Standardizing Knives & Sealing Jaws on Flow Wrappers & Vertical FFS Baggers

Mark Green cutting, horizontal flow wrappers, sealing, vertical FFS baggers February 10, 2021anvil, downtime, Easy Seal, flexible sealing face, flow wrapper, fractured end seal, heat, knives, leakers, product flow, seal quality, sealing jaws, serrations, vertical bagger

You can use the same knife and sealing jaw designs across different models or makes of machinery to reduce costs, improve package quality, and decrease downtime.

Do you run different makes or models of flow wrappers or vertical form-fill-seal baggers? If you do, you probably use a variety of knife and sealing jaw styles that you need to keep in stock. With different knife or sealing jaw designs, the seal quality and appearance of your packages may vary, depending on which machine, line, or facility produced them. Read more

Forming & Sealing on Vertical FFS Baggers: 6 Key Design & Set-Up Principles

Matt Wojtech "Tech Bites" videos, forming, sealing, vertical FFS baggers January 14, 2021drive belt, Dura-Therm, forming set, fractured end seal, gussets, heat, leakers, pressure, product flow, sealing jaws, serrations, wrinkles & creases

Discover 6 key design and set-up principles that will help you identify the source of forming and sealing problems and develop solutions. Learn how to optimize the performance on your formers, sealing jaws, and your whole packaging process.

This Greener Tech Bite, with the help of our partner Kenray Forming, explores six key design and set-up principles to help you identify the source of forming and sealing problems and develop solutions for quality packages. Read more

When Cutting Issues Cause End Seal Leakers on Flow Wrappers

Matt Wojtech "Tech Bites" videos, cutting, horizontal flow wrappers, sealing August 3, 2020flow wrapper, knives, leakers, sealing jaws, springs

On horizontal flow wrappers, If you find that leakers only occur on the leading end seal of the package (made by the trailing sealing face of the jaws), a cutting issue is likely part of the problem.

When you have a problem with end seal leakers, looking for patterns can help you determine the cause and find a solution. . .
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Troubleshooting Checklist for Horizontal Flow Wrappers

Mark Green cutting, forming, horizontal flow wrappers, sealing April 22, 2020crimpers, flow wrapper, fractured end seal, knives, leakers, packaging film, productivity, seal quality, sealing jaws, wrinkles & creases 2 Comments

Answers to the checklist questions will allow us to help define your problem, determine the causes, and develop solutions that restore package quality and productivity.

This Greener Corporation “Tech Bite” provides a Troubleshooting Checklist for working with us to solve packaging problems on horizontal flow wrappers. Answers to the checklist questions will allow us to help define your problem, determine the causes, and develop solutions that restore package quality and productivity.
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Case Study: New Film Trials

Matt Wojtech "Tech Bites" videos, case studies, horizontal flow wrappers, sealing November 14, 2019crimpers, flow wrapper, fractured end seal, leakers, packaging film, pressure, projects, sealing jaws, serrations

In this blog post and Tech Bites video we consider a case study on running successful new film trials by optimizing parts designs, machine set-up, and operating procedures according to new film specifications.

In this blog post and Tech Bites video we consider a case study on running successful new film trials by optimizing parts designs, machine set-up, and operating procedures according to new film specifications.
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Product Presentation and Package Formation on Horizontal Flow Wrappers

Mark Green forming, horizontal flow wrappers, sealing December 13, 2018crimpers, downtime, fin wheels, flow wrapper, forming box, fractured end seal, leakers, packaging film, product flow, productivity, seal quality, sealing jaws, wrinkles & creases

Explore the many steps that occur before and after packages are cut and sealed—from the product feed and film unwind through to the discharge belt—that must be fine-tuned to optimize seal integrity, package appearance, and productivity.

