Vertical packaging
VFFS (Vertical Form-Fill-Seal) machines form the package from a film roll, dose the product and seal the bag in a single working cycle. We supply and integrate Essegi machines and Concetti FFS systems — for free-flowing, powder, granulated and liquid products.
What this machine is
VFFS (Vertical Form Fill Seal) is a technology in which the machine unwinds film from a reel, forms a bag, fills it with a measured portion of product, makes the seals and separates the finished pack.
The product enters the pack from above, usually by gravity. It does not mean every device in the line stands vertically — feeders, conveyors and the palletising station can work in different directions.
When this is the right solution
You pack by hand and want to automate — the machine replaces several workstations and runs in a continuous cycle.
You need repeatable portions — they are measured by a weighing or dosing system matched to and synchronised with the machine.
Your product is free-flowing: flour, sugar, coffee, granules, pellets, powders, groats, fertiliser, pet food.
You want several formats — a different bag length is usually just a setting; a different width may require changing the forming tube.
Working principle
01
The product comes from a silo, hopper or conveying system to the dosing unit.
02
The weigher measures the set portion. Free-flowing products are often dosed in a coarse and a fine stage.
03
The film is guided over the forming shoulder and forming tube. The longitudinal sealing unit joins its edges.
04
After the bottom seal is made, the weighed portion drops through the filling chute into the bag.
05
The transverse sealing unit closes the filled bag and makes the seal for the next cycle; the cutting unit separates the packs.
06
The discharge conveyor passes the bag on to inspection, flattening and further conveying or palletising.
Example: packing 15 kg of pellets
A belt conveyor feeds pellets into the weigh hopper. Once weighed, the portion passes through the filling system into a bag formed from PE film. The machine makes the transverse seal and cuts the bag, and the discharge conveyor passes it on to the next devices — checkweighing, flattening and palletising.
Machine anatomy
Film unwinder — Holds the reel and allows controlled unwinding of the film.
Film guiding and centring — Keeps the film in the correct position before the bag is formed.
Forming shoulder and forming tube — Give the film the shape of a sleeve; the filling chute guides the product into the pack.
Film transport — Advances the film by one pack length — intermittently or continuously, depending on the version.
Sealing units — Make the longitudinal seal and the transverse seals.
Cutting unit — Separates the filled and closed bag.
PLC and HMI operator panel — Control the cycle, settings, recipes and alarms.
Silo, hopper, belt or screw conveyors, screening equipment, weigher or doser.
Discharge conveyor, checkweigher, metal detector (if required), bag turning and flattening, palletising robot, stretch wrapper.
The packaging machine alone does not guarantee the required weight accuracy — the portion is prepared by a matched weighing or dosing system synchronised with it.
Essegi — machine series
Essegi has been manufacturing vertical packaging machines for over 30 years. The machine family ranges from compact (F700) to industrial (F8004S), with dedicated dosing systems for every product group.
F700
Food products and fine granulates
Weight range
50 g – 3 kg
Max bag format
320 × 420 mm
Compact VFFS machine for packaging food and fine granulates. Available with volumetric cup dosing, vibratory channel weighing systems and vertical auger dosing.
Products
Short pasta, rice, groats
Coffee, cocoa, spices, salt, sugar
Dried fruit, nuts, seeds
Pet food
Frozen goods, peas, vegetables
Dosing systems
Cup dosing (DT)
Vibratory channel weigher (B/V-K)
Vertical auger dosing (DV5000)
F1000
Powders, industrial granulates, building materials
Variants
Standard / EcoFocus / Motion SU&SO / Stone
Dosing
Belt, twin-auger, volumetric
Wide family of VFFS machines for powdered, granulated and building material products. Available in Standard, EcoFocus and Motion SU&SO variants — with various dosing systems.
Products
Flour, starch, milk powder
Washing powder, cleaning agents
Cement, plaster, construction mixes
Wood pellets
Sand, gravel, aggregates
Dosing systems
Belt-fed weigher (B/N-K)
Twin-auger weigher (B/2C-K)
Volumetric belt (DT10)
Liquid dosing
F1200 / F1300
Large bags — granules, feed, fertilisers, soil and bark
Range
5 – 50 kg / 10 – 80 l
Max. bag size
F1200: 980 × 570 mm · F1300: 1080 × 670 mm
Machines for large bags: with a belt weigher for granules, feed and fertilisers (5–50 kg), and with a volumetric belt feeder for soil, bark, compost and peat (10–80 l).
