Packaging

Vertical form fill & seal applications utilize servo motor technology to accurately pull and feed plastic film material from a roll stock to be heat formed, volume dosed with a product, and then sealed and cut to be carried away by an unloading conveyor. While the methods for filling and sealing vary from machine to machine, vertical form fill & seal applications are essentially organized into two categories; Continuous motion bagging machines and intermittent motion bagging machines. Product entering the feeder can vary from a viscous fluid to a solid material and will often play a key role in how the machine is designed.

As part of the Simple Motion Module programming environment, virtual servo motor movement can be commanded through an electronic line shaft in order to ensure that each actual servo motor’s movement begins at the same time. This control takes place through the LD77MS where the program is written in GX Works3 (which is a part of the IQ Works).

Sealing takes place with absolute servo moves to seal the bottom of a bag, while simultaneously sealing the top of the bag that’s already been filled. A blade moves to cut the material in order to release each finished bag from the tube. The bag then falls onto the exit belt to be carried away for boxing.