What are the categories of food packing machines?
Friday May-30 2025 17:11:52
What are the categories of food packing machines?
There are many types of food packaging machines, which are divided into granules, powders, and liquids according to the materials, and include bags, bottles, and boxes according to the packaging forms. The packaging size ranges from 50-350mm in length and 30-250mm in width, and the height can be customized to meet various needs. Automation is divided into semi-automatic and fully automatic, with flexible specifications and adaptable to different production lines. The output covers dozens to thousands of packages per hour to meet different scales. The main parameters are packaging speed of 30-120 packages/minute, sealing methods including heat sealing and ultrasonic sealing, and measurement accuracy of ±0.5% to ensure high efficiency and stability. The following introduces various types of packaging machines from the perspective of size, speed, price and output.
Classification by packing form
Pillow packaging machine
Pillow packaging machine is suitable for block and strip foods, such as bread, biscuits, candy, sausages, etc. This type of equipment has a fast packaging speed and is suitable for large-scale continuous operation. The typical packaging size is: width 50-250mm, length 60-600mm, and the packaging speed can reach 80-300 packages/minute, which is suitable for light food. Price range: about USD 3,000–15,000, depending on the material, configuration and brand.
Vertical Forming Packaging Machine (VFFS)
Vertical Forming Packaging Machine is suitable for bulk materials such as powders, granules, liquids, such as rice, nuts, sauces, milk powder, etc. The equipment completes filling and sealing after rolling film bag making, and has good versatility. The bag size range is wide, with bag width of 80–300mm and bag length of 100–400mm. The output is generally 30–70 bags/minute, which is related to the metering equipment (such as multi-head weigher, screw pump) used. Price range: about USD 5,000–25,000, suitable for medium-sized food companies.
Bag-feeding Packaging Machine
Bag-feeding packaging machines using pre-made bags are suitable for products with high requirements on appearance, such as nuts, pet food, ready-to-eat meals, etc. Supports stand-up bags, zipper bags, flat bags, etc. The applicable bag size range is usually 100-250mm in width and 100-350mm in height. Single machine output: 20-60 bags/minute, flexible operation. Price range: about USD 15,000-50,000, mostly used in mid-to-high-end packaging scenarios.
Vacuum packaging machine
Suitable for products with high freshness requirements such as pickled meat, aquatic products, and cooked food. According to the structure, it is divided into single-chamber, double-chamber, and continuous rolling types. The size of the packaging bag is limited by the size of the equipment cavity and needs to be customized. Output range: 300-1000 bags/hour, and high-end equipment has a larger capacity. Price range: from USD 2,000 (home use) to USD 40,000 (industrial use).
Modified atmosphere packaging machine (MAP) and skin packaging machine
MAP replaces the gas in the package to extend the shelf life. It is often used for high-value-added foods such as meat, cooked food, and fruit; skin packaging is used to highlight the three-dimensional sense of the product and improve the display effect. Both have high requirements for equipment air tightness and film material control. Price range: generally USD 20,000–60,000, mostly used in cold chain logistics systems.
Classification by degree of automation
Fully automatic packaging machine
Suitable for large-scale standardized production. It has functions such as automatic feeding, metering, bag making, filling, sealing, and coding. It has the advantages of strong consistency and high production capacity. Single-line output: 60–120 bags/minute or more, suitable for the main production line of food factories. Price range: about USD 10,000–80,000, depending on the production line structure and functional configuration.
Semi-automatic packaging machine
Suitable for small and medium batches and a wide variety of scenarios, usually requires manual participation in some links (such as feeding or bag removal), simple structure, and high cost performance. Relatively low output: 10–30 bags/minute, but high flexibility. Price range: about USD 1,500–8,000, suitable for start-ups or small and medium-sized enterprises.
Classification by application field
Snack food packaging machine
Such as puffed food, candy, nuts, etc., high requirements for speed and metering accuracy. Mostly used with combination scales and automatic feeders. Recommended equipment: vertical packaging machine or bag feeding machine, flexible size adaptation, standardized packaging appearance.
Liquid and sauce packaging machine
Such as beverages, hot pot base, jam, etc., need to have a filling system with strong corrosion resistance, anti-drip, and anti-pollution. Recommended equipment: special liquid filling + vertical or bag feeding packaging combination.
Frozen and vacuum food packaging machine
Such as quick-frozen dumplings, meat products, cooked food, etc., need to maintain the same sealing performance at low temperatures, often with vacuum packaging or modified atmosphere packaging. Recommended equipment: vacuum packaging machine or MAP equipment, suitable for cold chain system.
There are many types of food packaging machines, and the selection needs to be combined with product size, output, process and budget. Equipment prices range from USD 1,500 to 80,000, reflecting differences in performance, automation and application. When purchasing, the packaging type, output target, material characteristics (dryness, temperature, fragility), service life and maintenance cost should be clearly defined. Comprehensive technical parameters, choosing equipment with strong adaptability, stable performance and high cost performance is the key for food companies to achieve large-scale production and brand development.