Product loss during the packaging process can occur in many forms and for many reasons. In any case, it always equals money down the drain. If you are producing products at high volumes, even less than 1% product loss can be very expensive. The answer to reducing and even virtually eliminating product loss is in packaging automation, namely, premade pouch fill and seal machines.

The majority of product loss is in our hands (literally). That is, most loss is caused by human error. Humans succeed in areas of creativity and innovation, but we are consistently bested by machines in almost all repeatable, mechanical tasks. This becomes very apparent when humans are tasked with manual packaging processes. Bags can be dropped, product can be spilled, packages can be overfilled, and manual sealing mechanisms may be inadequate. Here are 4 important attributes of modern premade pouch filling machines that can reduce or even virtually eliminate product (and profit) loss:

Photo Eyes

Modern premade pouch filling machines have photo eyes that digitally detect the presence of a bag and make sure placement is correct. If a bag is not detected, product will not be dropped into the pouches. No bag, no fill, period.

High Accuracy Fillers

Most premade pouch packing machinery is integrated with filling equipment that will properly dose the product into packages. Fillers like multi-head scales can weigh product at very high levels of accuracy (some to less than 0.1 g), or can perform piece-count operations if the product is not sold by weight. Automated product fillers provide a drastic reduction in product loss from over-filling as well as a cleaner filling process with less spilling.

2-Step Sealing Process

High quality premade pouch filling machines have a 2-step package sealing process. After filling, the pouch is first sealed with a heat seal bar, which should then be by a cooling seal bar. This rapid cooling creates a strong package seal, meaning more quality packages and less 'leakers'.

Vacuum Sensors

The best premade pouch equipment comes standard with vacuum sensors that detect whether a bag is present and properly opened. If the proper vacuum is detected, it signals the filler to dose product. If the proper vacuum is not detected, the filler will not dose product.