1. Forming or placing the pack
On a thermoformer, the bottom web is heated and formed in the mould from rollstock (up to 120 mm deep on our models). On a tray sealer, a preformed tray is used.
Industrial vacuum packaging
In a food plant, vacuum packaging happens in line: the pack is formed or placed, the product is loaded, the air is drawn out of the chamber and the pack is sealed. Here is how it works on thermoformers and tray sealers, and what to validate before choosing a vacuum packaging machine.
How in-line vacuum packaging works
2. Vacuum in the chamber
With the product loaded, the chamber closes and a vacuum pump draws out the air. Our thermoformers are offered with 100, 160 or 200 m³/h pumps depending on the model.
3. Sealing and cutting
The top film is heat-sealed onto the pack and the machine cuts the packs apart. In skin packaging, the top film also follows the product’s contour.
Vacuum thermoforming or vacuum tray sealing?
Vacuum thermoforming is the usual choice for continuous production of repetitive formats: sausages, cheese, fresh or cooked meat, vegetable products. The machine makes the pack in line, so there is no tray stock to hold. Our thermoformers run at 4–6 cycles/min; the servo-driven NEX-420A-U reaches 12 cycles/min under vacuum.In tray sealing, the vacuum is drawn over a preformed tray and combined with gas flushing (modified atmosphere) or with skin film. It is the option when the product is sold in a rigid tray or needs a counter-ready presentation.
One cycle can produce several packs depending on the mould, so cycles per minute are not the same as packs per minute.
Vacuum packaging machines
NEX-320A
Rollstock thermoformer with a 322 mm bottom web.
View technical specifications ↗NEX-420A
Versatile thermoformer with a 422 mm bottom web.
View technical specifications ↗NEX-520A
Wide-format thermoformer with a 522 mm bottom web.
View technical specifications ↗NEX-420A-U
High-output thermoformer: 12 cycles/min under vacuum.
View technical specifications ↗NEX-240TS
Tabletop vacuum skin sealer with 250 mm film.
View technical specifications ↗NEX-450A
Automatic tray sealer with evacuation, gas flush and sealing; VSP too.
View technical specifications ↗What we need to study your vacuum packaging
Product (and whether it has sharp edges, bone or liquid), weight and size per pack, film or tray type, packs per minute, available space and plant utilities (compressed air, cooling water and three-phase power for thermoformers).
Discuss your application ↗Vacuum packaging FAQs
What is industrial vacuum packaging?
Packaging in which the air is removed from the pack before sealing, carried out on continuous production machines: thermoformers that form the pack from rollstock, or tray sealers that work with preformed trays.
Does vacuum always extend shelf life?
It reduces the oxygen in contact with the product, but shelf life also depends on the product, the barrier material, hygiene and storage temperature. It must be validated with your actual product.
What utilities does a vacuum thermoformer need?
According to each model’s sheet: three-phase 380 V power, compressed air between 0.5 and 0.8 MPa and, on most models, water cooling.
Can a tray sealer vacuum pack?
Tray sealers configured for MAP draw a vacuum in the chamber before injecting gas, and those that run vacuum skin (VSP) vacuum pack with a film that follows the product.
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