Horizontal Packing Machine (HFFS): The Ultimate FAQ Guide

In this guide, you will find all information about horizontal packing machine.

Whether you want to learn more about applications, benefits, features, parts, or working principle, you will find everything in this guide.

Keep reading to learn more.

What is a Horizontal Packaging Machine?

A horizontal packaging machine is a machine that will form, fill, and seal a package on a single machine.

Horizontal packaging machine

What are the Applications of a Horizontal Packaging Machine?

Some applications of products you can fill with a horizontal packaging machine include:

• Crisps
• Pulses
• Grains
• Nuts
• Sauces and soups
• Cakes
• Bread
• Sugar
• Rice
• Phone cards
• Greeting cards
• Capsules and pills
• Teabags
• Sweets and confectionery
• Condiments
• Jams and preservatives
• Pet foods

What Types of Form Filling Machines are available in the Market?

There are many types of form filling machines in the market.

Here are some of them:

· Modified Atmosphere Packaging [MAP] Machine

This machine works by modifying, controlling, or eliminating the atmosphere that surrounds perishable products.

It will extend the shelf life of the products by using special horizontal and vertical form fill seal systems.

· Blow Mould Form Fill and Seal Machine

It is a packaging machine that uses plastic granules.

The machine melts, extrudes, blow molds plastic granules to form containers.

Once the container forms, the machine will fill it with products and seal it at the same time.

·  Sachet Form Fill Seal Machine

This machine will make use of flexible packaging materials when forming a package.

Once the package forms, the machine fills and seals it in a sequence to either a three- or four-side sealed sachet.

Sachet form fill seal machines are of three types:

· Horizontal Sachet Form Fill Seal

The machine will form and seal packs on two or three sides and then fill it vertically with products.

After that, the machine will seal the remaining side as the film web moves horizontally.

All this happens while the pack remains in a vertical position so that spillage does not occur.

Main uses include liquids, free-flowing powders, hand cleaners, cosmetics, etc.

· Vertical Sachet Form Fill Seal

It will use one or several film webs to produce a pack that you will fill vertically.

The machine will then seal it to form a three or four-sided sealed sachet.

Also, it can have one or two films of webs and many lanes of packs.

Some of its uses include tea bags, liquid packs, free-flowing powder packs, and solid packs.

· Edge Sealing Machine

This machine operates horizontally in which you place the product on a horizontal web of film.

The machine then seals it on three or four sides to an upper portion of the film web.

It can come with one or two reels of materials forming one or several lines of packs.

Uses include greeting cards and medical dressings.

· Bag Form Fill Seal Machine

The machine will use flexible packaging materials to make the package.

After package formation, the machine fills and seals it in a string of operations.

This will form a block bottom bag-shaped or bag-shaped pack.

Common uses include food and confectionery packaging.

· Flow Wrapping Machine

Here, the machine will function horizontally as the packaging material is over the operating level.

Products will load horizontally with a longitudinal seal forming beneath the pack.

Some of the uses include packaging solid products like chocolate bars and biscuits.

Besides, there is a lower reel flow wrapping machine.

It comes with the packaging material mounted beneath the operating level and the longitudinal seal on top.

Uses include packaging delicate products like airline cutlery and vegetables.

· Strip Pack Machine

It operates vertically to produce individual strips that join together in set lengths for various uses.

· Stick Pack Machine

This machine operates vertically or horizontally to form a thin three-sided sachet.

It uses flexible packaging materials that resemble a pen or stick.

Common uses include packaging of tea, coffee, shampoos, toiletries, sugar, and sauces.

· Tubular Form Fill Seal Machine

Two main types cover large sacks and bags:

1. Tubular Sack Form Filling and Sealing Machine

This machine forms sacks from flexible reels of lay flat tubular packaging films.

The machine fills and seals the sacks once the bags form.

2. Tubular Bag Form Filling and Sealing Machine

It forms a bag using flexible reels of lay flat tubular packaging films.

After forming the bags, the machine will fill then seal them.

· Vertical Form Fill Seal [VFFS] Machine

This machine will use flexible packaging materials to form tubes.

As the film moves vertically downwards, the machine fills the tines with products and seals them.

Common uses include the packaging of free-flowing solids and liquids.

Also, there is a vertical form filling and sealing machine for carton board.

This machine will use a carton board laminate to form, fill, and seal products producing a carton.

Tetra Pak carton for mil and juices is one common application of this machine.

Another machine in this category is the Mandrel flexible package form filling and sealing machine.

Before filling and sealing the packs, it will form the packets using flexible reels on one or several mandrels.

Some of its uses include flour and sugar packaging.

