Packaging of Products

Packaging of products has been one of the ancient activities, originated from the days of Adam. The earliest packaging materials were leaves, barks of trees, animal skin and other natural materials. With the advent of different materials like paper from wood, glass and metals- packaging took a turn. These earlier packages were basically done manually. The early packages like preformed paper bags, metal cans and glass bottles were rather doubtful in their dimensional tolerances. Thus, the early packaging techniques were labor intensive and had discrete operational units. In most of the cases the workers who are more or less artisans became dexterous at such routine activities such as wrapping, gluing, etc.

With the advent of industrial revolution around 18th and early 19th century, there were major changes in the manufacturing activities affecting the socio economic and cultural conditions across the globe. The effect of industrial revolution in U.K. also spread towards the American continent.

In today’s scenario of 21st century, marketing is global. Two specific aspects get focus in this scenario. It is Quantity with Quality. The solution to this is Automation. Today, automated production is essential. Neither volume nor product consistency can be achieved in any other way. With the advent of the global marketing, competition also has grown. With the stiff competition production in a cost effective manner is the solution. Although this appears to be simple it is complex and difficult process.

This calls for specialization in specific areas of manufacture andpackaging is one critical area. Today the industry needs specialized packaging technologists and engineers to take up this challenge. The technologists will focus on the material development, compatibility and newer applications. Whereas, the engineer focuses on automating the production which in turn maintains very high productivity. These specialists overseeing the projects must have a strong support from management production, maintenance and above all vendors. Delays, errors and higher costs will result if this support is not totally integrated with all concerned playing an active role.

The concept of a form, fill and seal machine has come out of a systems approach to packaging. In this the package is formed on the machine, gets filled and sealed. Obviously, this type of system has some intrinsic advantages like cleaner packages, less wastage and storage, higher productivity and overall lesser cost. From the various types of Form Fill and Seal machines one of the most common form is an FFS for a flexible pack. It is obvious that flexible packaging is the trend of the day because of its inherent advantages like reduced material consumption, lesser tare weight and the Low Cost Unit Pack (LCUP).For a country like India where the a large part of population is still living below the poverty line, the buying capacity is definitely restricted. Hence the low cost unit pack is definitely ideal.

This has led to a large development in the area of flexible laminate manufacturing and subsequent machinery manufacturers. In order to make it more effective India has developed the concept of simple FFS machines at a low cost for manufacture of flexible packs. The form fill seal systems can be either horizontal or vertical. By virtue of its nomenclature it is obvious that in a Horizontal FFS the pouches move horizontally and in Vertical FFS they move vertically. Each of them has their own advantages and disadvantages.

Form Fill and Seal Concept

A machine that forms the pack, fills the product and seals the package is termed as Form Fill Seal (FFS) machines. These machineries have been broadly gained acceptance due to its applications in a wide range of products. Form, fill and seal machines are packaging equipment that uses flexible, heat-sealable, plastic film to form packages that can be filled with a product and then sealed, and cut. Selecting form, fill and seal machines require an analysis of specifications, features, and applications. Typically, fully automated machines list the rate, which is usually expressed in pieces per minute. Some automated machines include an integral feeder and a computer interface that links to a control network. Others are made from stainless steel for improved corrosion resistance. Aseptic or sanitary equipment is easy to clean and designed in a manner that inhibits the growth or presence of pathogenic microorganisms. Portable machinery is lightweight or includes wheels or casters for ease of movement. In terms of applications, form, fill and seal machines are used widely in the automotive, chemical, medical, and pharmaceutical industries. They are also used to process food, beverages, cosmetics, electronics, semiconductors, stationary, tobacco, and military products.

The main types are vertical form fill seal (VFFS) and horizontal form fill seal (HFFS) machines often applied in areas of horizontal versions of flow-wrappers, sachet machines, blister pack machines, four side seal machines and thermoform fill and seal machines.; in both cases packagingmaterial is fed off a roll, shaped, and sealed. The bags/packs are then filled, sealed and separated.

FFS machines can be embedded with highly sophisticated features like detectors, computer interfaces, and control networks. Greater speed and versatility are the major benefits of FFS systems for user companies. The capability of creating virtually any size or shape has enhanced its relevance in various sectors like FMCG or otherwise. The wide diversity and the multiplicity of FFS machines employ a wide range of material types and are used across numerous markets including food, drinks, cosmetics, electronics, stationary, tobacco, chemical, medical, and pharmaceuticals. The differentpackaging systems applicable are: lower reel flow-wrapper, Bags and Pillow packs, Bottles/vials, Cartons, Pots trays and blister, Sachets and Envelopes and Sacks and tubular sack Bags.

