FUNDAMENTALS AND

PRINCIPLES OF PACKAGING
TFE 5209
(MACHINERY USED)

Mr. L.K. NCUBE

 INTRODUCTION

NAME ANY PACKAGING MACHINES YOU KNOW

 PACKAGING MACHINES
• Several processes are involved in the production of
packaging materials requiring different types of
machines and these materials require several
different machines for packing the products
• Depending on the product (e.g. description of food
ingredient), packing can come in distinct types.
• To pack the food materials, distinctive food
packaging machines are utilized.
 PACKAGING MACHINES
The packing styles depend on;
• the nature of the product,
• the value of the product, and
• the intended customers for the product sale.
 PACKAGING MACHINES
• Automatic packaging systems are now available to
shove products inside packages aseptically without
human contact.
• One of the major problem in selection of machinery is
distinguishing which, if any, offer a specific
advantage over the other.
• Also, the degree of versatility may have to be
considered; it is pointless to purchase a do-everything
machine when there is a single task at hand, similarly
machine with too little adaptability may be a blockage
in variable production process.
 PACKAGING MACHINES
The choice of packaging machinery depends on;
• Technical capabilities
• Worker safety
• Reliability, maintainability and serviceability
• Ability to integrate into the packaging line
• Capital cost
• Floorspace
• Flexibility (change-over, materials, etc.)
• Energy requirement
 PACKAGING MACHINES
The choice of packaging machinery depends on;
• Quality of outgoing packages
• Throughput
• Efficiency
• Productivity
• Ergonomics
• Etc.
 PACKAGING MACHINES
Packaging machinery may be classified into several
general types;
1. Blister packs, skin packs and Vacuum Packaging
Machines
2. Bottle capping equipment, Over-Capping, Lidding,
Closing, Seaming and Sealing Machines
3. Cartoning Machines
4. Box, Case and Tray Forming, Packing, Unpacking,
Closing and Sealing Machines
5. Cleaning, Sterilizing, Cooling and Drying Machines
 PACKAGING MACHINES
Packaging machinery may be classified into several
general types;
6. Conveyors, Accumulating and Related Machines
7. Feeding, Orienting, Placing and Related Machines
8. Filling Machines: handling liquid and powdered
products
9. Package Filling and Closing Machines
0. Form, Fill and Seal Machines
 PACKAGING MACHINES
Packaging machinery may be classified into several
general types;
1. Inspecting, Detecting and Check weighing
Machines
2. Palletizing, Depalletizing, Unit load assembly
3. Product Identification: labeling, marking, etc.
4. Wrapping Machines
5. Converting Machines
6. Other specialty machinery; slitters, perforating
machines etc.
 PACKAGING MACHINES
Examples of packaging machinery;
• Form, fill and seal (FFS)
• Wrapping machines
 FORM, FILL AND SEAL MACHINE
• These machines use a reel of flexible packaging
material;
• Paper,
• Film, or
• Laminates of paper/film/foil.
• They form it into a tube and then seal and fill it at
regular intervals,
• Or fold it lengthwise and seal it at right angles to the
fold to form a series of pockets which are filled and
closed
 FORM, FILL AND SEAL MACHINE
• In this packaging operation, the ‘container’ is
formed as part of the packaging line (rather than
being made elsewhere, such as on a glass bottle
forming machine) immediately prior to the product
being filled into it, and then the filled container is
closed, usually by heat sealing.
• FFS is used for a wide range of packs and products,
including;
• Sachets for single portions of sauces,
• Cartons of fruit juices
• Sacks, etc
 FORM, FILL AND SEAL MACHINE
The main types of FFS machine are:
1. Vertical (VFFS) machines;
• Used for liquids such as fruit juices and soups, and
solids such as frozen vegetables, sugar, crisps and
wrapped sweets

