herbs and toppings |
A food cup filler is a piston or pump doser built into a machine that also handles the container. Piston dosing wins for most cup foods because it moves viscous, chunky product at a repeatable volume. Our piston vs pump filler comparison explains when a peristaltic pump is the better call, usually for oils, dressings and other thin liquids.
Food Container Filling Machine: Which Foods Does It Handle?
A food container filling machine for pre-formed cups and tubs suits fresh and refrigerated products that can be pumped at filling temperature. These are the product families our food filling machine is used for, each with a dedicated page.
- Dips and spreads: hummus, tahini, baba ganoush, pesto, aioli and queso. See our dip filling and sealing machine page.
- Chunky dips: salsa, guacamole and tzatziki, where pieces pass through wide-bore valving. See the salsa filling machine.
- Dairy and cultured foods: sour cream, cream cheese, yogurt, labneh, cottage cheese and ricotta. See the dairy filling machine.
- Nut butters: thick products where oil separation matters. See the peanut butter filling machine.
- Sauces and dressings: pourable to creamy products, often on a peristaltic pump or suck-back nozzle. See sauce and dressing filling.
- Prepared salads: sauce-bound salads with pieces sized to the valve bore. See the salad filling machine.
- Purees and desserts: baby food purees, puddings, custards and layered parfaits, using up to three fillers in one pass.
Everything on this list shares three traits. It is fresh or refrigerated, it can be pumped at filling temperature, and it goes into a pre-formed cup or tub. Foods that break those rules need a different machine, covered near the end of this page.
How to Choose a Food Filling Machine by Product Rheology
Rheology is how a food flows, and it decides which food filling machine configuration works. Before you request quotes, work through these six questions with a sample of your product in hand.
- How thick is it? Smooth, viscous products such as hummus and nut butter suit a servo piston filler. Thin liquids such as oil or liquid spice suit a peristaltic pump.
- How large are the pieces? Compare your largest particle with the valve bore. Salsa, shredded cucumber and nut pieces need wide-bore valving, and unusual particulates are confirmed with our engineering team.
- Does it separate or weep? Oil separation in tahini and nut butters, and syneresis (whey weeping) in yogurt, labneh and tzatziki, change density and appearance between filling and the shelf. Tell us how your product behaves after sitting.
- Does it hold air? A volumetric piston doses by volume, so keep density consistent from batch to batch to hold ±0.5% fill-weight accuracy. Heavily aerated product fills lighter than the same volume of dense product.
- What is the fill temperature? The SDH-R targets fresh and refrigerated cups filled at a pumpable temperature. If you hot-fill or sit at a viscosity extreme, we confirm the limits before quoting.
- What fill weight and speed do you need? The standard range is 50-500 g at 18-25 cups per minute in practice. Fills under 50 g sit outside the standard range, and sustained single-SKU volume above 30 cups per minute points to an inline line.
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 quoteFood Filling Machine Decision Table: Food Type, Filler and Closure
Use this table to match your product to a food filling machine configuration. We confirm the final setup after reviewing your product, cup and target speed.
Food type, filler, nozzle and closure on the SDH-R
| Food type | Filler | Nozzle or valving | Closure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smooth dips and spreads (hummus, tahini, baba ganoush, labneh) | Servo piston | Cut-off or suck-back nozzle | Roll-film membrane seal, optional snap-on lid |
| Chunky dips (salsa, guacamole, tzatziki) | Servo piston | Wide-bore valving | Membrane seal, optional nitrogen flush |
| Cultured dairy and soft cheese (sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese) | Servo piston | Suck-back nozzle for a clean cut-off | Membrane seal or pre-die-cut lid, optional plastic lid |
| Nut butters | Servo piston | Suck-back nozzle | Membrane seal and snap-on lid |
| Oils, dressings and thin sauces | Peristaltic pump | Suck-back nozzle (drip-free) | Membrane seal |
| Powder toppings (spice blends) | Vibration filler on a secondary station | Powder dosing | Dosed before sealing |
| Nuts, seeds, herbs and chunky toppings | Garnish filler on a secondary or third station | Garnish dosing | Dosed before sealing |
| Layered desserts and parfaits | Up to three fillers in one pass | Set per component | Pre-die-cut lid or membrane seal, optional lid |
Automatic Food Filling Machine: How the SDH-R Works
The SDH-R is an automatic food filling machine built around an indexing turret, so every cup passes through each station in one pass. It is rotary rather than inline, which keeps the footprint to 44 x 52 in (1,100.5 x 1,315.5 mm). The sequence is:
- Cup loading and denesting. A pneumatic denester drops one pre-formed cup into the turret.