Vertical Form Fill Seal (VFFS)

In this case, the flexible packaging material forms a tube, contains the product and is sealed in a sequence of operations, whilst the film is transported vertically downwards.

•  Vertical Form Fill and Seal Machine for carton board: A vertically operating form fill and seal machine which uses a carton board laminate, which is formed, filled with product and sealed to produce a pack resembling a carton. Tetra Pak carton for milks and juices are a variant of a carton VFFS pack.

•  Mandrel Flexible Package Form Fill and Seal Machine: A packaging machine which forms packs from a reel of flexible material, on one or a number of mandrels, before filling the packs with product and sealing their tops within the machine. Packs are formed using flexible packaging material on one or more mandrel to form the pack which is then filled and sealed within the machine.

Uses: Traditionally used for flour and sugar.

Tubular Form Fill Seal (TFFS)

Tubular Form Fill Seal covers two main types that cover larger bags and sacks:

•  Tubular Bag Form Fill and Seal Machine: Here a reel of lay flat tubular flexible packaging film forms a bag in which the product is filled and sealed within the machine.

•  Tubular Sack Form Fill and Seal Machine: Here a reel of lay flat tubular flexible packaging film forms a sack. The sack is then filled with product and sealed either within the machine or by separate machines.

Sachet Form Fill Seal

Here the operations remaining the same, three sided or four sided pouches can be made. Three main types are:

•  Edge Sealing Machine: Horizontally operated form fill seal machine in which the product is placed on a horizontal web of film before being sealed on 3 or 4 sides to an upper web of film. Machines may have one or two reels of material and can produce one or more lanes of packs.

•  Horizontal Sachet FFS: Packs are formed and sealed on 2 or 3 sides and filled vertically with the product before the remaining side is sealed whilst the film web is moving horizontally but the pack remains vertical. Uses: liquids, free flowing powders and wipes such as hand cleaners, cosmetics etc.

• Vertical Sachet FFS: Uses one or more webs of film to form a pack which is filled vertically and sealed to produce a 3 or 4 sided sealed sachet. This type of sachets can have one or two webs of film and several lanes of packs. Uses: tea bags and pack liquids and free flowing powders and solids.

Thermoform Fill Seal

A form, fill and seal machine in which a web of thermoformable material is heated and formed with pressure and/or vacuum, before being filled vertically with product, sealed with a top film or magazine fed lid and finally cut to produce individual packs. Machines can produce one or more lanes of packs and may incorporate equipment to evacuate packages before they are sealed.

Blister Thermoform Fill Seal

The most common form of thermoform fill seal used almost exclusively pharma pills & capsules.

•  Deep Draw Form Fill and Seal Machine: Packaging machines which use deformable or thermoformable packaging material, to form a package which is then filled and sealed in a sequence of operations to form a deep drawn pack.

• Cold Form Fill and Seal Machine: A form, fill and seal machine in which a web of deformable material is formed under pressure in a die press, before being filled vertically with product sealed, with a top film or magazine fed lid, and finally cut to produce individual packs. Machines can produce one or more lanes of packs. Uses: single serve jam and preserves.

Filling & Dosing Machines

Filling and dosing machines are packaging machines which measure out a product from a bulk supply by some predetermined value, e.g. volume, level in a container, mass or count. The filling method used is influenced largely by the nature of the product e.g. liquid, gas, piece goods, powder, free flowing solids or sticky paste, but also by the measure for selling the product e.g. by weight, by volume or by count.

Filling machines may comprise of one or a number of dosing devices that may be arranged with or without a mechanism to control containers or packages as they are filled.

The two most common arrangements of fillers with multiple filling heads are ‘in line’ where the filling heads are fixed and containers are moved under the heads and then removed when filled in an intermittent process, and ‘Rotary’ where several filling heads are mounted on a rotating carousel and containers are fed onto the carousel, filled and then discharged continuously.

Volumetric Fillers

•  Volumetric Piston Filler: These fillers uses a reciprocating piston of predetermined volume which measures out a product (usually liquid, gas or paste). Fillers of this type are suitable for accurate filling of products at both low and medium speeds.