The ultimate quality of the packages produced on horizontal flow wrappers requires a complex series of events to form and fill each package and move it through the packaging process. In the following post and “Tech Bites” video we explore the many steps that occur before and after packages are cut and sealed—from the product feed and film unwind through to the discharge belt—that must be fine-tuned to optimize seal integrity, package appearance, and productivity.
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Solving Cutting Problems on Flow Wrappers During Production

Mark Green cutting, horizontal flow wrappers May 12, 2018anvil, cleaning, clearance, downtime, flow wrapper, heat, knives, leakers, pressure, shim stock

When cutting problems occur on horizontal flow wrappers during a production run, what are the best procedures to get packaging lines up and running again and to keep them running? Minimizing downtime, producing consistent quality packages, and managing costs require a balanced approach that includes:

Knowing which “quick-fix” adjustments will get knives cutting without causing additional problems and downtime. (Faster and easier is not always the best solution.)
Broad-based, P³ Solutions that consider the entire packaging process to:
• Understand how each adjustment affects the whole system.
• Eliminate procedures that don’t work.
• Diagnose and correct the ultimate causes of problems. (Many issues stem from a combination of factors.)
• Implement solutions that help prevent cutting problems from occurring in the first place and help you Pursue Zero.

Sealing Over Extra Layers of Film at the End Seal (part 4 of 4): Optimizing Crimper & Sealing Jaw Design

Matt Wojtech horizontal flow wrappers, sealing, vertical FFS baggers January 15, 2018crimpers, downtime, Dura-Therm, Easy Seal, flexible sealing face, flow wrapper, fractured end seal, heat, leakers, mooning, packaging film, pressure, projects, sealing jaws, sealing over extra film layers, sealing theory, vertical bagger

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the design of crimpers and sealing jaws on horizontal flow wrappers and vertical baggers; they should be specified according to the packaging film, products, and conditions of your packaging operation.

This post, the last in our four-part series, reviews design options for crimpers and jaws. The optimal combination of serration patterns, materials, and special features can dramatically improve seal quality and productivity when sealing across extra film layers at the end seal. Read more

Troubleshooting Extra Layers of Film at the End Seal (part 3 of 4): Optimizing Set-Up & Adjustment of Crimpers, Sealing Jaws, & Knives

Mark Green cutting, forming, horizontal flow wrappers, sealing, vertical FFS baggers September 18, 2017backlash, cleaning, clearance, crimpers, flow wrapper, fractured end seal, heat, knives, leakers, pressure, productivity, seal quality, sealing jaws, sealing over extra film layers, vertical bagger

The first two parts of this series explored the potential problems created by end seal wrinkles and creases and ways to eliminate or reduce them on horizontal flow wrappers (Part 1) and vertical baggers (Part 2). In some situations wrinkles or creases are unavoidable, and, even without those issues, most packages have the inevitable transition between multiple film layers created by either a fin or a lap seal. This can make it more difficult to achieve quality seals, and attempts to do so can lead to additional issues:

• Excess pressure can easily crush or split the end seal.

• Overheating distorts the seal and can cause poor hot tack, where the film springs back open, or “moons,” before the seal can set.

The operating window for creating quality seals can be elusive, resulting in packages that leak or are distorted and either fail to protect the product or have little appeal to consumers.

This post reviews some of the detailed solutions in Greener Corporation’s Knowledge Center that will help you seal over extra layers of film at the end seal by refining the set-up and adjustment of crimpers, sealing jaws, and knives.

Troubleshooting Extra Layers of Film at the End Seal (Part 2 of 4): Refining and Eliminating Wrinkles and Creases on Vertical Baggers

Andrew Dennis forming, sealing, vertical FFS baggers April 24, 2017forming set, forming tube, leakers, mooning, packaging film, productivity, seal quality, sealing over extra film layers, vertical bagger, wrinkles & creases

Varying thicknesses of film at the end seal can cause sealing problems, especially at the transition points of multiple film layers created by the fin or lap seal, gussets, wrinkles, creases, and at the corners. Applications of pressure and heat must be great enough to cause the sealant layer to flow into and seal off these voids. However, excess pressure can easily crush or split the end seal, while overheating distorts the seal and can cause poor hot tack, where the film springs back open, or “moons,” before the seal can set.

Package Quality Issues_vertical baggers_Greener Corp

The operating window for creating quality seals can be elusive, resulting in packages that leak, are distorted, and have little appeal to consumers. Read more