Machine Overview
| Machine type | Continuous band sealer, semi-automatic, on a tabletop or a floor stand |
| Packs | Filled pre-made pouches and bags |
| Bag material | Plastic, aluminium foil, compound (laminated) film and polyethylene |
| Products | Granules, powders, liquids and pastes, and solid products |
| Seal width | 8, 10 or 12 mm, depending on the model |
| Sealing speed | 0–12 or 0–25 metres a minute, adjustable |
| Sealing temperature | 0–300 °C on a digital controller |
| Pack weight | Up to 3 kg of product on the tabletop model |
| Options | Nitrogen gas flushing, date coder, floor stand with adjustable conveyor |
| Contact parts | SUS304 stainless steel |
| Power | 220 V, 50 Hz |
Configurations
A band sealer closes filled pouches and bags with a continuous heat seal as they travel through the machine on a conveyor. The model is chosen by the bag and the weight in it, and the options by what the product needs: nitrogen gas flushing for products that react with air, and a date coder when the pack needs a batch or expiry date.
For the machines that fill the pouch first, see semi-automatic filling machines.
01
A compact band sealer that stands on a bench, with a conveyor carrying each pouch through the sealing bands. The one we have supplied seals a 12 mm band at up to 12 metres a minute and takes pouches holding up to 3 kg of product.
Best for
•Small batches and start-ups
•Pouches holding up to 3 kg
•Bench-top packing areas
Benefits
Small footprint
Runs on 220 V
Nitrogen flushing available
02
A floor-standing band sealer with its own conveyor, set to the height of your filling station. On the one we have supplied, the conveyor adjusts 60 mm sideways and 50 mm up or down, the head tilts up to 15°, and the working height is chosen from 740, 780 or 820 mm.
Best for
•Bags filled by a weigher or auger filler
•Taller bags
•Working beside a filling machine
Benefits
Adjustable conveyor and head
Digital temperature and speed control
Seals while the next bag is filled
03
A band sealer is the closing step after a semi-automatic filler or multihead weigher fills the pouch. On a spice line we have supplied, an auger filler fills 1 kg to 3 kg pouches at 5 to 10 a minute and a band sealer with a 10 mm seal closes each one.
Best for
•Powders on an auger filler
•Granules on a multihead weigher
•Lines run by one or two operators
Benefits
Seals at the filler’s pace
No stop-start sealing
Date code in the same pass
04
A date coder fitted to the band sealer embosses a batch number, packing date or expiry date into the seal as the bag passes. On the band sealer we supplied with an auger filler, the coder takes up to 20 characters. The seal can be plain or patterned, such as a mesh finish.
Best for
•Food with best-before dates
•Batch traceability
•Retail packs
Benefits
Code and seal in one pass
No separate coding step
Embossed code that will not rub off
Line set-up
A band sealer usually sits at the end of a semi-automatic line: the filler or weigher fills the pouch, the operator places it on the conveyor, and the band sealer closes it while the next one is filled. These are lines we have supplied with a band sealer.
A 4-head weigher fed by a Z-type elevator weighs granules into pre-made bags of 20 g to 1 kg at 10 to 15 packs a minute, and a horizontal band sealer with an 8 mm seal closes each bag. See the multihead weigher packing machine.
Granules into pre-made bags
20 g to 1 kg
10–15 packs/min
A semi-automatic auger filler fed by a screw conveyor fills 1 kg to 3 kg pouches of spice powder at 5 to 10 a minute, and a band sealer with a date coder closes them. Read the spice pouch case study.
Powder into pouches
1 kg to 3 kg
5–10 pouches/min
A tabletop band sealer that flushes each pouch with nitrogen just before it seals. It seals a 12 mm band at up to 12 metres a minute on pouches holding up to 3 kg of product, in plastic, foil or laminated film.