•  Displacement Filler: Filling mechanism which measures out a product by displacing a predetermined volume of product with a loose fitting piston. Displacement fillers are slightly less accurate than piston fillers but are used in situations where it is important not to damage the solids in the product.

•  Aerosol Gassing Machine: A volumetric piston filling machine designed specifically to fill propellant gas into an aerosol can or canister. Fillers of this type are suitable for accurate filling at both low and medium speeds.

•  Rotating Chamber Filling Machine: These fillers uses a metering pump that operates for a predetermined number of cycles, which measures a product, usually liquid gas or paste.

•  Flow Meter Filler: This filling mechanism measures out a product (usually liquid) using a flow meter. If based on an inductive flow-meter these machines are restricted to use with water based liquids but have the benefit that they are easy to clean and are tolerant to included solids.

•  Auger Filler: Fillingmechanism which measures out a product, usually powder or free flowing solids, using an auger which is rotated for a predetermined number of revolutions in a conical hopper to discharge the required volume of product. The main benefit of these machines is their ability to control dust during the filling operation and are therefore used extensively for powders and dusty free flowing solids. To compensate for changes in the bulk density of the product, auger filler are frequently used in conjunction with a weighing instrument like a checkweigher. Fillers of this type are suitable for filling products at both low and medium speeds.

•  Volumetric Cup Filling Machine: A filling which measures out a product, usually free-flowing solids or powder, in a cup of predetermined volume. These machines are typically used for products like rice or frozen peas which do not generate dust. Fillers of this type are suitable for accurate filling of products at both low and medium speeds.

•  Timed Flow Filler: Filling mechanism that measures a product, usually liquid or powder, by controlling the product flow duration/time to a predetermined value. This indirect method of achieving a volumetric fill has the benefit of being relatively low cost and easy to clean. Fillers of this type are used in situations where a single machine is required to fill a wide range of product volumes. Timed flow fillers are generally used for low speeds.

Gravimetric Filling Machines

•  Nett Weighing Machine: Fillingmechanism which measures out a predetermined mass of product, usually free flowing solids, before dispensing it as a fill. These machines can weigh products as diverse as sand, vegetables and breakfast cereals. Fillers of this type are suitable for weighing products at both low and medium speeds.

•  Selective Combination Weighing Machine: Also known as a Multi-Head Weighing machine, this is a nett weighing machine with multiple weighing units that computes an appropriate combination of loads to achieve a predetermined mass, before discharging them together as a fill. Weighers of this type are suitable for accurate filling of products like potato crisps or salads at both medium and high speeds.

•  Gross Weighing Machine: A filling sometimes known as a weigh filler which measures out a predetermined mass of product, which may be liquid, powder, gas or solids, directly into the package which is resting on a weighing instrument which controls the filling operation. This method of weighing is used for products as diverse as jars of instant coffee,  bottles (ranges can vary from 1-200 litres). Gross weighing machine are suitable for accurate filling of products at both low and medium speeds.

•  Count Filling Machine: Packaging machine used to measure solids according to a predetermined count. A machine used commonly to pack pills into small rigid containers, or in hardware packing for small DIY items such as screws and nuts.

The most common forms of inspection machines are check weighing machines and metal detecting machines but the range of inspection equipment available has grown hugely in recent years driven by the need to automate production and to remove the people from the line who as well as carrying out manual tasks also inspect products and packs visually. In the pharmaceutical industry a range of inspection systems have also been developed to check that batch codes are present and legible and to check that every packaging component is correct for the product being packed. Inspection machines are used in all end user sectors, including food, beverage, pharmaceutical, toiletries & cosmetics, and household chemicals. Some kinds of inspection are more common in some sectors than others or even unique to a particular industry (for example missing or broken pill detectors in the pharmaceutical sector).

Conclusion

The concept of FFS encompasses the pouches, tetra packs, thermoformed trays packs like jams, butter and in a way the lined cartons. The main advantage is high speed and high quality production. With revolution of flexible and semi rigid packagingmaterials, the future of FFS systems is very bright and its application areas will witness an upward trend. The future developments would be to focus for higher productivity like high speed, multi lane machines. It is imperative that as the FFS technology takes a leap the packaging material to be used on these machines will also have to match up with the precision and quality. In summary there would an up gradation of the packaging material quality vis a vis the packed products.

About author

Prof C.S. Purushothaman - Director &  Mrs. Saritha Surve – Assistant Director, SIES School of Packaging – Packaging Technology Centre, Mumbai