• Thermoform Fill Seal Machine

This machine will heat and form a web of thermoformable material using vacuum and/or pressure.

Once the packs form, the machine fills it vertically and seals the top with a film or li.

After this, the film is then cut into individual packs.

Some common uses include packaging of cheese, cooked and fresh meats, and bacon.

A blister thermoform fill seal machine is the most common and is applicable for pharma pills and capsules.

Another machine is a deep draw form fill and seal machine that uses deformable packaging materials.

Which Industries use a Horizontal Packaging Machine?

Several industries use a horizontal packaging machine, and they include:

 Horizontal packaging machine

• Food industries
• Beverage industries
• Cosmetic industries
• Tobacco industries
• Medical industries
• Agricultural industries
• Pharmaceutical industries
• Chemical industries
• Electronic industries

What Factors should you Consider before Buying a Horizontal Packaging Machine?

Some factors to consider include:

· Material of Product

It is vital to consider if the material you are packaging is in a liquid, powder, or solid-state.

· Size of the Company

Fully automated versions as they have a high production capacity suitable for commercial companies.

· Technology

New technology is enabling horizontal packaging machines to operate 24/7.

· Brand of the Machine

Some brands use 4 or 5 servo motors that are easy to conduct changeovers and adjustments.

· Budget

The amount you have will influence the machine you can purchase.

Fully automatic machines will cost more than semi-automatic horizontal packaging machines.

· Specific Application

The machines come with various capabilities as some can pack small packages and not larger packages.

· Available Space

The horizontal packaging machine should fit the work area in your production plant.

· Ease of Use

Purchase a horizontal packaging machine that will not require too much skill from your employees.

· Product Style

How you would like the product to look after packaging will affect the machine you will select.

· Packaging Speed

The level of automation will determine the packaging speed, with automatic machines operating faster than manual machines.

Production speed can range from 40 to 200 packets per minute.

· Filing Temperature

The machine should be able to handle the operating temperature during the filling process without breaking down.

Depending on the product, the environment can be hot or cold.

·  Quality Standards

To safeguard your staff and business, purchase a horizontal packaging machine that conforms to all international standards.

Such standards include:

1. European Union CE marking
2. Current Good Manufacturing Practice [cGMP]
3. Restriction of Hazardous Substances [RoHS]
4. The China Compulsory Certificate mark [CCC]
5. International Organization for Standardization [ISO]

· Technical Specifications

This information will enable one to see the capabilities of the machine.

For instance, some have high power consumption than others.

· Product Dimensions

Some products are free-flowing, while others have rigid shapes like toiletries and bread.

What Components of Horizontal Packaging Machine?

A horizontal packaging machine has many components, and they include:

Horizontal packaging machine

· LCD Touchscreen

The operator can monitor and control the machine from this system.

· Automatic Sealing

It ensures the correct sealing of the package by rotating hot air incision before and after packaging.

· Dancer’s Arm

This is a free moving roller that will position itself according to the tension the film forms.

For instance, it stays in a neutral position when the film has the correct tension.

Also, if the tension is too high or low, the roller adjusts accordingly.

· Conveyor Feed Link

This system will use a 304 stainless steel that has an injection code.

It ensures packaging happens hygienically and safely.

· Sealing Jaws

These jaws will seal and cut the packets.

They can have a heating element and a serration pattern.

Heating elements seal the pack while the serration pattern will cause a shearing action.

· Discharge Area

Once the filling and sealing process happens, the package goes out of the system ready for packaging.

· Film System

This part has several links that will pull the film in a smooth rolling manner.

· Coding System

A ribbon printer will print the dates, logo, and text on the pack clearly and accurately.

What is the Working Principle of a Horizontal Packaging Machine?

Here is the working principle of a horizontal packaging machine:

· Preparation Stage

Load rolls of film that will form packages into the machine.

Place the products that will go inside the seals on the in-feed conveyor system.

· Package Forming

A conveyor system will deliver the products to the forming area.

The film then folds in half, and the machine directs it to a horizontal position after leaving the film feed assembly.

It then passes through systems that make film tubes and create a vertical seal on fin sealing units.

Finally, it moves to the cutting head that cuts the film into singular packets.

· Filling Process

The machine fills the products on the packet via a dosing device from above.

· Discharge Stage

Once the machine fills and seals the packages, they move out ready for packaging.

What is a Vertical Form Filling Machine?

A vertical form fill seal machine is an automatic machine that will fill, seal, and pack products in a vertical position.

Why are vertical form filling machines better for food industries?

This is because most food products are sold by weight.

It is possible to sort and weigh the products easily partly due to gravity.

