How do Horizontal Form Fill Seal (HFFS) Packaging Machines Work

Horizontal form fill seal (HFFS) packaging machines are used in almost every industry today, for good reason: They are fast, economical packaging solutions that conserve valuable plant floor space.

Whether you're new to packaging machinery or already have multiple systems, chances are you're curious as to how they work. In this article, we are walking through how a horizontal form fill seal machine turns a roll of packaging film into a finished bag.

Simplified, horizontal packing machines start with a large roll of film, form it into a bag shape, fill the bag with product, and seal it, all in a horizontal fashion, at speeds of up to 300 bags per minute. But there's a lot more to it than that.

1. Film Transport & Unwind

Horizontal packaging machines use a single sheet of film material rolled around a core or double Film roller support. The continuous length of packaging material is referred to as the film web. This material can vary from OPP/CPP, PT/PE, KOP/CPP and Alu-foil. The roll of film is placed on a spindle assembly at the rear of the machine. If your packaging material is not in that range, you can send for our testing. Contact Lotus by email. ([email protected])

When the HFFS packaging machine is operating, the movie is commonly pulled off the roll by film transport belts, which are placed to the side of the forming tube which is placed at the the front of the machine. This technique of transport is the most broadly used. On some models, the sealing jaws themselves grip the movie and draw it downward, transporting it via the packaging computer barring the use of belts.

An optionally available motor-driven floor unwind wheel (power unwind) may additionally be set up to pressure the movie roll as an aid to the riding of the two movie transport belts.

This alternative improves the unwinding process, particularly when the movie rolls are heavy.

2. Film Tension

During unwinding, the movie is unwound from the roll and passes over a dancer arm which is a weighted pivot arm positioned at the rear of the HFFS packaging machine. The arm comprises a collection of rollers. As the movie transports, the arm strikes up and down to preserve the movie beneath tension. This ensures that the movie will now not wander from facet to facet as it is moving.

3. Optional Printing

After the dancer, the movie then travels via the printing unit, if one is installed. Printers can also be thermal or ink-jet type. The printer locations preferred dates/codes on the film, or may additionally be used to location registration marks, graphics, or emblems on the film.

4. Film Tracking and Positioning

Once the movie has exceeded underneath the printer, it travels previous the registration photo-eye. The registration photograph eye detects the registration mark on printed film and in turn, controls the pull-down belts in contact with the movie at the forming tube. The registration photo-eye continues the movie placed efficiently so the movie will be reduce in the fabulous spot.

Next, the movie travels previous movie monitoring sensors that become aware of the role of the movie as it's traveling via the packaging machine. If the sensors realize that the edge of the movie shifts out of regular position, a sign is generated to go an actuator. This motives the complete movie carriage to shift to one aspect or the different as wanted to deliver the facet of the movie lower back to the right position.

5. Bag Forming

From here, the movie enters a forming tube assembly. As it crests the shoulder (collar) on the forming tube, it is folded round the tube so that the cease end result is a size of movie with the two outer edges of the movie overlapping every other. This is the commencing of the bag forming process.

The forming tube can be set up to make a lap seal or fin seal. A lap seal overlaps the two outer edges of the movie to create a flat seal, whilst a fin seal marries the insides of the two outer aspect of movie to create a seal that sticks out, like a fin. A lap seal is typically viewed greater aesthetically pleasing and makes use of much less cloth than a fin seal.

A rotary encoder is positioned close to the shoulder (collar) of the forming tube. The transferring movie in contact with the encoder wheel drives it. A pulse is generated for each and every length of movement, and this is transferred to the PLC (programmable good judgment controller). The bag size putting is set on the HMI (human laptop interface) display as a wide variety and once this putting is reached the movie transport stops (On intermittent movement machines only. Continuous movement machines do no longer stop.)

The movie is drawn ahead by way of two tools motors which power the friction pull-forward belts positioned on both aspect of the forming tube.

6. Bag Filling and Sealing

Now the movie will temporarily pause (on intermittent motion packaging machines) so the fashioned bag can acquire its horizontal seal. The horizontal seal bar, which is hot, strikes ahead and makes contact with the horizontal overlap on the film, bonding the layers of movie together.

On continuous movement HFFS packaging equipment, the horizontal packaging computing device mechanism stays in contact with the movie constantly so the movie does no longer want to quit to get hold of its horizontal seam.

Next, a set of heated horizontal sealing jaws come collectively to make the pinnacle seal of one bag and the backside seal of the subsequent bag. For intermittent HFFS packaging machines, the movie comes to a end to acquire its horizontal seal from jaws that go in an open-close motion. For non-stop action packaging machines, the jaws themselves go in up-down and open-close motions to seal the movie as it is moving. Some non-stop movement machines have two units of sealing jaws.

An choice for a 'cold sealing' machine is ultrasonics, regularly used in industries with heat-sensitive or messy products. Ultrasonic sealing uses vibrations to induce friction at a molecular degree that generates warmness solely in the region between movie layers.

While the sealing jaws are closed, the product that is being packaged is in the center of the hole forming tube and crammed into the bag.

7. Bag Discharge

After the product has been launched into the bag, a sharp knife inside the warmness seal jaws strikes ahead and cuts the bag. The jaw opens and the packaged bag drops. This is the give up of one cycle on a horizontal packing machine. Depending upon the computing device and bag type, HFFS packaging gear can whole between 30 and 300 of these cycles per minute.

The completed bag can be discharged into a receptacle or onto a conveyor and transported to downline tools like test weighers, x-ray machines, case packing, or carton packing equipment.

Considering a HFFS packaging machine purchase?

Shopping for a new horizontal form fill seal packaging machine doesn't have to be stressful. Horizontal form fill seal (HFFS) packaging machinery is an investment in efficiency and will improve your bottom line. But there are a few vital things you need to know before you select an OEM for your new equipment.

Get expert answers to 5 of the biggest HFFS machine questions:

1. How is the machine constructed?

2. How easy is it to operate the machine?

3. How many years experience in manufacturing Horizontal form fill seal (HFFS) packaging machine?

4. How many patents does the packaging machine supplier have?

5. How is the machine controlled?

If you need any further information, please contact Lotus as below:

Email: [email protected]

Mobile/WhatsApp: +86 13420743171