Considering Premade Pouch Filling Equipment? Read This First.

Bryan Lacy

pouch.jpgInterested in fill and seal equipment for premade pouches? You're in good company; the flexible packaging market is seeing increased interest in preformed pouches, especially in the food and beverage industries. So how do you decide which packaging equipment manufacturer offers the best premade pouch filling and sealing equipment for your application?

Short on time? Download our guide to 10 top questions to ask your oem to get the best pouch filling machine for your money. >>

Automatic Pouch Filling Machine Design Considerations

There are a number of packaging equipment manufacturers that offer premade pouch filling equipment. This is great; competition increases innovation and means better pricing for the end user. However, when you are faced with many options in your search for premade pouch packing machinery, it can be difficult to decide which features to focus on in your evaluation. We've prepared a few brief points that will assist with your premade pouch fill and seal equipment selection process:

1. Find out if the equipment uses mechanical or servo drives. Standard mechanical drives can adequately do the job but have their limitations. Servo drives provide smoother and more precise operation via position feedback. Servo drives also can offer higher packaging speeds. 

2. Take note of the premade pouch machine layout. Is it open and accessible to allow for easy, quick changeovers and effective cleaning and maintenance? Can settings be easily changed without maneuvering around electrical cabinetry or the HMI? Speaking of the HMI, is it conveniently located on a swing arm for maximum flexibility or is it mounted and immovable? The point we're getting at here is to make sure the machine is unencumbered and open to allow for accessibility and flexibility. Your machine operators and maintenance staff will thank you.

3. Can the machine accommodate heavier fills? A proper premade pouch filling machine will have a stainless steel pouch gripping arms that can support at least 10 kg. This eliminates sagging of gripper arms over time when supporting heavier, bulkier product fills. Even if you do not currently require heavy product fills, the ability to do so in the future is a great option to have in your pocket. Flexible packaging machinery should have the ability to grow as you grow.

4. Ask to see the premade pouch filling machine in action, and even better, ask if you can see the equipment running at an actual client installation. There is no better way to evaluate packaging machinery than to experience it in person, and speak to those who work with it daily.

5. Listen to how loud the machinery is when it is in operation. Typically, louder packaging machinery equals more wear parts. More wear parts equals more downtime for maintenance and increased spending on spare parts, all contributing to a higher total cost of ownership over the long term. 

Initial Investment vs. Total Cost of Ownership 

There's no denying it: Top performing premade pouch packing machinery requires a significant investment. However, instead of just looking at the numbers and choosing the packaging equipment manufacturer that offers the lowest price, consider the overall value and total cost of ownership of the equipment. Yes, a packaging equipment manufacturer may offer their (seemingly similar) equipment for half of what another does, but there is always a reason for that. Packaging equipment that may offer an initial savings of $50,000 may well end up costing two or three times that in maintenance, repairs, re-configuration, and lost productivity from machine downtime.

Ask packaging machine manufacturers the tough questions

Not sure what questions to ask your OEM to make sure you get the right premade pouch filling equipment for your business? Download our free eBook that will give you 10 questions to ask, as well as recommendations for purchasing quality pouch packing equipment.

CTA 10 Qs premade pouch machines 2018.png