When choosing a packaging solution, understanding how product length impacts your equipment’s performance is crucial. The debate between intermittent motion side sealers and continuous motion systems centers on flexibility, speed, and the ability to handle diverse product sizes. Here’s how varying product lengths influence both systems—and what that means for your operation.
What Is the Impact of Product Length on Intermittent Motion Side Sealers?
Intermittent motion side sealing machines are designed to stop and start for each packaging cycle. This approach is especially beneficial when handling products with varying or unpredictable lengths. The machine detects the product’s size, then seals the film with a stationary seal bar, ensuring precise and consistent packaging regardless of length.
Shorter or longer products are easily accommodated because the machine can adjust the seal position for each item. This makes the fully automatic intermittent motion side sealer ideal for packaging lines where product dimensions change frequently or where random product lengths are fed into the system.
Other key advantages include:
- Increased precision in sealing, resulting in tightly wrapped and professional-looking packages.
- Flexibility to handle a wide range of product shapes and sizes, from small decks of cards to large bundles of flooring.
- Minimal film waste and lower operating costs due to intelligent motion control and precise film usage.
How Do Continuous Motion Side Sealers Handle Product Length Variability?
Continuous motion side sealers keep the conveyor moving while a traveling seal bar moves with the product. This design excels in high-speed, high-volume environments where product sizes are uniform.
However, when product lengths vary, continuous systems can face challenges:
- The system is optimized for consistent product sizes, so significant length variations may require manual adjustments or specialized sensors.
- Irregularly sized products can disrupt the flow, potentially leading to misaligned seals or increased film waste.
- While some advanced continuous systems offer variable bag length control, they are generally less adaptable than intermittent models for random product lengths.
Why Choose Intermittent Motion Side Sealers for Mixed Product Lines?
For manufacturers and contract packagers serving diverse industries—such as food, bakery, wood, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and printing—a fully automatic intermittent motion side sealer offers unmatched versatility. These machines can seamlessly switch between products of different lengths and shapes without extensive changeover time or complex programming.
Benefits include:
- Quick changeovers for different product sizes.
- Consistent seal quality across all film types and gauges.
- Lower maintenance due to less frequent movement of sealing elements.
- Energy efficiency and reduced material costs thanks to targeted heat transfer and precise control.
What Are the Key Considerations When Selecting a Side-Seal System?
When deciding between intermittent and continuous motion systems, consider:
- The range of product lengths and shapes you need to package.
- Desired packaging speed and throughput.
- Budget for upfront investment and ongoing maintenance.
- The importance of flexibility versus maximum speed.
For operations with frequent product changes or random product feeds, an intermittent motion side sealing machine is often the superior choice. If your line runs uniform products at very high speeds, a continuous motion system may be more efficient.
Which Solution Fits Your Business Needs?
Complete Packaging Solutions & Systems Inc. / Kallfass USA specializes in precision-engineered shrink-wrap solutions. Our intermittent motion side sealers and continuous systems are trusted across North America for their reliability, flexibility, and performance. Whether you need to handle a variety of product lengths or maximize throughput, we have the technology and expertise to optimize your packaging line.
Let Complete Packaging Solutions & Systems Inc. / Kallfass USA help you achieve packaging excellence—connect with us today to discover how our technology can transform your operation.