In the world of food manufacturing, few products are as tricky to handle as the humble biscuit. Its delicate structure makes it easy to break, yet consumers expect every piece to look perfect and fresh. That’s where modern biscuit packaging machines make a real difference by delivering precision, consistency, and better product protection.
Dans ce guide, you will learn how each machine works, what benefits they offer, and how to choose the right system for your production line. Whether you’re scaling up or improving efficiency, you’ll find clear, practical insights to support smarter decisions.
What Is a Biscuit Packaging Machine and Why It Matters?
UN machine d'emballage de biscuits is a specialized automated system designed to precisely count, collate, and wrap biscuits, craquelins, and similar baked goods into various package formats. These machines handle everything from individual snack packs to family-size trays, ensuring airtight sealing and structural integrity.
Why does this matter so profoundly for your production line?
When biscuits leave the oven, they are at their peak quality. Cependant, moisture and air are immediate enemies. A manual packaging process exposes the product to the environment for too long, leading to softness or spoilage. An automated machine seals the product almost instantly. En outre, modern regulations regarding food safety are strict. Automation minimizes human contact, drastically reducing contamination risks.
From an operational standpoint, manual labor cannot keep up with modern oven outputs. If your oven pumps out 500 biscuits a minute, but your packing team can only handle 200, you have a bottleneck that kills profitability. A proper machine aligns your downstream capacity with your upstream output.
Main Types Explained: Flow Wrappers, On-Edge Systems, and VFFS
1. Flow Wrappers (Formage-Remplissage-Scellage horizontal – HFFS)
The flow wrapper is arguably the most common type in the biscuit industry. Il fonctionne horizontalement, taking flat rolls of film, forming them into a continuous tube around the product, and then sealing the package at both ends and along the back (the fin seal).
- Application Focus: Ideal for individual biscuit packs, small stacked portions, or trays. Think of single-serve cookies or sleeves of crackers.
- Key Advantage: Exceptional speed and efficiency. Many modern flow wrappers can achieve output speeds exceeding 600 packs per minute, especially when paired with automated feeding systems. The package produced is generally a pillow-style pouch, which is highly protective and uses minimal film material.
2. On-Edge Packaging Systems (Slug Wrappers)
These specialised systems are designed for packaging biscuits “on-edge”—that is, stacked vertically on their side in a “slug” or row.
- Application Focus: Perfect for packaging family-size portions, such as rectangular or square packs of shortbreads or digestives that sit upright in the finished package.
- Key Advantage: Creates a compact, rigid block of product, minimizing movement and breakage within the package. The process typically involves collating a precise count and then overwrapping the entire group, often with an attractive fold and seal. This is the gold standard for high-end, traditional biscuit formats.
3. Formage-Remplissage-Scellage Vertical (VFFS)
While less common for traditional biscuits, the VFFS machine is indispensable for small, bulk-count products like mini-crackers, cookie crumbs, or novelty shapes packaged in a bag format.
- Application Focus: Creating sealed pouches or bags where the product is dropped from the top into the vertically forming film tube.
- Key Advantage: Excellent for flexible bag sizes and integrating multi-head weighers to ensure precise volumetric or weight filling of loose products. It produces a stable, well-sealed bag (often a gusseted or stand-up pouch) quickly and efficiently.
| Fonctionnalité | Enveloppeuse de flux (HFFS) | On-Edge System | VFFS |
| Product Format | Individual, small stacks, plateaux | Vertical slugs/stacks (e.g., family packs) | Loose, bulk fill (e.g., miettes, mini-crackers) |
| Speed Potential | Very High (300–600+ packs/min) | High (100–300 slugs/min) | High (60–150 bags/min, depending on volume) |
| Package Style | Pillow pack, sealed ends | Rectangular overwrap, tight pack | Pouch, bag, stand-up bag |
How Does a Biscuit Packaging Machine Work?
While flow wrappers and on-edge systems differ in feeding, the core logic follows a similar path. Let’s break down the lifecycle of a pack on a typical high-speed flow wrapper.
Phase 1: The Infeed
The process begins with the infeed conveyor. Ici, lugs (small plastic pushers) or smart belts space the biscuits out. This spacing is crucial. If the spacing is off, the machine cuts the product instead of the film. We call this “pitch.” Modern machines use photocells (capteurs) to detect the product position automatically.
Phase 2: Film Forming
As the product moves forward, the film unwinds from a reel above or below. It passes over a “forming box” ou “forming shoulder.” This metal collar shapes the flat film into a tube around the moving biscuits. Tension control here is vital; too tight, and you crush the biscuit; too loose, and the package looks sloppy.
Phase 3: Longitudinal Sealing
Once the film forms a tube, the edges need to be joined. Heated wheels or sealing bars run along the bottom (or top) of the package, creating the “fin seal.” This provides the hermetic seal that keeps air out.
Phase 4: End Sealing and Cutting
Enfin, the tube reaches the “jaws.” These are rotating heated metal bars that clamp down between products. They perform two actions simultaneously: they seal the trailing edge of one pack and the leading edge of the next, while a knife cuts them apart. High-speed machines use “rotary jaws” which spin continuously, whereas slower, airtight applications might use “box motion” jaws for longer dwell time (contact time).
Phase 5: The Discharge
Once the knife separates the pack, the process isn’t quite over. The finished unit drops onto the discharge conveyor belt, which whisks it away from the sealing jaws. This stage is critical for quality control integration. Often, we install check-weighers or metal detectors right at this exit point to ensure that every pack leaving the line meets weight specifications and safety standards before being boxed.
