Cannabis Jar Filling Machines: How to Automate a Jar Line

Jars are the premium package for flower and a common one for gummies. Filling them by hand is slow, and hand weighing gives product away. This guide covers what a jar filling line is made of and how to build one in stages.

The parts of a jar line

1. Unscrambling table. Empty jars are loaded in bulk and fed out in a single row.
2. Filler. A weigher or counter measures each dose.
3. Indexer. Jars stop under the filler one at a time, get their dose, and move on.
4. Capper. Lids are placed and tightened.
5. Labeler. A wrap label goes around the jar.
6. Collection table. Finished jars gather for packing.

Choosing the filler

• Flower: the NTEP EliteWeigh. It is NTEP certified, which makes it legal for trade, and accurate to 0.02 g. Every dose is checked in a final bucket before it drops. Off-weight doses are rejected and the flower is reclaimed.
• Gummies by weight: the standard EliteWeigh, accurate to 0.1 g.
• Gummies, tablets and capsules by count: the EliteCount.

Start semi-automatic, then add

The jar and container indexer is modular. It mounts under an EliteWeigh or EliteCount, so you can start with the filler and indexer and have an operator feed and cap jars.

When volume grows, add the unscrambling table and the rotary collection table to make it fully automatic. Then add an automatic capper with lid feeder and a round container labeler, which labels up to 60 jars a minute.

What to check before you buy

• Jar opening. Flower needs room to fall. A narrow mouth slows filling and causes bridging.
• Jar and lid sizes. Each size needs its own change parts. Fewer sizes means faster changeovers.
• Lid type. Child-resistant lids vary. Send lids and jars together for testing.
• Weight on the label. For flower, the scale must be legal for trade. See why NTEP certification matters.
• A checkweigher after capping catches anything off before it ships. See the CheqWeigh.

Jars or pouches

Many brands run both: jars for top-shelf flower and pouches for value lines. The same weigher design feeds either. If you are weighing the two formats, read flexible packaging vs glass jars.

Talk to someone who runs these machines

Tell us your product, your package and how many units you need per shift. We will tell you which setup fits. Contact LeafyPack or call +1 (657) 267-0059.