A form fill seal machine is a machine that is typically found in assembly line packaging for use in wrapping and packaging food and other products. The wrapping is done along the assembly line and, as the package reaches the end of the line, checkweighers weigh and measure it to see that it meets with required specifications. Over the years the form fill machine has evolved to be able to package an unlimited number of different types of products; for instance, frozen foods like pastas and shrimp, and non-food items such as detergents and even marbles.
Because so many people have become environmentally conscious over time, more than half of people worldwide, specifically 52%, will now purchase products partially based on the packaging that they come in. People are looking for not only the product itself, but also packaging that is environmentally friendly and waste free. Packaging machines like a form fill seal machine are built with the environment in mind.
Along the packaging process, all products are subject to examination by a food metal detector. This step along the assembly line is imperative to both the consumer and the company. There could be tiny metallic pieces mixed up in the product that have gone undetected which will be picked up by the food metal detector. A metal detector will detect three specific types of pollutants in food; stainless steel, ferrous, and non ferrous contaminants. Any little piece of metal within the product could have devastating consequences to the consumer, as well as harmful consequences to the company who sold the product. Lawsuits and recalls as a result of harmful matter detected in a product have been known to sap a corporation of their resources.
Vacuum sealers have also proven to be an important part of the packaging cycle. This method of securing the product into the bag serves to remove any air within the vacuum pouches before the bag is sealed. Vacuum sealing is proven to protect and sustain food three to five times longer than do containers with lids or other types of plastic bags. Once the air is removed from the bag, a metal bar closes over the end of the bag and seals it with heat.
A form fill seal machine can be purchased in several different forms depending upon the type of product to be packaged. There are vertical form fill and seal machines, horizontal form fill and seal machines, pre-formed pouch machines, blow fill form fill and seal machines, rotary form fill and seal machines, stick pack form fill and seal machines, and horizontal flow wrappers. In addition to these, form fill seal machines can be designed according to specifications that are not met by any of the mentioned types. Form fill seal machines can be used for food products, as well as items like chemicals, paste, towelettes, hardware, pet food, shampoos, powders, invitro test kits, powders, toiletries, fertilizer, bandages, medications, surgical equipment, perfumes, ear plugs, vitamins, potting soil, freeze pops, frosting, syrup, and an unending list of other products.