Several factors go into ensuring that packages are sealed properly on horizontal form/fill/seal machines.

“To create a seal you need three things: time, pressure and heat,” said Luis Pilonieta, sales director, Paxiom. “When I have the luxury of time, say 60 cookies a minute, I have one full second I can play with. When I have 350 or 400 a minute, … my other two variables need to increase, so either more heat or more pressure. When you have such a tight window of sealability, it makes it extremely challenging for the operators to set it up.”

Josh Becker, bakery and confections segment manager, Harpak-Ulma, said operators must keep the machine clean and free of excess crumbs and cookie dust.

“Make sure the packaging material is correct for the application and that the machine parameters are maximized for machine/material performance,” he added. “Keeping the machine consistently in operation without too many stops and starts will also keep good seals on the finished package.”

In addition to regular quality checks and proper maintenance, bakers must optimize sealing parameters, said Scott Williams, Northwest sales manager, BluePrint Automation.

“Adjust the sealing temperature, pressure and dwell time to match the specifications of the packaging material,” he said. “Too high or too low settings can result in weak seals or damaged packaging. Regularly calibrate your equipment to maintain optimal settings.”

And operators must follow the settings for each product, said Dennis Gunnell, president, Formost Fuji.

“I could set up a wrapper six different ways and all will work, but there’s only one way to do it right,” he said. “Too often we let operators say, ‘Oh I can run it better this way.’ Then you either weren’t running it the best way in the first place or you really don’t know what you’re doing.”

Bakers should lean on their equipment manufacturer to guide them to the right equipment, calibration and training, said Mark Evangelista, director of sales, Plan It Packaging.

This article is an excerpt from the November 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Cookie Packaging, click here.