Top Benefits of Using a Biscuit Packaging Machine
Optimized Throughput and Lower Labor Costs
One of the biggest advantages is speed. When you move from manual work to automation, your output can jump by 400% ou plus. A worker may pack 20–30 packs per minute, while a mid-range biscuit packaging machine can reach 150–200 packs per minute with steady accuracy. This boost cuts your Cost Per Pack and makes your entire line more profitable.
Better Shelf Life and Stronger Food Safety
Automated sealing creates a tight, reliable seal every time. This seal blocks moisture, dust, and oxygen—three major factors that cause biscuits to lose texture and flavor. If you use MAP technology, the product stays fresh even longer. With automation, you get repeatable safety and consistency that you cannot achieve by hand, giving your brand stronger protection.
Less Product Damage and Lower Waste
Biscuits are fragile, and manual handling often leads to breakage. Automated feeding systems use smooth and controlled movements, reducing shock and friction. This means fewer broken biscuits and a higher sellable yield. You also save packaging film because the machine dispenses film with precision, cutting material waste by 5–10% compared to older systems.
Stronger Presentation and Better Brand Appeal
Clean, uniform packs stand out on the shelf. Automated machines hold size, forme, and seal quality steady from one pack to the next. Par conséquent, your products look premium and trustworthy. For on-edge packaging, the tight “slug” format improves both strength and appearance, helping your packs survive transport and still look perfect when customers pick them up.
How to Choose the Right Biscuit Packaging Machine
Selecting the appropriate machine is a strategic decision that affects your operations for years. It requires a detailed assessment of your current product line and future growth plans.
1. Assess Product Specifications and Volume
- Product Dimensions: Do your biscuits have a uniform size, or do you have multiple SKUs? A highly flexible machine that can manage a wide range of widths and lengths with minimal changeover time is essential for manufacturers with diverse product portfolios.
- Throughput Target: Determine your required packs per minute (ppm). If you need 200 PPM consistently, you must purchase a machine rated for at least 250 PPM to ensure headroom and stability. Over-specifying capacity is often a smart long-term investment.
- Product Fragility: For extremely fragile items, look specifically for machines with gentle-handling feeders (e.g., servo-driven timing belts) and soft-motion collation systems.
2. Evaluate Required Package Style and Material
If you primarily produce family-size, stand-up packs, an On-Edge system is mandatory. If single-serve snack packs are your focus, a high-speed Flow Wrapper is the correct choice. En outre, consider your packaging film. If you plan to use environmentally friendly, compostable, or paper-based films, ensure the machine is equipped with advanced sealing technologies (like ultrasonic sealing) that are compatible with these materials, as traditional heat seals can be less effective.
3. Focus on Automation and Integration
A modern, high-end machine should integrate seamlessly with upstream (four, convoyeur de refroidissement) and downstream (case packer, palletizer) équipement.
- Controls: Look for an intuitive Human-Machine Interface (HMI) and advanced servo-motor control throughout the system. Servo drives offer precise speed control, minimal maintenance, and allow for recipe-based product changeovers in minutes, not hours—a crucial factor for production flexibility.
- Sanitation: Since you are in the industrie alimentaire, the machine design must comply with sanitation standards. Look for a cantilevered design or one with easily accessible parts for thorough washdowns and crumb removal, reducing the risk of bacterial harboring.
Maintenance and Cleaning Tips to Extend Your Machine’s Lifespan
A well-maintained biscuit packaging machine stays fast, écurie, and profitable. When you take care of your equipment, you reduce downtime and protect your investment. A clear routine helps you keep the machine running at its best.
Daily and Weekly Cleaning
- Remove Crumbs and Film Scraps
Biscuits always create crumbs, and they tend to collect around conveyors, pockets, and the sealing area. If you don’t clear them out each day, they increase friction and affect seal quality. Use compressed air gently or rely on an industrial vacuum to keep the area clean. - Clean the Sealing Jaws
Film coatings and ink can leave residue on the sealing jaws. Even a thin layer affects heat transfer and weakens the seal. A quick daily wipe with a non-abrasive, approved cleaner helps keep your seals strong and prevents film tearing. - Check Sensor Cleanliness
Photo-eye sensors can get blocked by fine dust. When this happens, you may see mis-cuts or feeding errors. Wipe the sensors regularly so they maintain accurate detection.
Monthly and Quarterly Maintenance
- Follow the Lubrication Schedule
Strictly adhere to the manufacturer’s lubrication plan for all chains, bearings, and moving components. Use only the food-grade lubricant specified in the machine’s manual. Improper or non-food-grade lubrication poses a serious contamination risk. - Check Belt and Chain Tension
Loose components cause jerky motion and reduce precision; overly tight components cause premature wear on bearings. Checking and adjusting tension every month helps your machine run smoothly and extends component life. - Inspect Heater Elements and Thermocouples
The sealing system depends on steady heat. Make sure that the sealing bars or wheels are heating evenly and that the thermocouples are providing accurate temperature readings. If the temperature fluctuates more than 2°C, it often means a component is close to failing and should be replaced soon.
Réflexions finales
A biscuit packaging machine does more than wrap your product. It improves speed, protects quality, and gives your production line a stable and predictable output. Avec le bon équipement, vous pouvez réduire les déchets, improve shelf life, and deliver a cleaner, more consistent pack to your customers.
À CHLB, we focus on building biscuit packaging machines that are reliable, efficace, and easy to maintain. As a trusted food packaging machine supplier, we design our solutions for manufacturers who want steady performance, strong sealing quality, and long-term value.
Ready to upgrade your production line?
Contactez-nous aujourd'hui to find the right biscuit packaging solution for your business.