Products
Feed, fertilisers, granules
Garden soil, peat, bark
Compost, growing media
Bulk free-flowing materials
Dosing systems
Belt-fed weigher (B/N-K)
Volumetric belt feeder DTS80
F8004S
Food, grains, pet food — packs with a regular shape
Range
50 g – 5 kg
Max. bag size
360 × 560 mm
VFFS machine for 50 g – 5 kg packs with four corner seals (Stabilo). The bag gets a regular, box-like shape — it stands better and looks good on the shelf. Pillow, square bottom and Stabilo formats.
Products
Coffee, snacks, confectionery
Grains, seeds, rice
Pet food
Dosing systems
Vibratory (B/V-K) or multihead weigher
Twin-auger weigher (B/2C)
F1400 COMBINED
Bag-in-box: film bag inserted into a carton
Range
5 – 25 kg
Max. bag size
1280 × 670 mm
The machine forms and fills a film bag, then automatically places it in a carton. The film protects the product, the carton gives shape and protection in transport.
Products
Fresh and frozen vegetables
Dried fruit
Biscuits
Dosing systems
Weighing system matched to the product
W1200 Fluid
Liquids and fluid products
Application
Liquid and semi-liquid products only
Dosing
Dedicated liquid dosing
Specialist VFFS machine for packaging liquid and semi-liquid products. Dedicated liquid dosing system maintaining seal integrity and process hygiene.
Products
Oils, juices, sauces
Liquid food and chemical products
Dosing systems
Liquid dosing
PN
Pneumatic actuation of the sealing unit — in smaller models, e.g. F700.
MEC
Mechanical drive. F1000 with a single belt weigher: 10–14 bags/min.
SYNCRO
Sealing unit with a servo drive (brushless motor); the weighing set-up may differ too — F1000 with two weighers: 16–22 bags/min.
MOTION SU&SO
Continuous film transport; the transverse sealing unit moves in sync with it — F1000: up to 30 bags/min.
EcoFocus
Ready F1000 configuration for 5–15 kg pellets: B/N-K40 belt weigher and discharge conveyor, 7–10 bags/min.
We match the version to the real output of the line, not to the highest figure in the catalogue.
Concetti — FFS
Industrial bagging from PE tubular film — high throughput and difficult products.
Concetti supplies FFS (Form-Fill-Seal) systems for industrial bagging from polyethylene tubular film — bags from 10 to 50 kg, depending on the system and product. It is a different design from Essegi vertical VFFS machines: the bag is formed in a horizontal, multi-station process. Concetti also offers machines for pre-made open-mouth bags, big-bag systems and palletisers.
FFS-E
For free-flowing granules — plastics, fertilisers, salt. Bags 10–40 kg, up to 2,000 bags/h.
CONTINUA
For products that are harder to dose — aerated and dusty. Several output versions matched to the product.
CONTINUA Six Station
For cement and fine premixes. Product de-aeration and compaction, seal-area cleaning. Bags 10–40 kg, up to 800 bags/h.
Pellets 5–15 kg, a few hundred bags per hour
Essegi F1000
Granules 10–25 kg, moderate output
Essegi F1000 / F1200
Granules 25 kg, 1,500–2,000 bags per hour
Concetti FFS-E
Cement or dusty premix in a sealed bag
Concetti CONTINUA Six Station
Pre-made paper or woven PP bags
Concetti — open-mouth bags
Large big-bag packs
Concetti — big-bag systems
This is not a split into a “cheaper and a more expensive” machine — they are different designs for different working ranges. The choice depends on the product, bag weight and required output.
Applications
Food
Coffee, cocoa, spices
Pasta, rice, groats
Dried fruit, nuts
Flour, starch, sugar
Salt, seeds, grain
Feed and pet food
Chemicals and plastics
Washing powders
Cleaning agents
Fertilisers, chemical granulates
Plastic granules (PP, PE), masterbatch
Calcium chloride, industrial salt
Construction
Cement, plaster
Construction mixes
Sand, gravel, aggregates
Expanded clay, decorative stones
Horticulture and fuel
Garden soil, peat, bark
Compost, growing media
Wood pellets
Charcoal, briquettes
Packaging formats
Pillow bag
The simplest VFFS bag: one longitudinal and two transverse seals. Used e.g. for granules, salt and pellets.
