Problems on this page:
Fill level low or varying
Hits OEE: Quality
Symptoms: Fill height checks or the fill level inspector reject cans for low or uneven fill.
Filling valve worn or its vent tube damaged
Inspect the filling valves on the stations that reject most and replace worn parts.
Product temperature or CO2 level higher than the setting
Check the product temperature and carbonation at the filler bowl.
Bowl pressure or level unstable
Check the bowl level control and the counter-pressure setting.
Cans not centred under the valves
Check the infeed star wheel and the can centring parts.
Prevention: Fill levels checked per valve on samples at a fixed interval.
Foaming at the filler
Hits OEE: Quality
Symptoms: Product foams out of the cans between the filler and the seamer.
Product too warm
Check the product temperature at the filler.
Snift or pressure release too fast
Check the snift settings on the filling valves.
Distance or time from filler to seamer too long
Check the transfer and the seamer synchronisation.
Cans not rinsed or dirty inside
Check the can rinser.
Prevention: Foam-outs counted per shift.
Oxygen pick-up in the can
Hits OEE: Quality
Symptoms: Total package oxygen in the filled cans is above the limit.
CO2 purge of the can before filling not working
Check the CO2 purge valves and the CO2 supply pressure.
Undercover gassing at the seamer not set right
Check the undercover gassing nozzle and its flow.
Leaks on the product line drawing in air
Check the product line and pump seals.
Filler bowl not under CO2
Check the bowl counter-pressure gas.
Prevention: Package oxygen measured on samples each shift.
Can jams at the infeed or star wheels
Hits OEE: Availability
Symptoms: Cans jam or crush at the infeed, causing stops and spills.
Star wheels or guides worn or set for another can size
Check the format parts for the can size and their wear.
Infeed conveyor pressure too high
Reduce the back pressure on the infeed conveyor.
Dented cans coming from depalletising
Check the depalletiser and the can conveying.
Timing between star wheels drifted
Check the star wheel timing.
Prevention: Jams recorded by position.
Filler and seamer not synchronised
Hits OEE: Availability
Symptoms: Cans are dropped or damaged at the transfer to the seamer.
Drive coupling or gear wear
Check the drive coupling and gears between filler and seamer for play.
Transfer timing changed after maintenance
Check the transfer timing against the maker marks after any maintenance.
Can lid feed problems
Check the lid feed on the seamer for missed or double lids.
Speed changes too sudden
Check the speed ramp settings of the filler and seamer drives.
Prevention: Transfer losses counted per shift.
Cleaning cycle not effective
Hits OEE: Availability
Symptoms: Microbiology results fail after cleaning.
Dummy cans not fitted correctly
Check every dummy can sits on its valve during cleaning.
Cleaning temperature or concentration low
Measure the cleaning solution during the cycle.
Valves not opening during cleaning
Check the cleaning program opens each valve.
Bowl spray device blocked
Check the spray device.
Prevention: Cleaning records and swabs reviewed after each clean.
Product losses high
Hits OEE: Performance
Symptoms: More product is lost at the filler than planned.
Foam-outs between filler and seamer
Work through the foaming causes, starting with product temperature.
Underfilled cans rejected by the fill level inspector
Work through the fill level causes valve by valve.
Product drained at start-up and run end
Check the start and end sequences and how much product they send to drain.
Leaking valves or seals
Fix leaks on the filler and the product line.
Prevention: Product losses tracked per shift and per cause.
Long changeovers between can sizes
Hits OEE: Performance
Symptoms: Changing can size takes long, and the first cans after the change are rejected.
Format parts not staged before the change
Clean and stage star wheels, guides and seamer parts before the run ends.
Height adjustment found by trial
Mark the height positions for each can size.
Settings not stored per size
Store filler and seamer settings as a recipe per can size.
No written changeover sequence
Write the sequence, time it, and train each crew.
Prevention: Changeover time recorded per change.
Guidance only. Always follow lockout/tagout and your site's safe-work procedures, and verify against OEM manuals before acting.
Related equipment guides: can seamer · beer filter · carbonator · depalletizer · tunnel pasteuriser · liquid nitrogen doser
Stop the same fault coming back
Recurring can filler stops usually trace to a cause you cannot see by hand. The partner we recommend is Fabrico: it tracks OEE and downtime live from PLCs, IoT sensors or AI cameras; where cameras are fitted, the video of a stop sits next to its machine data so the cause can be reviewed; and a technician opens the work order from the stop in the same system. Data is hosted in the AWS EU region, and Fabrico and the company behind it hold ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 20000-1 and ISO 9001.
Book a Fabrico demo
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Related tools: full troubleshooting directory · OEE calculator · downtime cost · MTBF / MTTR · glossary
Methods that cut recurring stops: the six big losses · root cause analysis · preventive vs predictive maintenance · TPM · SMED & changeover