- Base filling. A servo-driven volumetric piston doses 50-500 g.
- Secondary or third filling (optional). Paste, spices, nuts, oil or a liquid garnish are added.
- Roll-film membrane sealing. Film cut from a roll is heat-sealed to the cup for a tamper-evident closure.
- Nitrogen MAP flushing (optional). Residual oxygen drops to 0.3-0.4%.
- Plastic lid pick-and-place (optional). The lid is placed or snapped on, and the cup discharges to the conveyor.
Control is PLC-based with recipe storage on the HMI and diagnostic alerts, and SKU changeover takes under about 15 minutes. Options include a longer discharge conveyor, top and side labeling integration, variable data coding, a CIP system and a weight checker with a feedback loop.
Food Filling and Sealing Machine Specifications and Price
SDH-R food filling and sealing machine specifications
| Specification | SDH-R |
|---|---|
| Output | Up to 30 CPM dry cycle; 18-25 CPM real-world |
| Fill range | 50-500 g (approx. 2-17 oz) |
| Fill accuracy | ±0.5% (servo-driven volumetric piston) |
| Cup sizes | 4, 8, 10, 16 oz standard; custom 2-32 oz with matching tooling |
| Cup shapes | Round, square, rectangular (pre-formed) |
| Closing | Roll-film membrane seal, pre-die-cut lids, plastic lid pick-and-place, snap-on lids |
| Modified atmosphere | Optional nitrogen flush to 0.3-0.4% residual oxygen |
| Footprint | 44 x 52 in; height 65.6 in (1,666 mm) |
| Compliance | CE, UL listed, FDA-compliant food-contact materials |
| Price | From $45,000 USD (single-filler configuration) |
Price for the SDH-R food filling machine rises with additional fillers, MAP, labeling and custom tooling. Delivery takes 8-12 weeks from order confirmation and the machine carries a 12-month warranty. Review the full SDH-R product page, or request a quote with your product, cup size and target cups per minute. We may call to learn more about your application, and we reply within about 24 hours.
Our service centres in Alberta, New Jersey and California support customers across the USA and Canada.
Hygienic Food Filling Machine Design: 304 Stainless, CIP and Allergens
The SDH-R food filling machine uses food-grade 304 stainless steel for food-contact construction, with CIP (clean-in-place) and tool-free strip-down so operators reach product-contact parts quickly. The machine is CE compliant and UL listed, and its food-contact materials are FDA compliant. Details are on our certifications and compliance page.
Allergen changeover on a shared filler
One line that runs hummus and tahini (sesame), nut butter (peanuts or tree nuts) and cream cheese (milk) crosses several of the nine major US allergens. Sesame became the ninth on January 1, 2023 under the FASTER Act. Allergen cross-contact is a hazard you control through your food safety plan under FDA FSMA Preventive Controls (21 CFR Part 117), and Canada's Safe Food for Canadians Regulations expect a preventive control plan that covers the same risk.
- Sequence runs from allergen-free to allergen-containing products where your schedule allows.
- Store each recipe on the HMI so fill volume and speed are never re-entered by hand.
- Use CIP and tool-free strip-down between allergen groups, and validate the cleaning under your own allergen control procedure.