Gusset — side folds
The folds increase volume and help achieve a more regular bag shape — also useful when stacking on a pallet.
Stabilo — corner seals
Four additional corner seals give the pack a regular, near-cuboid shape.
Square bottom — flat base
A formed flat base improves stability on display. It is still a film bag, not a carton.
Formats in the Essegi catalogue: F700 and F8004S — pillow, square bottom, Stabilo · F1000 with a belt weigher — pillow, gusset, Stabilo · F1000 with an auger weigher, EcoFocus, F1200, F1300 — pillow, gusset · F1400 COMBINED — pillow, gusset (bag in a carton). The format must be confirmed for the forming set and equipment of the specific machine.
Films
The film must suit the machine, the product and the requirements of whoever receives the pack.
PE / LDPE
Flexible film designed for sealing.
Pellets, salt, fertilisers
Multilayer PE film
Layers with different strength and sealing properties.
Bags under heavier loads
PET/PE
Laminate with an outer layer and an inner sealing layer.
Selected food products
Barrier film
Can limit the passage of oxygen, water vapour or aromas.
Products sensitive to storage conditions
Given in micrometres: 100 µm = 0.10 mm. Thicker film does not always mean a better bag — structure, puncture resistance and seal strength matter.
Impulse: the heating element heats up during the sealing cycle. Hot-bar: heated bars stay at a constant working temperature. The choice depends on the film, its thickness and the cycle time.
The full artwork is printed by the film supplier. A registration-mark photocell keeps the artwork aligned with the seal and cut, and a printer on the machine adds variable data — date, batch number.
Why film width ≠ bag width?
Flat film is wrapped around the forming tube. The bag circumference depends on the tube shape, side folds and the longitudinal seal — which is why we confirm the format from a technical drawing.
For a film enquiry it helps to have: material and structure, thickness [µm], width [mm], reel diameter and weight, print type and registration mark, bag drawing.
Cartons
These are different technologies — easy to confuse in an enquiry.
A standard VFFS machine forms a bag from film. When the bag has to go into a carton, Essegi offers F1400 COMBINED — a machine that forms and fills the bag and then automatically inserts it into a carton. The film protects the product, the carton gives shape and protection in transport.
5–25 kg
pillow / gusset
MEC 8–15 · SYNCRO 10–20 bags/min
film up to 1380 mm
bag up to 1280 × 670 mm
Bag in a carton (bag-in-box)
Essegi F1400 COMBINED — forms and fills the bag, then automatically inserts it into a carton
Several finished bags in a carton
A case packer working with the VFFS machine
Loose product straight into a carton
A custom-designed carton dosing system, often with a protective liner
Dosing and weighing
A VFFS machine is just one element of the packaging line. The key component is the dosing system that feeds the product at the correct weight or volume. MadejPak integrates Essegi machines with various weighing and dosing systems — selecting them to suit the product and required accuracy.
Vibratory-fed weigher (B/V-K)
Vibratory channels feed the product into the weigh buckets. For fine granules and mixes in smaller portions — coffee, rice, seeds.
Auger-fed weigher (B/2C-K)
Augers feed the powder coarsely and finely into the weighing unit. For flour, spices, milk powder, cement and premixes.
Cup doser (DT)
Measures a fixed volume with cups — for rice, seeds, sugar and regular granules. The portion weight depends on the bulk density of the product.
Auger doser (DV5000)
Doses a portion of powder by auger revolutions — for smaller powder portions. Flowability, feed condition and moisture matter.
Belt-fed weigher (B/N-K)
For granules and free-flowing products — pellets, fertilisers, salt, seeds, building materials. Large portions, coarse and fine dosing.
Multihead weigher
For mixes and irregular products — nuts, snacks, frozen foods. Combines portions from several heads to hit the target weight.
Volumetric belt doser (DTS)
For soil, peat, bark and compost — when the portion is defined by volume in litres, not only by weight.
Weighing or volumetric dosing?
If the requirement is 15 kg net, the selection is based on weighing. If the product is sold e.g. in 20 l bags, volumetric dosing may be right — but the same volume at a different bulk density does not have a constant weight. Example: 15 kg of pellets at a density of 650 kg/m³ takes up approx. 23.1 l — that is the volume of the product itself, not the bag size.
