Food packaging equipment is essential to protecting the quality and safety of consumables. Without it, it would be hard to prevent contamination and transport the product to various outlets. Today’s society needs a staggering amount of product to keep functioning. So machines that can quickly and accurately fill containers with product are critical. Many of these automated systems combine several functions in a single device, cutting down on space and power requirements.
How does food packaging equipment work?
These systems typically use bags, as they can be easily handled, filled and sealed. Large numbers of empty bags can also be stacked in a small space, which means less downtime between cycles. During operation, the machine will grab the top bag off of the stack and use jaws or positive contact to open the top of the bag. It is then indexed under a spout or feed shaft that fills the bag with product. This can be used for bulk powder, grains or other aggregate material. This is also ideal for pet and animal feed applications.
As the bag is being filled, a bag jogger gently contacts the bottom of the bag to help the material settle and fill out the container completely. Once the container is full, it is conveyed to a checkweight that verifies proper filling. Weighing is done without halting the production line and can be equipped with a rejection system to remove any containers that have not been filled correctly. The bags are then moved to a sewing or sealing machine and closed up. From here, single or multi-line container handling machines can move the bags to pallets for storage or transport. From beginning to completion, the entire process is automated. All the operator has to do is program the controls and make sure there are enough containers for the machine.
Bag sealing and sewing is perhaps the most important part of the food packaging equipment line as it is responsible for protecting the quality and safety of the product. Bag sewing is typically used for multi-walled paper bags, while sealing is better for plastic bags, though it can also be used with paper bags that are fitted with thermal adhesives. Bag sewers consist of a heavy duty sewing head that can produce one or two lines of thread at high speeds. This thread is heavy duty, though some machines can produce a tape sewn closure for additional strength. Bag sealers use a pair of ultra-hot contact surfaces to flash melt the thermoplastic near the top of the container. These surfaces can be heated using electricity or hot air and can be precisely controlled to craft a seal of nearly any size.
Filling containers with product safely and efficiently is crucial for maintaining high levels of productivity at a production facility. With these machines, it can be done at extraordinarily high rates and with only minimal labor required.