The SDH-R is designed to support plants operating under HACCP, BRCGS or SQF, but the machine itself is not certified to those schemes. SKU changeover is under about 15 minutes; a full allergen-clean verification takes as long as your sanitation procedure requires.
What a Food Filling Machine for Cups Does Not Do
Candour saves both of us time. The SDH-R is the wrong machine for these formats:
- Bottles. It fills pre-formed cups and tubs, not bottles.
- Pouches and bags. Bagging and spouted-pouch formats need a different machine.
- Meat and poultry trays. Those need a tray sealer; our tray sealing machine page explains how that differs.
- Cup forming. It does not thermoform cups, so you supply pre-formed cups.
- Aseptic, retort and frozen products. It targets fresh and refrigerated foods; it is not aseptic, not a retort system and not for ice cream.
- High single-SKU volume. Above 30 cups per minute, an inline cup filling line is the better fit.
- Fills under 50 g. Two-ounce portion cups sit at the low end of the range, and anything below 50 g is outside the standard fill range.
If your product sits near one of these edges, describe it on our contact page and our engineering team will tell you plainly whether the SDH-R is the right food filling machine for you.
Food Filling Machine — Frequently Asked Questions
For fresh dips, spreads and dairy in pre-formed cups, a servo-driven volumetric piston filler on a rotary machine is the usual choice. Our SDH-R fills 50-500 g at ±0.5%, runs up to 30 cups per minute (18-25 real-world), seals with roll film and can add a plastic lid. It suits pumpable, refrigerated products; viscosity extremes are confirmed with engineering before quoting.
The SDH-R automatic food filling machine starts from $45,000 USD for the single-filler configuration. Price scales with additional fillers (up to three), nitrogen MAP, labeling integration, CIP and custom tooling for unusual cup sizes. Send your product, cup size and target cups per minute through our quote form and we reply within about 24 hours.
The SDH-R reaches up to 30 cups per minute on a dry cycle, and 18-25 cups per minute in real production depending on product, cup size, fill weight and options. That is roughly 1,080-1,500 cups per hour. If you need sustained single-SKU output above 30 cups per minute, an inline line is the better fit.
Yes. One SDH-R runs multiple products within the pumpable, refrigerated range. Recipes are stored on the HMI and SKU changeover takes under about 15 minutes. Cup sizes include standard 4, 8, 10 and 16 oz plus custom 2-32 oz with matching change parts, and up to three fillers can add a base, a drizzle and a garnish in a single pass.
Yes. Wide-bore valving on the SDH-R piston filler passes particulates such as herbs, shredded cucumber, nut pieces and salsa chunks. Accuracy still depends on consistent density, so tell us your largest piece size and how the product behaves after sitting. Oxygen-sensitive foods such as guacamole can add the optional nitrogen flush.
Optional nitrogen flushing on the SDH-R reduces residual oxygen in the cup to 0.3-0.4%, which slows oxidation and spoilage. Typical refrigerated shelf life extends from roughly 7-10 days to 30-45+ days depending on the product, so confirm the result with your own shelf-life testing.
Plan runs from allergen-free to allergen-containing products, store each recipe on the HMI, and use CIP and tool-free strip-down between allergen groups, such as sesame, peanuts, tree nuts or milk. Validate the cleaning under your own FSMA or SFCR preventive controls. The SDH-R supports that process but does not replace it.
No. The SDH-R fills pre-formed cups and tubs. It is not a bottle filler, a pouch or bag machine, an aseptic or retort system, or a tray sealer for meat and poultry. For those formats you need a different machine; for fresh dips, spreads and dairy in cups, it is purpose-built.
Delivery is 8-12 weeks from order confirmation and the SDH-R carries a 12-month warranty. Machines are built in Calgary, Alberta, and our service centres in Alberta, New Jersey and California support customers across the USA and Canada. Reach sales at +1 (888) 922-7271, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM MDT.
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