Machine selection
The catalogue output is only a starting point. How many bags per minute the line achieves depends on the product properties, the dosing system and the film. That is why before quoting we check:
01
Product mass per unit of volume. Two 15 kg bags — of salt and of light bark — need completely different sizes. Bag weight alone is not enough to select a machine.
02
Granules flow freely from a hopper, while damp powder can hang up and bridge. Moisture, granulation and tendency to cake all matter.
03
Powders contain a lot of air — the bag comes out larger and is harder to close and stack on a pallet. Dust in the seal area can cause leaks.
04
Flat film formed on a VFFS machine is different from ready-made PE tubular film in industrial FFS systems. Thickness, sealability and puncture resistance matter.
05
How many bags per hour and over how many shifts — and what happens to the bag after filling: manual stacking, palletising, wrapping, conveying.
06
Dust from flour, sugar, starch or organic materials can form explosive atmospheres. We ask about hazard zones and dust extraction — ATEX design is confirmed for the specific configuration.
Product
First direction
What we look at
Pellets, wood granules
F1000 EcoFocus or F1000 with a belt weigher, then palletising
dust and breakage, bag stacking on the pallet
Granular fertilisers
F1000 or F1200 with a belt weigher — depending on bag weight
aggressive product, dust, stainless steel design
Flour, cement, premixes
F1000 with an auger weigher and dust extraction
aeration, bag tightness, bridging, ATEX
Rice, sugar, seeds
F700 with a cup doser or vibratory weigher; larger bags — F1000
small doses, weighing tolerance, moisture, format changes
Pet food
F700 / F8004S (small packs) or F1000 / F1200 (large bags)
fat, varied granulation, film durability
Frozen vegetables, dried fruit, biscuits — in a carton
F1400 COMBINED — bag inserted automatically into a carton
carton type, closing, cold-store operation
Soil, peat, bark
F1000 / F1200 / F1300 with a DTS volumetric doser
portion in litres, moisture, irregular fractions
Chemicals, detergents
belt or auger weigher — depending on granulation
corrosion, hygiene, dust
Indicative — machine version, dosing and output are confirmed after analysing the product.
This is enough for us to point to the right model and dosing variant. A product sample, a photo of your current bag or a drawing, and photos of the line location also help.
Go to the contact form →1.
What do you pack? — product name and properties: granules or powder, dust, moisture
2.
In what pack? — bag weight or volume; film on a reel or pre-made bags
3.
What output? — bags or tonnes per hour and the number of shifts
4.
How do you pack today? — manually, semi-automatically or on a machine — and what causes the biggest problem
5.
What happens to the bag next? — manual stacking, palletising, wrapping, conveying
Upgrades and service
Not every problem needs a new machine. The bottleneck is often in dosing, the film or at the end of the line — and that is where we start.
MadejPak service →We check whether it is a weigher or a volumetric doser, how the product density varies, how coarse and fine feeding work, and whether vibrations affect the measurement.
De-aeration, dust extraction, product fall time, fill height and film structure — dust in the seal area is a common cause of leaks.
We look at product aeration and air in the bag. Compaction or air removal is selected after a trial with the product.
We count recipes, bag weights and film widths. A different bag length is usually a settings change; a different width often means changing the forming tube.
Format, side folds, flattening and bag orientation — and finally robotics and pallet stability.
We look for the bottleneck: doser, sealing jaws, discharge conveyor, palletising or product supply.
Equipment and integration
We complement the Essegi machine with options from the manufacturer’s catalogue and build the rest of the line around it — from product supply to the wrapped pallet.
A catalogue option does not fit every model — we match it to the configuration.
Film and print
Registration-mark photocell
Automatic film centring
Printer / coder — date, batch, code
Bag shape
Side folds and flat base
Stabilo corner seals
Handle-making unit
Discharge and inspection
Discharge belt, turntable
Bag turning and flattening
Checkweigher
Bag-into-carton feeding
Operation
Platforms, stairs, railings
Film reel lifter
Forming tube stands
Bag shaking unit
Design, build and commissioning — one partner for the whole line.
Product supply
Conveyors, screw feeders, hoppers, take-off from a silo or an existing installation.
Conveying →
Weighing and inspection
Multihead weighers, checkweighing, metal detection, rejection, labelling.
Weighing & dosing →
End of line
Bag conveying and orientation, robot or cobot, palletising, pallet wrapping.
