A fresh produce packer needed to flow wrap peppers for retail. We supplied a three-servo flow wrap machine with a wide film range and a tall product opening. The line has been running for more than a year.
The customer packs peppers for retail in flow-wrapped packs. The machine needed a tall product opening, a wide range of pack lengths, and film that keeps the produce visible on the shelf. Film for fresh produce is chosen at a trial on the customer’s own produce, and perforated film can be selected there; we do not sell film, but we recommend film suppliers.
The flow wrapper was specified around the size of the packs and the film the customer runs.
Packs 180 to 450 mm long and 100 to 270 mm wide, with produce up to 100 mm high.
Film 240 to 580 mm wide, with a photo-eye that keeps printed film in register.
The machine wraps only when it senses produce, and stops when there is none.
We supplied a flow wrap machine driven by three servo motors, with pack length set on the controller to suit each pack. The film is formed into a tube around the produce, sealed along its length, then sealed and cut at each end. Temperature on each sealer is controlled separately, so the machine suits a range of films, from clear OPP to laminated film.
Produce is placed on the infeed conveyor and the machine forms, seals and cuts film around each pack.
| Film width | 240 to 580 mm |
| Films | OPP, BOPP, PE, aluminium and laminated film |
| Pack length | 180 to 450 mm |
| Pack width | 100 to 270 mm |
| Product height | Up to 100 mm (120 mm on request) |
| Film roll | Up to 320 mm across |
| Speed | 20 to 60 packs a minute, depending on pack size and film |
| Drives | Three servo motors, touch-screen control |
| Infeed conveyor | 1.2 m or 1.5 m |
| Footprint | About 4.0 x 1.0 m, 1.5 m high |
Each pack goes from the infeed conveyor to a sealed, cut pack in one pass.
Peppers are placed on the infeed conveyor, which carries them into the machine.
The machine starts wrapping when it senses produce and stops when there is none, so no empty packs are made.
Film is formed into a tube around the produce and sealed along its length.
A photo-eye reads the print mark so the cut falls in the same place on every pack.
The end seal and cut are made together, and the finished pack leaves on the outfeed.
The pepper line has been running for more than a year. The machine is rated at 20 to 60 packs a minute, depending on the pack size and the film; the output the customer achieves on its own produce has not been measured for this case study.
Depending on pack size and film.
On the customer’s peppers.
For packs up to 270 mm wide.
The clip shows a flow wrap machine like the one on this line, loading, wrapping and sealing packs.
Flow wrappers for fruit and vegetables, with the produce lines we have supplied.
Video demonstrations of every machine type we supply, filmed in the workshop and on site.
Start from your produce, your pack and the output you need, as this project did.
Flow wrappers for fruit and vegetables, loose or in trays.
Top-roll and bottom-roll flow wrappers, with the builds we have supplied.
A produce packer that shrink wraps tomato packs after trials on its own tomatoes.
Send us your produce, your pack and the output you need. We will test them and come back with a recommendation or quotation.
