While not every food packaging line or other types of bagged items use advanced automated weighing, filling and bagging systems, this is certainly the case with most companies. Different sizes of equipment and the scalability of the systems make them a great investment for small and startup companies that will be able to expand their bagging ability as they grow.
Vertical Form Fill Sealing Machines
The most common type of bag filling machines in use today are vertical form fill sealing machines. These machines are really a do-it-all option as they automatically form the bags, deposit an allocated and specific amount of product into the bag and then also create a seal.
While most of the time these bag filling machines are used with dry goods or semi-moist processed foods, they can also be used for liquids. The machines are designed to be fully integrated into the production line, allowing for a very efficient bagging option that can easily adjust to fill bags of different sizes. These sizes will vary up to the maximum possible based on the size of film the machine can process.
Basics of Filling
These types of bag filling machines fill to a specific weight. This is done through automatic weigh tables under the bags that trigger the flow of material to stop immediately when the pre-selected weight is reached.
With the specifics of the programs, multiple bagging options to accommodate different widths, lengths and weights can easily be incorporated into the system. The model of the machine selected will be instrumental in determining the size of the bags that can be produced.
Different systems can incorporate a variety of optional components for specialty bagging operations. This can include air and gas flushing systems, methods to remove air from the bags before sealing, different options for various bag styles and product settlers.
Product settlers are important for very lightweight and high volume types of products where it is necessary to have the product settle into the bag to achieve full weight within the bag.
The speed of vertical form fill sealing machines will vary from model to model. Different manufacturers and models may be able to bag up to 180 bags per minute while some can operate at lower speeds of 25 bags per minute. This allows for full customization of production lines with equipment running at the speed to match the rest of production.