Palletising →
Controls
Integration and communication with equipment already running in the plant.
Robotics →
Case studies
Pellets, fertilisers, industrial chemicals, aggregates, seeds and snacks — lines we designed, integrated and service.
Energy / solid fuels
Automatic pellet bagging and palletising line
View case study →
Chemicals / fertilisers
Comprehensive fertiliser packaging and palletising line — hopper, vertical machine, KUKA robot
View case study →
Chemicals / fertilisers
F1000 vertical machine for fertiliser packaging
View case study →
Chemicals / industrial chemicals
Calcium chloride packaging line in extremely harsh environmental conditions
View case study →
Packaging / FMCG
Cat litter palletising and packaging — two automation phases
View case study →
Building materials / aggregates
Essegi vertical machine for packaging aggregate, sand and decorative stones
View case study →
Food / feed and seeds
Vertical machine for weighing and packaging grain, seeds and bird feed
View case study →
Food / snacks
Comprehensive snack packaging automation — popcorn, crisps, pretzels
View case study →
Technology partners
Essegi
Italy (Galliera Veneta)
Italian manufacturer of VFFS machines with over 30 years of experience. Essegi specialises in vertical form-fill-seal machines for food, chemical, construction and horticultural products. The company offers a wide machine family (F700, F1000, F1200, F8004S) with the ability to select the dosing system to suit the product.
www.essegi.comConcetti
Italy
Concetti designs complete bagging lines: FFS systems from PE tubular film (FFS-E, CONTINUA — bags 10–50 kg depending on the system), machines for pre-made open-mouth bags, big-bag systems and palletisers — for the chemical, construction and agri-food industries.
www.concetti.comFAQ
In the catalogue, from a few up to 30 bags per minute — depending on the model and version. For example F1000: MEC 10–14, SYNCRO 16–22, Motion up to 30 bags/min. We confirm the real output for your product after selecting the dosing and analysing the end of the line: if the machine makes 20 bags/min and palletising 15, the whole line will not reach 20 without a buffer.
A weigher measures net weight, e.g. 15 kg. A volumetric doser measures volume, e.g. 20 l of soil. When product density changes with moisture, the same volume does not always weigh the same — then we choose weighing.
No. The flat film is wrapped around the forming tube and joined with a longitudinal seal, so the web is wider than the finished bag, and side folds add more. We set the final format from the pack drawing.
Yes. The artwork is on pre-printed film, and a registration-mark photocell keeps it aligned with the seal and cut. Variable data — date, batch, code — is added by a printer mounted on the machine.
No. We check the film structure and thickness, sealability, puncture resistance and requirements such as food contact. That is why we ask for a film sample or the supplier’s specification.
A standard VFFS machine forms a bag from film. For a bag in a carton (bag-in-box) there is the Essegi F1400 COMBINED. If finished bags are to go into a carton, a separate case packer working with the VFFS machine is needed.
Yes. The end of the line — discharge, bag turning and flattening, robot or cobot, palletising and pallet wrapping — can be automated with the existing packaging machine.
The product name and properties, bag weight or volume, required output, type of pack and what happens to the bag next. Ideally with a product sample, a photo of your current bag or a drawing, and photos of where the line will stand.
Glossary
A partner you can rely on
Since 2000, 200+ implementations. Authorized representative of Essegi and GSP and partner of many European manufacturers. Service and parts in Poland — and when it fits, we build our own machines.
since 2000
a quarter-century in packaging machinery
200+
implementations across food, chemical and other industries
Essegi & GSP
authorized representative in Poland
PL
service and original parts on the spot
You don’t have to visit us to see how we pack — just walk into a supermarket
MadejPak — integrator and authorized partner
A random importer / middleman
Machine selection
The choice of VFFS machine depends on the product, dosing system, required throughput and bag format. Contact us — we will help select the right Essegi series and integrate it with your line.
VFFS offering summary
Essegi F700 — food, 50 g – 3 kg, max 320×420 mm
Essegi F1000 — pellets, granules, powders, building materials
Essegi F1200/F1300 — large 5–50 kg bags: feed, fertilisers, soil, bark
Essegi F8004S — Stabilo bags, 50 g – 5 kg
Essegi F1400 COMBINED — bag in a carton (bag-in-box), 5–25 kg
Essegi W1200 Fluid — liquid products
Concetti FFS-E / CONTINUA — industrial bags 10–50 kg
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