Nitrogen flush before sealing
12 mm seal
Up to 3 kg per pouch
Applications
Food and drink. Dry and wet food in pouches and bags, closed with a seal that keeps out air and moisture:
Spices and powders
Dried meat and snacks
Beverage powders
Pharmaceutical and supplements. Powders and pastes in foil or laminated pouches:
Pharmaceutical powders
Pastes
Energy supplements
Chemicals, agriculture and hardware. Products packed in heavier film or foil bags:
Pesticides and chemicals
Agricultural products
Hardware
Other pouches and bags. If your bag material or size is not listed here, send us a sample bag. We will seal it at our Riversands showroom before you order.
For bags that are made, filled and sealed on one machine from a roll of film, see the vertical form-fill-seal machine. For pre-made pouches filled and sealed automatically, see the horizontal fill-seal machine.
Specifications
A band sealer is matched to the bag material, the bag size and the weight in the bag, so the figures below come from band sealers we have supplied rather than a fixed catalogue.
The sealing speed is set to match the filler, and the temperature is set on the digital controller to suit the film. On a semi-automatic line the band sealer runs at the pace of the filler: 5 to 10 pouches a minute after an auger filler, and 10 to 15 packs a minute after a 4-head weigher.
| Band sealer | Seal width | Sealing speed | Temperature | Bags and product | Power and size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tabletop band sealer with nitrogen gas flushing | 12 mm | 0–12 m/min | 0–300 °C | Pouches 120 × 190 mm, up to 3 kg of product; plastic, foil, compound film and PE | 220 V, 680 W; 925 × 400 × 305 mm, 28 kg |
| Horizontal band sealer on a floor stand | 8 mm | 0–12 m/min | 0–300 °C | Pre-made bags of granules, 20 g to 1 kg, from a 4-head weigher | 220 V, 1 kW; 855 × 511 × 995 mm, 60 kg |
| Band sealer with a date coder | 10 mm | 0–25 m/min | 0–300 °C | 1 kg to 3 kg pouches of powder from an auger filler; codes up to 20 characters | 220 V; 810 × 350 × 320 mm |
Not sure which band sealer suits your bag? Send us a filled sample bag and we will seal it for you before you order.
ABOUT THE MACHINE
A band sealer, or continuous band sealer, closes filled pouches and bags with a heat seal as they move through the machine on a conveyor. Two moving bands grip the open top of the bag and carry it past a heating block that seals the film, then past a cooling block and pressure rollers that set the seal. Because the bag keeps moving, a band sealer keeps pace with a filler, where a hand-operated impulse sealer seals one bag at a time.
Also known as
The sealing cycle runs in five steps:
Seal width, speed and temperature are set on the machine. The band sealers we have supplied seal an 8, 10 or 12 mm band at up to 12 or 25 metres a minute, with the temperature set between 0 and 300 °C.
On the floor-stand model we have supplied, the conveyor adjusts 60 mm sideways and 50 mm up or down and the head tilts up to 15°, so the sealing line can be set to each bag.
For the machines that fill the bag before it reaches the band sealer, see semi-automatic filling machines.
Nitrogen gas flushing replaces the air in the pouch with nitrogen just before the seal closes. It is fitted for products that react with oxygen, and the nitrogen supply connects through a pressure regulator on the machine.
A date coder embosses the batch or expiry date into the seal as the bag passes, so the pack does not need a separate coding step.
Case Studies
A spice producer closing 1 kg to 3 kg pouches on a band sealer after a semi-automatic auger filler.
“Highly recommended! Excellent customer service, great prices, and they always go above and beyond.”
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PackMan purchased an Automatic 6-Lane, 4-Side Seal Vinegar Packaging Machine, and it has been performing reliably since installation. The machine delivers consistent packaging quality, operates efficiently, and has met our production expectations.
SA Packaging Machinery delivered a solution that has met our expectations. The equipment has been reliable in daily production, and we’re pleased with its performance. We found the team knowledgeable, professional, and willing to assist whenever required.
We’ve been very happy with the equipment supplied by SA Packaging Machinery. It’s straightforward to use, performs consistently, and has helped us improve our production process. The team was easy to work with and made the entire experience smooth.
