Companies operating in the food and beverage industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and other industries specializing in manufacturing and processing consumer goods can benefit from vertical form fill seal packaging systems. They play a huge part in a company’s ability to package and seal different products during one continuous process.
To make the most of vertical form fill seal systems, companies should work to optimize their efficiency. Doing this will boost efficiency while making the production process quicker and less expensive overall.
Discover more about vertical form fill seal systems and how to optimize their efficiency so you can maximize their output without neglecting your company’s commitment to quality.
A Brief Introduction to Vertical Form Fill Seal (VFFS) Systems
Vertical form fill seal systems, or VFFS for short, are automated machines designed to make a company’s packaging process more efficient and reliable. These machines work by:
- Using a roll of film to create packaging for products
- Taking the bags that this film creates and filling them with products
- Sealing these bags and sending them in the direction of vision inspection systems and other types of inspection systems
Vertical form-fill-seal systems have been around for almost a century. Inventor Walter Zwoyer came up with the first VFFS system while working for the Henry Heide Candy Company in the 1930s.
Since then, these systems have been used to package and seal many products, including rice, coffee, candy, pet food, and more. They’re also versatile and capable of creating many kinds of product packaging. Stand-up pouch packaging, food-safe packaging, and bulk packaging are just several of the available options.
Key Factors Affecting VFFS System Efficiency
Many factors impact the efficiency of vertical form fill seal systems. Make sure these factors are on your radar when you’re deciding which VFFS system to install in your company’s facility in the first place.
You should also keep them firmly in mind when trying to optimize the efficiency of a vertical form-fill seal system in your production line. Factors that will affect the efficiency of a VFFS system include:
- Material quality
- Machine setup
- Environmental conditions
If you wish to make a VFFS system more efficient, changing the type of film you use to create product packaging might improve a machine’s film-feeding accuracy. This alone could work wonders for its efficiency.
Performing a sensor calibration on a VFFS system might also improve a machine’s product dosing precision, while changing the environment in which a VFFS system is used could help seal integrity issues. Keep the factors we mentioned in mind to optimize the efficiency of vertical form fill seal systems within your facility.
Why Optimizing VFFS Efficiency Is Essential
Taking time out of your hectic schedule to optimize the efficiency of vertical form fill seal systems might not always seem worth it. However, tackling this task may prove to be beneficial for your operation and your company as a whole.
Here are a few of the benefits of optimized VFFS systems:
- Enable you to experience a downtime reduction
- Enhance the quality of your company’s products
- Speed up the production process for your company
Practical Tips for Enhancing VFFS Efficiency
If your company has yet to set up a vertical form-fill-seal system, your best bet is to invest in an efficient option from a company like TDI Packsys. This will make your VFFS system efficient from the very start, as it will make automated adjustments to improve its own efficiency in many cases.
But even if you already have a VFFS system, you can take steps to make it every bit as efficient as your company needs it to be. These tips for enhancing VFFS efficiency should help:
- Get your vertical form fill seal system on a regular maintenance schedule.
- Train your company’s employees to use a VFFS system properly.
- Put effective quality control measures in place for your VFFS system.
By being proactive about putting these actionable tips to good use, you should start to see a difference in your VFFS system’s efficiency in no time.
Common VFFS Challenges and Solutions
Even when you make it a point to perform regular maintenance and repairs and work to optimize the efficiency of a vertical form-fill-seal system, you may still encounter VFFS challenges. The most common challenges include issues with:
- Film tracking
- Seal integrity
- Material jams
You can work around these issues by ensuring all the sensors in your VFFS system are calibrated. You can also do it by:
- Using the right film to package your products
- Minimizing dust and other environmental factors that may affect your production process
- Addressing jams in your system quickly to prevent them from getting worse
Benefits of Using an Optimized VFFS System During Production
Many companies don’t mind spending the time it takes to optimize the efficiency of vertical form fill seal systems after seeing how much money it could potentially save them. This is, however, just one of the many benefits of relying on an optimized VFFS system during your company’s production process.
Here are other benefits that will come along with using a VFFS system that has been optimized to improve efficiency:
- Results in a much higher output
- Delivers better product consistency
- Eliminates a lot of the usual material waste
Take more control of your company’s production process by incorporating a more efficient VFFS system into the mix.
Ensuring Long-Term Efficiency in VFFS Systems
Would you like to buy a brand-new vertical form-fill-seal system for your company’s facility? Or are you interested in learning more about how to optimize the efficiency of existing vertical form-fill-seal systems? Either way, TDI Packsys is here to help.
We can set your company up with a new VFFS system that will be efficient from the get-go. We can also offer your company the chance to optimize the efficiency of your current VFFS system.
Give us a call at 877-834-6750 to make efficiency a bigger part of your company’s production process.
