Pouch machines that form stand-up, zipper and pillow pouches from roll film, or fill and seal pre-made pouches, for powders, granules and liquids.
Each pouch packing machine in the SA Packaging Machinery range has its own machine page. The horizontal form-fill-seal (HFFS) machine forms stand-up and zipper pouches from roll film, then fills and seals them. The horizontal fill-seal (HFS) machine opens, fills and seals pouches that arrive already made. The vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine forms pillow pouches, gusseted pouches and sachets from roll film. Each one is fitted with the doser your product needs.
These technical realities decide which pouch packaging machine you need and how it is configured.
A pouch is either formed on the machine from roll film or bought in already made. Forming pouches from roll film removes the need to buy pre-made pouches, which is why one spice producer moved to an HFFS line. Filling pre-made pouches on an HFS machine suits producers who run several pouch sizes: one confectionery line runs sweets from 30 g to 500 g in pre-made bags.
The pouch machine is fitted with the doser your product needs. Powders are dosed with an auger filler, free-flowing granules with a cup filler or a weigher, and liquids with a pump or piston filler. The dosing follows the product, whatever the pouch style.
Zipper and gusseted pouches have more layers to seal than a plain pouch. Product dust or crumbs on the seal area stop the pouch closing properly, so dosing is set up to keep the product clear of the seal. This matters most with fine powders such as spices.
A pouch machine can be built for harsh production areas. A frozen fruit producer needed a pre-made bag machine for a cold, high-moisture environment, which calls for a higher IP rating on the machine.
Food products need stainless-steel contact parts that can be cleaned between products. Our machines are built in SUS304 stainless steel as standard, and in SUS316 where the product carries salt, such as spice powders and seasonings.
A zipper pouch packing machine or stand-up pouch packaging machine either forms the pouch from roll film or fills a pouch that arrives already made. That choice decides the machine.
A horizontal form-fill-seal (HFFS) machine forms stand-up and zipper pouches from roll film, then fills and seals them in one pass. HFFS pouch projects include stand-up zipper pouches for a dried granular food product and zipper bags with bottom gussets for spice powder.
A horizontal fill-seal (HFS) machine opens zipper and stand-up pouches that arrive already made, then fills and seals them. It suits producers who buy printed pre-made pouches, and it also runs 3-side and 4-side seal bags.
A horizontal pouch packing machine moves each pouch sideways through its filling and sealing stations, which suits stand-up and zipper pouches. There are two types. The horizontal form-fill-seal (HFFS) machine makes the pouch from roll film. The horizontal fill-seal (HFS) machine fills pouches that arrive already made. Both are fitted with the doser your product needs.
A vertical pouch packing machine is a vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine. It forms pillow pouches, gusseted pouches and sachets from roll film and fills them from above. A VFFS machine packs powders, granules and liquids into pouches; liquid pouches are filled with a pump or piston filler, as shown on the liquid filling machines page.
A pouch filling machine is chosen by the product first and the pouch second. Each page below shows the dosing and the machines for that product form.
Each pouch style links to the machines in our catalogue that make or fill it.
These are pouch projects from our case studies. Each starts with the product and ends with the pouch the customer wanted on the shelf.
An HFFS machine forms zipper bags with bottom gussets from roll film and doses fine spice powder into them, with SUS316 contact parts for the salt. Read the spice powder case study.
An HFFS machine forms stand-up zipper pouches from roll film and fills them by weight, for a dried granular food product sold on shelf presentation. Read the zipper pouch case study.
A four-head weigher feeds an HFS machine that opens, fills and seals pre-made bags, running sweets from 30 g to 500 g. Read the sweet packing case study.
An HFS machine fills pre-made zipper bags and 3-side and 4-side seal bags with frozen fruit, in a cold, high-moisture production area. Read the frozen fruit case study.
Pouch machines from the range: an HFFS machine making gusseted zipper bags for spice powder, HFS machines filling pre-made bags and pouches, and a four-head weigher feeding a fill-seal machine.
A horizontal form-fill-seal machine forming zipper bags with bottom gussets from roll film and filling them with spice powder.
A horizontal fill-seal machine opening, filling and sealing pre-made bags of frozen fruit.
A horizontal fill-seal machine opening, filling and sealing pouches that arrive already made.
A four-head weigher filling sweets into pre-made bags on a horizontal fill-seal machine.
Case Studies
Pouch projects from the range: a spice powder zipper bag line and a frozen fruit pre-made bag line.
A pouch packaging machine is only as good as the support behind it. Before you choose a manufacturer or supplier, check where the spares are held, who installs the machine, and whether you can see your own product run on it first.
SA Packaging Machinery has supplied packaging machines since 2017. Each machine is specified to suit your product, pouch and output, installed by our own technicians, who have a combined 45 years’ experience, and supported with spares held in Johannesburg. Machines are CE marked and built in SUS304 stainless steel, or SUS316 where the product carries salt. You can send a sample for a trial run at our Riversands showroom before you order.
“Highly recommended! Excellent customer service, great prices, and they always go above and beyond.”
Ratings and reviews are published on our Google Business Profile, where they can be read in full and in context.
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.
Send us a sample of your product and the pouch you want to use. We run it on the machine at our Riversands showroom, so you can see the fill, the seal and the finished pouch before you order.
The pouch style, whether the pouch is formed from roll film or bought in pre-made, the doser your product needs, the output you want and the level of automation. We quote after seeing your product and pouch, and a trial on your own product confirms the specification.
Yes, within the machine’s range. One confectionery line runs sweets from 30 g to 500 g in pre-made bags, and a frozen fruit line runs 3-side and 4-side seal bags. The sizes and formats you need are agreed before the machine is built.
Yes. A VFFS machine fitted with a liquid pump or piston filler forms, fills and seals liquid pouches and sachets. HFS and HFFS machines can also pack liquids, depending on how they are configured.
An HFFS machine forms zipper pouches from roll film, including zipper bags with bottom gussets. An HFS machine fills zipper pouches that arrive already made.
Fine powders such as spices are dosed with an auger filler, and the contact parts are SUS316 stainless steel where the powder carries salt. One spice producer packs spice powder into zipper bags with bottom gussets on an HFFS line formed from roll film.
Your product and how it flows, the pouch style and size you want, the fill weight per pouch, whether you will use pre-made pouches or roll film, and the output you need. A sample of your product and a few of your pouches lets us trial it before we quote.
