When powder packing machine is the backbone of your operation, any unplanned downtime seriously affects your efficiency.
Luckily, quality vertical form fill seal machines that are properly cared for don't need much servicing, but inevitably there will be a time when your filling machine has film issues. When that happens, you want to be prepared with the info you need at your fingertips.
So we've compiled the top film issues we see, what they mean, and their possible causes.
General powder filling machine film troubleshooting tips
If your vertical form fill seal machine is having film issues, error messages will report issues on the HMI (human machine interface) screen. The message will remain present on the screen until it is acknowledged by an operator.
If you experience an error message or are having filling film issues, first ask yourself 3 general questions:
Did you switch over to new film with a different structure?
Have you recently spliced the film?
Are machine components dirty or worn?
Often one of these three things is the main culprit when you have film issues on a filling machine. If the above questions don't uncover anything abnormal, you can move on to more specific film troubleshooting, starting with 5 common issues and their possible causes below:
1. Film eye mark error
This error means the eye mark on the film was not registered during the machine cycle. For a machine to register the eye mark, there needs to be a clear contrast between the mark and the background color of the film. When the milk powder filling line cannot 'see' the film eye mark, it will not 'know' how long a bag needs to be. This will often cause bag sizes to be inconsistent or too long.
Possible causes:
Dirty registration photo-eye sensor lens
Film is too shiny or reflective
Optical probe of registration photo-eye is in a bad position
The film has been spliced
The registration photo eye sensor is out of place
Bad color contrast between eye mark color and background color on film
Pull belts are slipping
2. Film feed fault
This error means the film is not feeding properly through the filling machine.
Possible causes:
Registration photo-eye did not see registration mark on film
Pull belts slipping
Machine ran out of film
Film is broken or spliced
Splice table clamps are down
3. Film is not tracking properly
This error means the film is not 'lining up' properly as it is fed through the filling machine. First, check to make sure the film carriage moves freely. Also check all wiring, relays, and power to the motor. Wipe the film brake roller clean.
Possible causes:
Film is not centered on spindle
Film is not webbed up properly
Rollers and dancer levels are parallel
Film is loose on one side and tight on the other
Splice table clamps down
Rollers not spinning freely
Auto film tracking not working
Forming tube damaged or not installed properly
Splice tape stuck in forming tube
Pull belts not set up properly
Brake roller dirty
4. Film unwind fault
This error means the film unwind is not working, which can cause the film web to snap.
Possible causes:
Film coefficient of friction is too high
Low or no film
Film is not webbed up correctly
Splice table clamps down
Dancer not set up properly
Bad cables or sensors
Film is damaged, rough, or torn
Film unwind brake is improperly set
5. Bad vertical/cross seals
These errors mean package seals are inadequate. This might manifest as incomplete seals (leakers), misaligned seals, seams that are stronger on one side than the other, blistered or discolored seams, or creases in package seals.
Possible causes:
End of the film roll
Film tracking sensor lens dirty
Film is not webbed up correctly
Bad cables or sensors
Incorrect heat seal bar temperature
Seal bar misalignment
Incorrect seal bar spring tension
Forming tube misalignment
Surface of seal jaws dirty
Damaged seal jaws
Maybe you are embarking on an exciting new business venture and looking to bring your product to market.Or perhaps your company is well established and exploring ways to make your production and packaging process more efficient.Whatever the case, the manner in which you package your product is a vital component to overall company success.There are two main avenues to take when making this decision:Use the services of a contract packager.
This involves subcontracting the packaging of your product to a third-party company.Invest in automating packaging in-house.
This usually involves acquiring capital packaging equipment and performing the packaging process in-house.It's an important decision that often comes down to a few important details: Available resources and expertise, crunching the long and short-term budget implications, and maximizing plant-wide efficiencies.When to consider outsourcing your packagingIn general, a contract packager is chosen by a manufacturer when it is less costly and more efficient than packaging its product in-house.Contract packagers also bring very specific expertise to the table, as they live and breathe packaging all day, every day.
A rapidly growing small business can turn to a house hold powder packing machine to quickly scale their packaging and production to a higher level than they would be able to achieve on their own without significant investment and reorganization.In the same vein, a large multi-national corporation may find it easier and more efficient to outsource their packaging so they can focus on other matters.According to the Contract Packaging Association, there are many reasons a business might consider a co-packer, including:No available in-house equipment or expertise for a particular jobNot economically feasible to invest in their own packing equipmentGeographically separated facilities could serve the product better for national distributionNon-standard packaging requiring special machinery or labor-intensive work is specifiedProduct may more economically be shipped in bulk to a distant market, then unit packed locallyShort-term requirement that may be better served by specific experience or equipment you don't haveThere's a warehouse full of a product that needs re-working to make it saleableThere's a corporate downsizing in personnel, facilities or bothWhen to consider bringing packaging in-houseThere are also many companies, small and large, that choose to package their product in-house.
In general, packaging your product on-site requires a higher upfront cost, but as soon as the machinery is paid off, the return on investment can be substantial over the long-term.
The only continuing expenses will be paying machine operators/technicians, wear parts replacement, and maintenance.
