VERTICAL FORM FILL SEAL EQUIPMENT * What is the product being filled? * What type of film will be used? * What is the density? * What are the flow characteristics? * What are the bag sizes? * What are the bag styles? * What is the desired fill rate per minute? * What is the target product weight? Knowing this information upfront helps suppliers Ease of use for employees, many of whom have little experience, should be considered when choosing equipment. Photo: Matrix Performance While a bagger's advertised top-speed is a sexy stat, it really isn't indicative of its true overall performance. To obtain a more accurate view of the bagger's anticipated nominal speed, you need to consider how the product is processed; the volume of product per hour; how the product is fed into the bagger; and the speed of every piece of equipment behind and ahead of the bagger. To help ensure the bagger being built meets your production goals, a reputable supplier will want to know: determine the scope of the project. Also, the reason to have answers to these questions in the early stages is that each one influences the other; if one of the answers to a question is unknown, it can sometimes dramatically change the scope of the project. It's important to do your homework when it comes to selecting the right vertical form fill seal for your produce processing application - and considering these five questions is a great place to start. Establishing communication with your supplier early on in the design process will make the project a much quicker and smoother experience for everyone involved - and deliver a bagger that's ready for action the first day it's installed. - Marc Wolf is the General Manager and Vice President of Matrix (a ProMach brand), an industry-leading manufacturer of vertical form fill seal (VFFS) packaging equipment. He can be reached at marc.wolf@promachbuilt.com; www.matrixpm.com. John Clement Sales Manager (419) 466-7881 j.clement@sormac-inc.com Northwood, OH Daniel Alu Sales and Technical Support Manager (419) 450-5400 d.alu@sormac-inc.com www.sormac-inc.com PRODUCE PROCESS ING 17 NEW WEBSITEhttp://www.matrixpm.com http://www.sormac-inc.com