What is Flow Wrap?

2023-02-09

Among all the packaging and packaging machines that exist, the flow pack packaging system stands out in the food industry thanks to its versatility in sizes, its flexibility and its high capacity in food preservation, although it is also used to package other industrial products.

This is the flow pack.

If you want to learn more about what the flow pack is, what type of packaging machine you need or what materials are available for flow pack packaging, stay in this article and find out. We tell you everything you need to know about the most versatile packaging system: the flow pack.

Flow pack what is

If you are starting in the world of packaging, when reading flow pack you may think ‘flow what?’and you run to your keyboard to ask Google, “flow pack what is it”. That’s why, we wrote this article where we reveal the keys to know everything about this type of packaging.

The flow pack packaging is a thin film that wraps a product, forming a sealed bag, pillow type, with a triple heat sealing seam to guarantee the quality, conservation and safety of the same. This (often transparent) film is called a ‘film’. It is useful in a wide variety of products, but especially in the food sector.

In terms of packaging materials for flow packs, they are usually made of bi-oriented polypropylene, but nowadays there are also more sustainable ones.

The flow pack packaging can be transparent, opaque, metallic … and offers different options to compose the image of the product, printing on the packaging its nutritional information, brand personalization with logo or product images, which makes it a desirable and professional packaging.

What can you pack with flow pack?

Whatever you propose, as long as it is not of large dimensions and its weight is not high. Pens, key chains, disposable cutlery, magazines… and most commonly, food products.

Now that you are starting to understand better what flow pack is, we will tell you how a flow pack packaging machine works and what kind of machines exist.

What does a flow pack packaging machine do

If you are thinking about incorporating this packaging system into your company, you may be interested in knowing what a flow pack packaging machine does.

It should be noted that there are different types of flow pack packaging machines, although they all have a similar system: the “film” passes through a forming tunnel, surrounds the product creating a kind of plastic tube that is sealed on both sides by three welds, two transverse and one longitudinal, which create a hermetic seal at the beginning and at the end of the product. As it is made using film paper, it is not considered a sustainable packaging material.

Regarding its classification, we could mainly differentiate three types of flow pack packaging machines:

• VFFS / Vertical flow pack packaging machine, for packaging types of soft, granular, liquid or in general, any product difficult to handle such as gels, creams, salt, sugar, oils… etc. Vertical flow pack packaging machines reach very high speeds, so you can package a large number of products per minute.
• HFFS / Horizontal flow pack packaging machine, the most common on the market, allows packaging of up to 100 products per minute. It is ideal for the packaging of solid products, such as chocolate bars, bar soaps, small toys … etc. It guarantees watertight seals with bag formats that vertical packaging does not allow.
• Manual flow pack packaging machine, ideal for a small number of products or if you are just starting out and do not want to make a large investment.
  The flow pack machine packages the product guaranteeing a perfect finish and an inviolable welding.

Aspects to take into account when choosing your flow pack packaging machine is that there are fixed speed models and others with variable speed ranging from fifteen packages to one hundred per minute. They also vary depending on the size of the product to be packaged, since not all machines accept all film sizes.

And, speaking of film… We tell you what film materials you can find for the flow pack packaging.

What material is needed for the flow pack packaging

As we have mentioned in previous sections, the most common material with which film reels are made is bioriented polypropylene, although films of other plastic materials are also found.

Nowadays, the materials for packaging with the flow pack system have evolved a lot and, in the midst of an environmental care fever, it is not surprising that there are biodegradable and compostable flow pack materials that are less polluting and fit the sustainable packaging models so demanded (and demanded) in recent years.

Finally, it should be noted that the film material allows printing on it, can be customized with the product and / or company information and offers a wide variety of designs, being able to be transparent, glossy or opaque.

Advantages of the flow pack system

Both the flow pack packaging system, as well as the packaging machine and the packages themselves, have numerous advantages to consider.

The equipment has a low cost, the sealing finish of the pillow-shaped container provides the ideal security and in addition, the bioriented polypropylene allows a multitude of options to design the image of the product. Among the main advantages of the flow pack system, we highlight:

• Preserves and maintains the product in optimal conditions thanks to its inviolable seal.
• It guarantees the safety of the product from the moment it leaves the factory to the final consumer.
• Easy-to-open packaging for the consumer and handling.
• Versatility of uses and products.
• They are resistant, efficient and low-weight packaging.
• Fast and economical packaging process.
• Perfect for all food-type products that need to maintain a controlled temperature or pressure state.
• Small size, the packaging is light and facilitates storage.

We hope you have found this information useful and it has clarified your doubts about what the flow pack is, what this packaging system consists of and if it can be the right system to package your product.