Recommended configuration
Flow wrap machine for single bars and soap sheets; L-bar sealer and shrink tunnel for multipacks
Bars and sheets placed on the infeed conveyor; a photocell starts the wrapper when soap arrives and stops it when none is sensed
Bar soap and soap sheets, wrapped one by one; bars grouped into shrink-wrapped multipacks
Flow-wrapped pillow packs in plain or printed film; shrink-wrapped multipacks
Flow-wrapped packs 55 to 110 mm wide and from 65 mm long, for soap up to 56 mm high; confirmed at trial
Colour-mark sensor for printed film; date and batch coder
Recommendation
Single bars of soap and soap sheets are wrapped on a flow wrap machine. The soap travels along the infeed conveyor, the machine forms film into a tube around each piece, seals it along the underside, then seals and cuts both ends to make a pillow pack. A three-servo machine keeps printed film in register, so it suits branded soap wrappers.
Soap bars sold in multipacks are grouped and shrink wrapped instead, on an L-bar sealer and shrink tunnel. The shrink wrap section below explains which machine suits your daily volume.
Product behaviour
Soap is wrapped one bar or one sheet at a time, usually in printed film, and one producer may run several bar sizes. Those points, more than the soap recipe, decide how a soap wrapping machine is set up.
Each bar goes to the shelf in its own pack. Bar soap and soap sheets are sold as single pieces, so they are wrapped one at a time rather than weighed into a bag. A flow wrapper forms film around each bar and seals it into its own pack.
Printed film has to line up on every pack. A soap wrapper carries the brand and the ingredient panel. A colour-mark sensor reads the print on the film and sets the cut, so the print sits in the same place on each pack.
Bar sizes change between products. If you make more than one bar size, the machine has to change over quickly. The flow wrapper we supplied for soap senses the pack length on its own, so a new bar within its width and height range is a setting change, not a new machine.
Flow wrapping
Sized to the soap. The soap flow wrap machine we supplied takes LDPE or laminated LDPE film up to 350 mm wide. It wraps packs 55 to 110 mm wide and from 65 mm long, for soap up to 56 mm high. Larger bars need a wider flow wrapper, so we size the machine to your biggest bar.
Starts and stops with the soap. A photocell starts the soap flow wrapper when a bar arrives and stops it when none is sensed, so gaps on the infeed do not waste film. Bars can be placed by hand or delivered from your production line, whether you pack for retail or wholesale.
Shrink wrapping
Matched to your daily volume. Soap multipacks are sealed in shrink film on an L-bar sealer, then passed through a shrink tunnel that tightens the film around the bars. We recommend the shrink wrap machine for soap by output: a manual L-bar sealer for up to 500 packs a day, a semi-automatic L-bar sealer with shrink tunnel for 500 to 2,000, an automatic L-bar sealer for 2,000 to 6,000, and an automatic side sealer with shrink tunnel above 6,000.
Small and handmade soap producers. For a small or handmade soap business, a manual L-bar sealer is the simplest way to start wrapping soap. An operator places the bars in the film and closes the sealing frame, and the pack is then shrunk. When volume grows, a flow wrapper or an automatic L-bar sealer takes over.
Pack sizes
A wrapped soap pack is described by its size, not its weight, because the soap wrapping machine is set to the shape of the bar. These are the ranges for the machines recommended on this page.
| Soap pack | Machine | Size range |
|---|---|---|
| Single bar or soap sheet, flow wrapped | Three-servo flow wrapper | 55 to 110 mm wide, from 65 mm long, soap up to 56 mm high |
| Larger single bars, flow wrapped | Wider flow wrapper, sized at quotation | Confirmed on a trial with your bar |
| Multipack of bars, shrink wrapped | L-bar sealer or side sealer with shrink tunnel | Set by the sealing frame; confirmed on a trial |
Output
The flow wrapper we supplied for soap sheets is rated at 80 to 120 packs a minute, depending on the size of the pack and the film. This is the rating of the build, not a result measured on a customer’s line.
For soap multipacks, the shrink wrap machine is chosen by daily volume, from up to 500 packs a day on a manual L-bar sealer to more than 6,000 a day on an automatic side sealer. We confirm the output for your soap by running a trial before we quote.
Experience
For a soap producer we supplied a three-servo flow wrap machine that wraps soap sheets in LDPE film. It wraps packs 55 to 110 mm wide and is rated at 80 to 120 packs a minute.
We have supplied three-servo flow wrappers that wrap bar-shaped products one by one, including 60 g chocolate slabs in printed film and granola and protein bars. See the chocolate wrapping machine.
We supply and commission L-bar sealer and shrink tunnel lines, trialled on the customer’s own product before they buy. Read how a fresh produce packer shrink wraps tomato packs.
Flow wrapping and shrink wrapping machines from our range.
A flow wrapper sealing each piece in its own pack, the setup for single soap bars and soap sheets.
An L-bar sealer and shrink tunnel, the setup for soap bars grouped into multipacks.
A standalone shrink tunnel finishing packs sealed on an L-bar sealer, the second half of a soap multipack line.
A flow wrapper and shrink tunnel on one line, the set-up for tight, clear film around a single product.
Quotation
A soap wrapping machine is quoted to configuration, so we need six things about your soap and plant.
The product: bar soap or soap sheets, and whether it is sold as single bars or in multipacks
The length, width and height of each bar or sheet, and the layout of any multipack
Your film, printed or plain, and its width if you already have it
The number of bar sizes and designs you run
The output you plan for, per minute or per day, now and as you grow
Floor space, power and compressed air at your plant
Send a sample of your soap with the enquiry and we will trial it before we quote. For layout planning, the flow wrapper we supplied for soap is about 4 m long and 0.7 m wide and runs on a 220 V single-phase supply. For what shapes the figure on a machine quotation, read the packaging machine cost guide.
Related pages
Soap bars are wrapped on the flow wrap machine, so this page sits under the flow wrap packaging machine. Soap multipacks use the same shrink wrap machines as other household products; read how household and cleaning products are shrink wrapped. Liquid soap is filled, not wrapped; see the liquid filling machines.
“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 soap bar or sheet and its film, and we will run it at our Riversands showroom before you order.
Questions
Yes, within its size range. The flow wrapper we supplied for soap senses the pack length on its own and takes packs 55 to 110 mm wide, for soap up to 56 mm high. A soap bar outside that range needs a larger flow wrapper, which we size at quotation.
Yes. Soap bars are grouped and sealed in shrink film on an L-bar sealer, then passed through a shrink tunnel. The shrink wrap machine for soap is chosen by daily volume, from a manual L-bar sealer for up to 500 packs a day to an automatic side sealer with shrink tunnel above 6,000.
Yes. A manual L-bar sealer suits a small or handmade soap business shrink wrapping up to 500 packs a day. A three-servo flow wrapper suits a soap producer wrapping single bars at higher volume.
The flow wrapper we supplied for soap runs LDPE and laminated LDPE film, plain or printed. We confirm the film on a trial with your soap. We do not sell film, but we can recommend film suppliers.
No. We supply the machines that wrap soap, not the soap packaging itself. Soap boxes, paper wrappers and cellophane bags come from packaging suppliers.
