Recommended configuration
Multihead weigher for bags; volumetric cup filler for sticks and sachets; auger filler for castor and icing sugar
White and brown granulated sugar; castor and icing sugar on an auger
Pillow bags in LDPE or BOPP film; 5 g stick sachets; 3-side and 4-side seal sachets
5 g sticks to 5 kg bags on the lines we have supplied; up to about 10 kg on a VFFS
Rated 10 to 15 bags a minute on 2 kg bags; 20 to 40 sticks a minute
About our modelModel codes shown are machines we have built or configured for previous projects. Your machine is specified and built to suit your product, output and pack format — not supplied off the shelf.
Product behaviour
Sugar is sold in several grades and pack sizes, and three things about it decide how a sugar line is set up.
The grade decides the doser. Granulated white and brown sugar flow as granules and are dosed by a weigher or a cup filler. Castor and icing sugar are fine powders, so we supply them with an auger filler, set up like a powder packaging machine.
Sugar dust reaches the seal. Sugar carries fine dust, and any that lands on the seal area stops the bag closing properly. Dosing is set up to drop the sugar cleanly into the bag, clear of the seal.
Every bag has to carry its weight. Sugar is sold by weight, so accuracy matters on every pack. Our 10-head weigher sugar line is rated to within 2% on 500 g to 2 kg bags, and our 2-head weigher line to within about 5 g on a 500 g bag and 6 to 7 g on 1 kg and 2 kg bags.
Recommendation
Granulated sugar in bags is packed on a vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine fed by a multihead weigher. The VFFS forms each pillow bag from roll film, doses the sugar from above and seals it, from 500 g retail bags to 5 kg family bags. Sugar sticks run on a smaller VFFS with a volumetric cup filler. The same bag line can also pack rice or beans after a trial on each product; castor and icing sugar need an auger filler instead.
Filling system
Multihead weigher for bags. Our sugar bag lines are fed by a Z-type bucket elevator. A 10-head weigher fills 500 g to 2 kg bags, rated at 10 to 15 bags a minute on 2 kg bags to within 2%. A 2-head weigher fills 500 g to 5 kg bags of brown sugar, rated at 6 to 8 bags a minute. Volumetric cup filler for sticks. Our stick sachet line doses 5 g of sugar per stick with volumetric cups, rated at 20 to 40 sticks a minute, with a vacuum feeder option that loads 500 to 1,000 kg of sugar an hour.
Auger filler for castor and icing sugar. Fine sugars flow and dust like a powder, so we dose them with an auger screw rather than a weigher. See the powder packaging machines page for auger dosing, and the grain and granule packing machines page for how granules are dosed.
Pack formats
These are the sugar pack sizes producers ask us to quote for, with the format and machine setup for each. Each bag width needs its own forming shoulder on the VFFS, so a line that runs several widths is quoted with extra shoulders.
| Pack size | Format | Machine setup |
|---|---|---|
| 5 g sticks | Stick sachet, 17 mm wide, 50 to 160 mm long | Small VFFS with a volumetric cup filler, rated at 20 to 40 sticks a minute |
| Portion sachets | 3-side or 4-side seal sachet | Small VFFS with a volumetric cup filler; sachet size and output confirmed by trial |
| 500 g to 2 kg | Pillow bag | VFFS with a 10-head multihead weigher, rated at 10 to 15 bags a minute on 2 kg bags, to within 2% |
| 500 g to 5 kg | Pillow bag with a centre seal | VFFS with a 2-head weigher, rated at 6 to 8 bags a minute |
| 5 kg to 10 kg | Pillow or gusseted bag | VFFS at a lower speed, on film thick enough to carry the weight |
| 5 kg to 50 kg | Pre-made or woven bag | Semi-automatic filler with a bag-sewing head; woven 25 kg and 50 kg bags have a heat-sealed inner bag |
Pillow bags formed on the VFFS and filled by a multihead weigher: 10-head for 500 g to 2 kg, 2-head for bags up to 5 kg.
5 g stick sachets, 17 mm wide and 50 to 160 mm long, are formed on a small VFFS and dosed by volumetric cups, rated at 20 to 40 sticks a minute, with a ribbon coder for the date. The same type of machine also makes 3-side and 4-side seal sugar sachets.
Bulk sugar from 5 kg to 50 kg is filled on a semi-automatic filler with a bag-sewing head. Woven 25 kg and 50 kg bags are sewn and sealed: the inner plastic bag is heat-sealed and the woven bag is sewn closed. See the bagging machines for heavy bags.
