Water bottling is among the highest-throughput segments of the beverage industry, and the used market is often used for capital-efficient capacity expansion. PET water lines from Krones, Sidel and KHS are engineered for continuous multi-shift operation; condition, cavity count and neck-finish tooling matter more than headline age.
Standard PET water line configuration: preform feeder → stretch blow moulder (or Combiblock) → rinser → gravity or volumetric filler → screw capper (PCO 1881 standard) → roll-fed labeller → shrink wrapper → palletizer. Configurations range from mid-scale regional lines to high-speed industrial installations; the rated output is stated per machine and actual output depends on bottle format, preform and line configuration.
Technical Buying Guide — Used Water Bottling Lines
Water lines are throughput-driven. Size the line against your own annual volume, your plant's real operating hours and your own efficiency assumption, rather than against nominal machine speed, and leave headroom for growth.
PCO 1881 is the dominant water neck finish (1.81g shorter neck). Verify the blow moulder, filler, capper and labeller are all tooled for PCO 1881. On Combiblock systems, check the blower cavity count, mould sets and the rated output stated for that specific machine against your target format and volume.
Microbiological design is critical for water lines — verify CIP capability, sloped surfaces and hygienic connections on filler and rinser. Still water uses gravity or volumetric filling; sparkling water requires isobaric filling.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check before buying a used water bottling line?
Confirm the neck finish the line is tooled for (PCO 1881 is dominant for water), blow moulder cavity count and mould sets included, filler technology for still versus sparkling, CIP capability, labeller type and the control generation with available electrical documentation.
What is a Combiblock and when does it make sense?
A Combiblock integrates PET stretch blow moulding, filling and capping in one synchronised machine. It reduces footprint, lowers contamination risk and synchronises throughput, which is why it is common on higher-speed water lines.
Can the same line bottle still and sparkling water?
Generally no. Still water uses gravity or volumetric filling; sparkling requires an isobaric filler rated for the CO2 pressure of your product. These are separate machine types.
