Bag format guides
Browse form fill seal guides by pack format, including sachets, pouches, gusset bags, stand-up pouches, stick packs and heat-sealed bags.
Topic hub
This hub groups related form fill seal machinery pages around bag format machinery guides. The pages below target more specific buyer searches and help Google understand the relationship between product, pack format, filling method, film choice and line integration.
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Start with the page that matches your product, bag format or production issue, then compare the recommended filling route against your real product sample, film material, pack size and target output. A practical specification usually combines the product feed, filling system, sealing format, controls and finished-pack handling into one line plan.
Accurate machinery advice depends on fill weight, target bag or sachet dimensions, film material, speed requirement, available site services and any coding, inspection or conveyor requirements. Send those details when requesting advice so the line can be narrowed quickly.
Buyer questions
Useful details include the product sample or description, fill weight, target pack size, film type, required output, power and air availability, and whether coding, weighing, conveyors or inspection are required.
The filling route depends on product behaviour. For this topic, the likely options to compare are auger, pump, volumetric or weigh filling, but the final choice should be confirmed using product samples and the target tolerance.
Cost and lead time are influenced by the dosing system, pack format, sealing method, control options, lane count, conveyors, inspection equipment and the level of installation or training required.
Need advice?
VFFS bag-style selection
A pillow bag is commonly formed around a tube with a longitudinal back seam and horizontal top and bottom seals. Confirm whether the longitudinal seam is a fin or lap arrangement, the visible panel required for artwork, seal allowance, headspace and the way the pack will be collected or displayed. A simple shape can still fail if the reel width, forming set or coefficient of friction is not compatible.
Gussets add pack depth and can change the required forming hardware, film width, product settling and downstream handling. A block-bottom or flat-bottom presentation may also need dedicated forming and sealing features. Treat the finished dimensions as a three-dimensional drawing and confirm which creases, seals and panels must remain repeatable after filling.
These sachets create separate sealed edges rather than a conventional pillow-bag back seam. The lane layout, web direction, dose position, seal widths, cut pattern and artwork panels must be developed together. On multi-lane systems, each lane needs its own dose, seal, cut and registration acceptance evidence.
Stick packs use a narrow format that can support portioned powders, granules or liquids where the dosing method and web layout permit. Confirm lane pitch, product path, seal contamination risk, tear position, film slitting and how every lane is identified during inspection. The highest theoretical lane count is not useful if common-feed distribution or dosing time limits accepted output.
Decision table
| Format input | Why it changes the machine specification | Evidence to provide |
|---|---|---|
| Finished width, length and depth | Controls forming geometry, film width, product fall and finished-pack handling. | Dimensioned drawing with tolerances and an approved filled sample. |
| Seal pattern and width | Controls jaw or sealing arrangement, usable artwork area and product-clear margin. | Seal drawing, opening requirement and leak or integrity method. |
| Film structure and friction | Affects pulling, tracking, forming, seal window and cooling. | Production-intent reel, technical data and unwind direction. |
| Printed repeat and eye mark | Controls bag length, sensor detection, cut position and lane artwork. | Approved artwork, registration mark and printed trial reel. |
| Features and presentation | Gussets, holes, notches, rounded corners and shaped cuts can require extra tooling and waste handling. | Feature dimensions, critical location and consumer-use requirement. |
Buyer questions
No. A machine may support several formats within its mechanical and control design, but pillow, gusseted, block-bottom, stick and multi-side-seal packs can require different forming sets, jaws, seal arrangements and change parts. Confirm each intended format rather than assuming a general VFFS description covers it.
Film width must wrap the forming geometry and include the longitudinal seal and any gusset or format allowance. It is therefore greater than the visible finished front-panel width. Use the machine supplier's forming calculation and a dimensioned bag drawing rather than doubling a nominal bag width without allowances.
A fin seal brings the inner sealant surfaces together and leaves a projecting seam, while a lap seal overlaps the web so different film surfaces meet. Film construction, barrier layers, appearance, sealant compatibility and machine hardware determine which arrangement can be used.
The forming set establishes panel positions, longitudinal seam, gussets and how the printed web wraps around the bag. Artwork repeat, registration mark, code area and cut line must match that geometry so important print does not enter a seal, fold or trimmed region.
A premade pouch route may be preferable when a converter-supplied pouch, zipper, spout or complex presentation is the controlling requirement. VFFS is assessed when the pack is formed from reel material. Compare material cost, changeover, opening reliability, output and presentation using the actual pouch or reel.