Output
Output on a sugar line is set by the pack size and the doser. The sugar lines we have supplied are rated at 10 to 15 bags a minute on 2 kg bags with a 10-head weigher, 6 to 8 bags a minute on bags up to 5 kg with a 2-head weigher, and 20 to 40 sticks a minute on the 5 g stick line. These are the ratings of each build, not results measured on a customer’s line.
We confirm the output for your sugar and bag size by running a trial before we quote, rather than promising a figure in advance. Producers asking for higher volumes are quoted a line sized to their target, with more weigher heads where the bag size allows.
Experience
We have supplied three sugar lines. A VFFS fed by a 10-head multihead weigher packs 500 g to 2 kg pillow bags, rated at 10 to 15 bags a minute on 2 kg bags to within 2%. A VFFS with a 2-head weigher packs brown sugar in 500 g to 5 kg bags, rated at 6 to 8 bags a minute. A small cup-filler VFFS packs 5 g sugar sticks at 20 to 40 a minute, with a vacuum feeder, a ribbon coder and a finished-product conveyor, and is run by one operator.
We run a product trial for every machine we sell. Send us a sample of your sugar and the bag size you sell, and we run it on a VFFS machine at our Riversands showroom so you can see the fill weight, the seal and the finished bag before you order.
We have also supplied the same VFFS with a 10-head weigher for 100 g to 2 kg rice bags; see the rice packaging machine page. The videos below show grain lines from our range.
Sugar and granule lines from our range: multihead weigher VFFS machines for bags, measuring-cup and multi-lane machines for sticks and sachets, an auger VFFS for fine sugar, a semi-automatic filler for bulk bags, and a baling machine for dispatch.
A multihead weigher portioning granules into pillow bags on a vertical form-fill-seal machine, the setup for sugar in 500 g to 2 kg bags.
A multihead weigher dosing a granular product into bags formed on a vertical form-fill-seal machine.
A volumetric cup filler dosing granules into sachets on a vertical form-fill-seal machine, the way sugar sticks and sachets are filled.
A vertical form-fill-seal machine with a volumetric cup filler forming, filling and sealing small sachets.
A multi-lane machine forming several sachets or sticks at once, for high-volume portion packs.
An auger filler dosing fine powder into bags on a VFFS machine, the setup used for castor and icing sugar.
A semi-automatic filler weighing granules into 5 kg to 50 kg bags, which are then sewn closed, for bulk sugar.
A vertical form-fill-seal machine packing into pillow bags, followed by an automatic baling machine that bales the finished bags for dispatch.
Quotation
A sugar line is quoted to configuration, so we need six things about your product and plant.
The sugar grade: granulated white or brown, castor or icing
The pack sizes you sell, from sachets and sticks to the largest bag
Target output, in bags a minute or tonnes an hour
The bag style and whether you already have printed film
Any other products you want to pack on the same line, such as rice or beans
Site power, air supply and the floor space available
Send a sample of your sugar with the enquiry and we will trial it before we quote. For what shapes the figure on a machine quotation, read the packaging machine cost guide.
Related pages
Granulated sugar is a granule, so it sits under the grain and granule packing machines page, alongside the rice packaging machine. Castor and icing sugar are packed like powders; see the powder packaging machines.
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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.
Send us a sample of your sugar and the bag you sell it in, and we will run it on a VFFS machine at our Riversands showroom before you order.
Questions
A vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine fed by a multihead weigher. The 10-head weigher sugar line we have supplied packs 500 g to 2 kg pillow bags, rated at 10 to 15 bags a minute on 2 kg bags and to within 2%.
Granulated sugar flows as granules and is dosed by a weigher or cup filler. Icing and castor sugar are fine powders, so we supply them with an auger filler, which measures a fixed volume with a turning screw and handles the dust that fine sugar gives off.
Usually, yes. Granulated sugar and rice are both free-flowing granules dosed by a weigher, and we have supplied the same VFFS for both. We trial each product before quoting to confirm the setup.
A small VFFS machine with a volumetric cup filler. The stick line we have supplied packs 5 g sugar sticks, 17 mm wide and 50 to 160 mm long, at 20 to 40 sticks a minute, with a ribbon coder and an optional vacuum feeder. The same type of machine makes 3-side and 4-side seal sugar sachets; we confirm the sachet size and output with a trial on your sugar.
Our 10-head weigher sugar line is rated to within 2% on 500 g to 2 kg bags. Our 2-head weigher line is rated to within about 5 g on a 500 g bag and 6 to 7 g on 1 kg and 2 kg bags. More weigher heads improve accuracy on smaller bags.