2. Horizontal (HFFS) machines;

• Used for cakes, biscuits and bars of confectionery.
 FORM, FILL AND SEAL MACHINE
Variations of the main types of FFS machines
include:
• Sachet forming and filling machines;
• Used for dried soups, moist tissues and trial sizes of
products such as shampoo
• Thermoforming machines;
• Used for meat, cheese and yoghurt
• Blister packing machines;
• Used for tablets.
 VERTICAL FFS MACHINE
Process;
• A roll of film is unwound and formed into a tube
over a forming collar.
• A vertical overlap seal is applied to the tube by the
vertical sealing bars.
• A bottom seal is created by the horizontal sealing
bars in the cross jaws.
• The formed pouch is then filled with correct amount
of product while the film tube is being fed by the
film transport belts.
 VERTICAL FFS MACHINE
Process;
• Often a precision scale or an auger ensures that the
proper amount of product is placed in the pouch in a
consistent manner.
• After the correct length of film tube has been fed, a
top seal of the filled pouch is created by the
horizontal sealing bars, while the filled pouch is cut
from the descending film tube by a knife in the cross
jaws.
VERTICAL FFS MACHINE
 VERTICAL FFS MACHINE
• The finished pack can be a simple pillow shape.
• Alternatively, it can be formed in an appropriately
shaped forming box to give a rigid rectangular cross
section with excellent ‘stand up’ properties (e.g. for
liquids)
• Or the sides can be gusseted to improve shelf and
pallet stacking.
• Opening and reclosing features such as plastic
zippers can also be incorporated.
• Rotating the sealing bars can be used to create
tetrahedron shapes.
 VERTICAL FFS MACHINE
• An alternative type of VFFS machine does not
require a forming shoulder and has a continuous
action.
• The machine feeds two webs of film or laminate to
form a vertical channel, using heated and crimping
rollers.
• A horizontal seam is created to seal the base.
• The product is then filled into the newly-formed
pouch and the top is sealed, at the same time
forming the base of the next pouch.
 VERTICAL FFS MACHINE
• The strip can then be cut up into individual pouches.
• This type of machine is particularly suitable for
filling liquids, and in some systems liquid flow is
continuous, which means that the film or laminate
must be suitable for sealing through the liquid
product.
• Sealing and cutting of the pouches creates a pack
with no trapped air, ideal for perishable foods and
aseptic food processing.
VARIATION OF
VERTICAL FFS
MACHINE
 VERTICAL FFS MACHINE
Applications;
• VFFS machines are used in the consumer products
industry for a wide variety of packaging
applications.
• Various products like salt, tea, sugar, spices, snack
foods, wafers, detergent, sweets etc are placed into
formed pouches and then sealed.
• The pouch material is flexible and typically
heat-sealable plastic.
• Paper is also used and sealed by glue.
 HORIZONTAL FFS MACHINE
• Also known as ‘flow wrappers’, are used when the
product is fragile and cannot withstand the drop down
from the filling chute of a vertical machine, e.g. bars
of chocolate, cake bars and biscuits.
• The film is fed into a forming box where it is formed
into the desired shape, continuously sealed along the
sides and partially cut so that it starts to form an
individual container.
• At this point the product is fed into the container from
a conveyor belt using push bars or ‘flights’ to separate
and direct each product into a single container
HORIZONTAL FFS MACHINE
 HORIZONTAL
Biscuit wrapping machine
FFS MACHINE
• Biscuits are wrapped on edge, in single column, on machines
equipped with overhead transport-fingers on the in feed and with
special side belts to hold the biscuit column in position after passage
through the folding box
 HORIZONTAL FFS MACHINE
• Each container is then sealed at both ends and then
separated into individual packs.
• Alternative sealing systems:
• The type of folding box and the layout of the long seam
propelling/sealing unit depend upon the packaging
application and the materials used
HORIZONTAL FFS MACHINE
 SATCHET FFS MACHINE
• In this method of filling, the web is usually a printed
laminate.
• It is unwound from the reel and folded in half along its
length.
• Using the photoelectric cell registration marks on the
web, the machine applies sealing and cutting bars at
the appropriate locations, thus making open-ended
pouches, which can then be filled with the product
 SATCHET FFS MACHINE
• In the following illustration of the Satchet FFS
machine, there are two filling heads (1 and 2);
• One of which can be used to insert a folded towel and
wad, and
• The second to dispense a liquid cleansing or sterilising
agent.
• The filled sachets are then sealed at the top and moved
to a collation station for further wrapping, e.g. using a
film overwrap or cartonning.
SATCHET FFS MACHINE
 ADVANTAGES OF FFS
• Bags made on FFS are less expensive than pre-made
bags
• Lower capital cost than fully auto machine when
packing rate above 500 bags/h
• Total automation (usually unattended = labour saving)
• Consistent packing rate
• Compact (especially the Vertical FFS)
 ADVANTAGES OF FFS
• Fast - increased production rate, reduced no. of shifts
• Easy and quick to clean between production batches
• Fewer moving parts (especially Vertical FFS)
• 'Online’ film printing provides readable bar code and
product info
 DISADVANTAGES OF FFS
• Not economical for short production runs of one bag
size - below 1000 x 25 Kg bags = 25 tons
• Not economical for packing low density, aerated
powders such as wheat flour, talcum powder,
skimmed and whey powder at medium speeds
• Cannot remove ‘trapped air’ very quickly or easily
 WRAPPING MACHINES
Twist wrapping of toffees:
• Automatic wrapping machines replace the manual
operator for wrapping mass-produced articles in a
constant flow.
• The speed of packaging is greatly increased and in the
case of small objects such as toffees which are
convenient to feed and wrap, speeds of up to 600
pieces per minute may be achieved by cutting a piece
of film, forming it into a tube around the object and
twisting the ends of the tube
• This is known as twist wrapping.
 WRAPPING MACHINES
Twist wrapping of toffees
END