What are the Similarities Between a Horizontal Packaging Machine and Vertical Form Fill Seals?

There are some similarities between these two machines even though different industries use them.

• Materials that make them are durable stainless steel.
• They are both suitable for the medical and food industries.
• Package forming, filling, and sealing happen on both of these machines.
• To form a pack, they will use a film roll.

What are the Differences Between Horizontal and Vertical Form Fill Sealing Machines?

Some of the differences between these two form filling machines are:

Automatic horizontal packaging machine

 Vertical packaging machine

· Mode of Operation

This is probably the main difference between these two machines.

Vertical form fill sealing machines operate vertically while horizontal form fills sealing machines operate horizontally.

· Cost

It is cheaper to purchase, maintain, and operate a vertical form fill sealing machine than a horizontal form fill sealing machine.

·  Usage

Vertical form fill sealing machines are suitable for the backside, stick,  3, or  4 side sealing.

Horizontal form fill sealing machines are suitable for daypack, self stand, zipper, or suction nozzle pouch.

· Production Speed

A vertical form fill sealing machine can have a speed of about 50 pouches per minute.

Also, it can have between 1 to 10 lanes.

Horizontal form fill sealing machines have a faster speed mostly for small size packs.

· Stand up Pouch

Only the horizontal form fill sealing machine can perform a stand up pouch with a zipper or suction nozzle.

·  Versatility

Vertical form fill sealing machines can have only one type of filling system.

This means if you require to fill other products, you need to acquire another machine.

On the contrary, horizontal form film sealing machines have several filling systems on one machine.

It makes it possible to fill different products on the same machine.

· Floor Space

Horizontal form fill sealing machines require more floor space than vertical form fill sealing machines.

What are the Advantages of a Horizontal Packaging Machine?

The advantages of using a horizontal packaging machine are:

• It provides a consistent packing rate.
• It has fewer moving parts.
• Pouches and sachets that you make using a horizontal packaging machine are cheaper than pre-made ones.
• The machine provides a high production rate with a low number of shifts.
• Easy to clean between production batches.
• An online film printing will provide readable bar code and product information.

What are the Disadvantages of a Horizontal Packaging Machine?

Some of the advantages of a horizontal packaging machine are:

• This technology cannot handle papers.
• It is not able to eliminate trapped air quickly.
• The machine is not economical for use in short production runs.
• Also, it cannot handle different packaging materials.
• The purchasing price of the machine is high.

What is a Form Fill Seal Technology?

A form fill seal technology is an automatic computer-operated technology that assists in preparing sterile products.

Manufacturers use this technology to make better and profitable packages.

This technology will minimize contamination during production in an enclosed sterile chamber of the machine.

Pharmaceutical industries use this technology to package in-vitro infusion bottles.

It will consistently and consecutively form, fill contents in, and seal the containers in an enclosed sterile chamber of the machine.

The technology increases the production rate in low operational costs while assuring high sterility.

What Sealing Options can a Horizontal Packaging Machine Use?

Here are the sealing options that a horizontal packaging machine can use:

· Induction Seal

A revolutionary sealing method that uses heat-generation from an electromagnetic field.

It will heat and cool the seal in a single step.

Also, it provides less strain to films, and the sealing jaws remain closed until the film gets cold.

The machine provides a continuous sealing process with an adjustable film structure.

Sealing time is faster than that using heat sealing.

· Ultrasonic Seal

This cold sealing method uses high vibration frequencies to seal packages due to molecular vibrations within films.

Also, it provides hermetic seals no matter the seal area contamination.

It reduces the packaging materials it consumes since:

1. It requires small sealing areas.
2. A high reproducibility process.
3. Faster sealing times.
4. Minimal headspace in pouches.
5. Concurrent mechanical cutting and sealing.

· Heat Seal

It is a classical way of sealing that uses electric resistance.

Some advantages include its reliability and low cost.

A cooling step is necessary for this sealing option.

Multiple steps are mandatory to ensure sealing quality and increasing the total machine’s footprint.

What Filling options can a Horizontal Packaging Machine apply?

Every product needs a specific filling technology.

Here are some filling options that a horizontal packaging machine can apply:

Horizontal packaging machine

· Hot Fill

In this option, you will fill hot, commercially sterile products in non-sterile packages.

It involves holding the product for a while and temperature before filling.

Longer hold times at high temperatures reduce product quality.

This process is suitable for high-acid products that can maintain quality with no refrigeration.

· Clean Fill

This option uses cold to kill bacteria.

The food product remains cold until you fill the containers.

It is popular as it does not need preservatives or other food additives to secure foods.

