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.
product flow
Product Flow Issues on Vertical Baggers
Refinements and Forming Set Designs that Boost Productivity and Package Quality
Optimizing packaging performance requires fine-tuning of the entire product flow process—from the way product is distributed into the measuring system through to the filled, sealed, and cut bag or pouch.
Symptoms of product flow issues on vertical baggers include downtime from product blockages and poor end seals and cutting problems due to product contamination of the sealing jaws and knife. Considered in isolation, as one-time incidents, each problem may only cause a relatively short period of downtime and a small amount of product and film waste. But when the cumulative impact of product flow issues is considered over time, the costs can mount.
When product flow issues grow to be chronic, and their costs are recognized, running speeds are sometimes reduced to the threshold where problems no longer regularly occur. In these cases the resulting reduced output levels may become embedded; the presence of a potentially solvable problem is masked, and opportunities to achieve full potential for output and package quality can be missed.
Fortunately, there are a number of refinements that can streamline the product flow process. Read more