Comparison
Both are sealing machines that close a bag with heat. An impulse sealer seals one bag at a time when the operator presses the jaw down; a band sealer seals continuously as bags travel through on a conveyor.
| Impulse sealer | Band sealer | |
|---|---|---|
| How bags are sealed | One at a time, with the jaw pressed down by hand or foot | Continuously, as each bag travels through on a conveyor |
| Pace | Set by the operator | Set by the conveyor speed |
| Date code | A separate step | Embossed into the seal where a coder is fitted |
| Best for | Occasional sealing | Bags coming off a filler or weigher |
If you seal the odd bag, a hand impulse sealer is enough. When bags come off a filler or weigher all day, a band sealer keeps pace and gives the same seal on every bag.
A tabletop band sealer stands on a bench and suits lighter pouches; the one we have supplied takes up to 3 kg of product. A floor-stand model has its own adjustable conveyor and stands beside a filling machine.
| Tabletop band sealer | Floor-stand band sealer | |
|---|---|---|
| Stands on | A workbench | Its own frame, at 740, 780 or 820 mm working height |
| Size (as supplied) | 925 × 400 × 305 mm, 28 kg | 855 × 511 × 995 mm, 60 kg |
| Conveyor | Fixed | Adjusts 60 mm sideways and 50 mm up or down; head tilts up to 15° |
| Best for | Pouches holding up to 3 kg | Bags coming off a weigher or auger filler |
A standard band sealer seals the bag with the air still inside. With nitrogen gas flushing, the bag is filled with nitrogen just before the seal closes, which pushes the air out. It is chosen for products that go stale or change in air. Tell us the product and we will advise whether it needs nitrogen.
Advantages
Choose a band sealer when hand sealing holds back your filling. It seals every bag at the same temperature, speed and pressure, so the seal on the last bag of the day is the same as the first. It also adds what a hand sealer cannot: a date code in the seal, and nitrogen flushing for products that react with air.
Quotation
Every band sealer is quoted to your bag, product and output rather than from a list price. For what shapes the figure on any machine quotation, see the packaging machine cost guide.
Why us
Every band sealer we supply is set up and handed over by our own technicians, together with the filler or weigher it works with.
Installation and commissioning.
We set the band sealer to your bags, connect the nitrogen supply where fitted, and hand it over once it is sealing to your standard.
Operator training.
Your operators learn to set the temperature and speed, change the date code and keep the bands and blocks clean.
Service, spares and support.
Spares are held in Johannesburg, and our technicians support the line in person and over phone and video. Every machine carries a one-year warranty.
Choosing the right band sealer starts with the bag, the product, the weight in each bag and the filler it works with.
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SA Packaging Machinery supplies band sealers across South Africa and Southern Africa, on their own or with a filler or weigher. Send us your bags and product, and we will seal samples, recommend the model and quote it.
Questions
A band sealer heat-seals filled pouches and bags made of plastic, aluminium foil, compound (laminated) film and polyethylene. It closes the bag but does not fill it, so it is used after a hand fill, an auger filler or a multihead weigher.
The band sealers we have supplied seal at up to 12 or 25 metres a minute, set on a speed control. In practice the band sealer runs at the pace of the filler: 5 to 10 pouches a minute after an auger filler, and 10 to 15 packs a minute after a 4-head weigher.
8, 10 or 12 mm on the band sealers we have supplied, depending on the model. The seal can be plain or patterned.
Nitrogen gas flushing fills the pouch with nitrogen just before it is sealed, which pushes the air out. It is an option fitted for products that react with oxygen, and the nitrogen supply connects through a regulator on the machine.
Yes, with a date coder fitted. The coder embosses the batch number, packing date or expiry date into the seal as the bag passes. The coder on the band sealer we supplied with an auger filler takes up to 20 characters.
The tabletop band sealer we have supplied takes pouches holding up to 3 kg of product. On the floor-stand model, the conveyor height and the head angle are set to the bag.
Yes. A band sealer stands on its own at the end of a filler or weigher, so it can be added to a line you already run. The floor-stand model is set to the height of your filling station.
Clean the sealing bands, heating block and cooling block, check the bands and conveyor belt for wear, and confirm the temperature on the controller before each run. Spares are held in Johannesburg.