Uses include packing food products that have milk or cream as the main ingredient.

· Ultra-clean Fill

To achieve an ultra-clean fill, you will use laminar flow, ultraviolet lamps, and/or hydrogen peroxide.

It aims at achieving high sterility levels for short shelf-life products.

Common uses include filling fruit juices, compote, yogurt, and dairy products for cold-chain distribution.

· Aseptic Fill

Aseptic processing and packaging involve filling commercially-sterilized products inside pre-sterilized containers.

Processing of the commercially sterile cooled product happens separately from the packaging.

The machine fills and hermetically seals the packaging with a pre-sterilized closure in a microorganism free environment.

How does a Semi-automatic and Fully Automatic Horizontal Packaging Machine compare?

A semi-automatic horizontal packaging machine is less expensive than a fully automatic horizontal packaging machine.

Fully automatic horizontal packaging machines have a high production capacity.

It is easy to control and monitor a fully automatic horizontal packaging machine from a single station.

Fully automatic horizontal packaging machines apply the latest technology in the packaging process.

A semi-automatic horizontal packaging machine requires more human personnel than the fully automatic version.

Fully automatic horizontal packaging machines are generally larger than semi-automatic versions.

For commercial purposes, it is suitable to use fully automatic horizontal packaging machines.

Fully automatic horizontal packaging machines performs all the functions by themselves with minimal to no human involvement

How do you Troubleshoot a Horizontal Packaging Machine?

It is vital to understand how the components work to be able to troubleshoot a horizontal packaging machine.

Here are the troubleshooting steps:

· Breaking Film Web

The film web may break due to high web tension.

Discard the roll if it has severe damages

· Poor Web Tracking

The cause can be an insufficient unwind braking that wanders back and forth.

The roll may not be in a central position.

Solutions include increasing the unwind braking and repositioning the web properly.

· Poor Seals

Causes include incorrect sealer temperature or excessive fin wheel pressure.

Solutions include checking sealer temperature with a pyrometer and adjust appropriately.

A reduction of wheel pressure by adjusting the knurled knob will lower the pressure.

· Poor Package Cut-off

The knife and anvil are not in a proper orientation.

Solving this involves adjusting the knife and anvil.

· Film Snaps at the Jaws

When jaws run faster than the fin seal wheels, it might cause this issue.

The solution is to reduce jaw speed accordingly.

· No Indentation on the End Seal

The cause may be insufficient crimp jaw tension.

Adjust the tension screw to solve this problem.

· Open-end Seals

The cause can be due to the crimp jaws not heating.

Solutions involve checking the circuit breaker, cartridge heater, collector rings, and brushes and repair them.

· Machine not Powering

This can be due to faulty electrical components, or the main switch is off.

The solution is to switch on the mains and replace faulty electrical components.

What Factors Determine the Price of a Horizontal Packaging Machine?

Several determinants influence the price of a horizontal packaging machine.

Some examples include:

• Manufacturer
• Type of horizontal packaging machine
• Production capacity
• Material that makes up the machine
• Competitors
• Country of origin
• Import fees

How do you Increase the Efficiency of a Horizontal Packaging Machine?

All businesses will benefit from the efficiency of the resources it has.

Increasing efficiency will involve maintaining the machine over the entire operation period.

Conduct regular checkups, repairs, and replacements to ensure that the machine operates optimally.

Replace defective parts with genuine parts will make the machine not break down due to substandard components.

Clean the machine frequently to remove dust and debris that can affect the quality of products.

Repair and replace faulty fuses and electrical components that can cause health risks and fire hazards.

Lubricate moving parts to minimize the tear and wear of the components.

What are the Features of a Horizontal Pouch Packing Machine?

Here are some features of a horizontal pouch packing machine:

• PLC and HMI systems
• Servo advance functionalities
• It can handle package materials such as PE, NY, AL, or PET.
• High precision structure for simple and easy operation.
• Longer service life.
• Photoelectric sensors.
• Hassle-free functionality
• User-friendly design
• Filling, pouching, and packing happens automatically.
• Unique piston filler with filling nozzles.
• Scissor cutting systems.

What Should you Consider when Choosing Horizontal Flow Wrap Packaging Machine?

Here are some choices to consider when choosing a horizontal flow wrap packing machine:

• Choose machines that comply with quality standards.
• Machines that can handle different products and packaging materials.
• A low noise producing machine.
• The sizable machine that will fit your production space.
• Production speed that will meet your client’s needs.
• Stainless steel 304 body design.

Depending on your unique requirements, SaintyCo offers a range of horizontal packaging machines for different applications.

Contact us today for all your horizontal packaging machines.