Sanitary design, high levels of accuracy, easy maintenance and smart technology are features of new ingredient packaging machines, which process snack and bakery ingredients such as spices, flour, grains, and sugar. The equipment also is compatible with sustainable packaging solutions.

Advanced options

Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery, Sturtevant, WI, designs and builds packaging machines that measure, dispense and weigh powders and dry granular products, primarily for the food industry.

The company’s net weight fillers are capable of filling pre-made bags, drums, and boxes with dry ingredients. The sanitary design of the equipment is suitable for these products, as well as for egg powders and dairy/whey-based products. “Our machines incorporate a servo-driven auger filler with a sealed hopper, which reduces airborne dust in the factory. Lately, we’ve seen an increase in demand for high protein nut-based products such as almond flour,” says Mark Navin, vice president of sales, Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery.

The company also offers the Spee-Dee Net Weight Bag Clamp auger filler, which has a small footprint and a hygienic design that makes it easy to clean. “The integration of a weigh cell with the filler means that the highest level of accuracy is achieved,” Navin adds.

Paxiom Group, Las Vegas, offers ingredient-packaging solutions that range from bulk powder/solids weighing, bagging, pouch filling, and container filling to end-of-line case packing and palletizing.

Paxiom Group engineered its V (vibratory) and T (tote filling) Model 25 automatic weigh filling machines for large-format filling applications. Built to handle 5 lbs. to 50 lbs., the PrimoLinear is suitable for wholesale, institutional, and foodservice requirements. Common packaging applications include weighing and filling of candy, frozen foods, fruits, baked goods, snack foods, and ingredients. Paxiom Group notes the equipment’s PC controls allow for unlimited recipe storage. 

The Star Auger filling machine from Paxiom Group is used in applications that require portioning and dispensing of powders, spices, flour, sugar, salt, baking mixes, and products with similar characteristics. The auger fillers use servo drives, and include stainless steel construction, easy-to-remove tooling and a center opening hopper that allows for simple cleaning and maintenance. The machine can be integrated with auxiliary packaging machines such as vertical form/fill/seal, pre-made pouch fillers, and container indexing conveyors.

The PrimoLinear C and IW Series weigh filling machines are designed to weigh/fill sticky, damp, wet, and difficult-to-move products, as well as those that require gentle handling. The series uses conveyor belts as opposed to traditional vibratory feed pans to carry product to the weighing station. “Manufactured in stainless steel, our conveyorized weigh filling machines are available in single- and twin-lane configurations, depending on speeds. Standard features include stainless steel frame, easily removable conveyor belts, and large color touchscreen,” says Val Miller, digital marketing specialist and project manager, Paxiom Group.

Triangle Package Machinery Co., Chicago, offers several solutions for packaging ingredients, including a new Delta vertical F/F/S bagger, Compact Sanitary Bagger, Triangle/JDD Rotary Pouch Machine, and Flex 1 Cartoner for bag-in-box applications, all of which can help improve efficiency for packagers of baking mixes, spices and seasonings, sugar, flour, grains, and snacks.

The new Delta bagger is designed for ease of operation, with quick and easy changeover. The Delta also features a solid sanitary design and can make bags up to 15 inches wide and up to 20 inches long in a single pull. “We’ve also added smart technology features, such as IO Link enabled sensors,” says Kim Magon-Haller, marketing manager, Triangle Package Machinery Co.

Model CSB (Compact Sanitary Bagger) from Triangle features a compact footprint of 36 inches, and it can run bags up to 13 inches wide. To maximize production, it can be paired in a dual configuration with a split scale, so users can improve product throughput without utilizing a lot of floor space. This option also lets users run each bagger individually, so they can perform routine maintenance without shutting down an entire line.

For bakery and snack producers who run pre-made bags, the Triangle/JDD Rotary Pouch Machine can fill and seal Doy bags, 3-sided seal, flat, and stand-up pouches, as well as zippered bags, at speeds of up to 50 pouches per minute. With the ability to store up to 48 recipes, it allows users to change package styles with the push of a button. “It is ideal for a variety of ingredients, including sugar and powders, as well as baking mixes, granola, and snacks,” says Magon-Haller.

Another machine that offers quick changeover is Triangle’s Flex 1 Cartoner, which is designed for bag-in-box applications that involve baking mixes, sugar, cereal, granola, crackers, and snacks. Servo drives offer intermittent motion control, so no bagger sync is required. “Unlike traditional cartoners, the Flex 1 allows users to run multiple carton sizes and achieve changeover to full production in less than 15 minutes,” Magon-Haller adds.

Syntegon Packaging Technology LLC, New Richmond, WI, offers a portfolio of band sealers, pinch top sealers, and glued sealers that are used throughout the ingredient packaging market. Optional synchronized conveyors are available to make a complete stand-alone or integrated sealing system for premade filled bags.

Syntegon’s Capsack sealer, used primarily within the bulk ingredient market, features a sift-proof design to ensure sanitary operation. A two-part bag with an inner polyethylene bag and an outer paper bag prevents contamination of the polyethylene bag during handling and transportation. Once in a controlled and sanitary environment, the outer paper bag is removed by tearing the perforated top, according to Jim Miller, product sales manager, Syntegon Packaging Technology.

Ongoing advancements

In the area if sustainability, Miller sees a trend away from plastics and toward paper materials in ingredient packaging operations. In fact, Syntegon’s GS1000 folder gluer, which can seal up to 75 bags per minute, is designed for sustainability, she notes. The company also has developed creative sealing designs for a variety of re-closable bags. “Handle bags with double seals are becoming more popular, along with paper and in-line perforating.”

In addition to sustainability concerns, automation will also factor into the future of these applications. Miller sees continued emphasis on pre-made bag sealing automation, along with= increased demand for sustainable packaging materials.

Navin predicts full automation of dry ingredient packaging will grow increasingly common as food processors utilize a series of net weight fillers to measure and dispense precise amounts of each product that makes up a recipe.

Looking ahead, Magon-Haller expects to see more efficient ingredient packaging operations with fewer operators required as seal integrity improves, especially with ultrasonic sealing and three-sided seal packages. “Because fewer people will be needed to inspect packages for leakers, those workers will be reassigned to other areas, resulting in significant labor savings.”