Vertical form fill seal machine is one of the most regularly used automatic packaging equipment in most industries, especially food applications. It has been about a century history since it was invented. The first Vertical Form Fill Seal packaging machine was patented in 1936 by Walter Zwoyer when he was working at “Henry Heide Candy Company.” “Walter” & “Heide” formed the “Transparent Wrap Machine Co.” to build and sell VFFS packaging machines

To date, vertical form fill seal (VFFS) packaging machines are used in almost every industry with outstanding performance: Vertical form fill seal machines run very fast. Meanwhile, it is an economical packaging solution that can be applied with various package styles, making it a versatile machine.

Before getting started, let us learn more about the vertical form fill seal machine.

As it was named vertical form fill seal machine is a kind of pouch-making and filling machine built in a vertical structure.

The working process of the VFFS packing machine

• Film transportation

Roll stock packaging film was put on the spindle at the rear of the vertical packaging machine. During the operation, the film-pulling belt pulls the film moving forward. On some vffs models, there will be an unwinding motor to assist the pulling belt in carrying the film, especially when the film roll is heavy.

• Film tension control

You can find out there is a series of rollers installed on the back frame of the packaging machine, which is used to keep suitable tension for the film transportation process. It can ensure the film is always unwinding in an ideal action, which is helpful for the bag cutting and sealing precisely.

• Code printing

When the film goes through the dancer of the machine, it will be going through the printing machine. Depending on the requirement, in-jet printers, TTO printer, etc., are available for choice.

• Film tracking

After code printing, the film will be transported to the next position where the photo eye is installed. The photo eyes can detect the printed registration mark on the film precisely so that the pull belt can be controlled to pull the film correctly, and finally, the bag can be cut precisely after sealing.

• Forming the bag

After fill tracking, the film will be transported to the forming tube assembly. The film is folded around the tube then finally, the bag is formed. Depending on different bag styles, the forming tube shape and structure can be made in differ. The round forming tube is for the pillow bag, gusset bag, etc., while the square or rectangle forming tube is for four side folding bag.

• Bag filling

After the bag is formed, it will be filled with material; depending on different kinds of material, the filling machine can be integrated accordingly. Such as multi-head weigher, Linear weigher, liquid filler, auger filler, etc

• Bag sealing

After filling the material into the bag, it will be sealed to create the final finished package. Some optional devices may be added during this process, depending on different applications. Such as hold punching.

    Above all is how the vffs packaging machine works, and in our other article, you can learn what kind of package-style bag can be produced on this machine, check this for more detail.