3 Things Nobody Tells You About Buying a VFFS Machine (Until You’ve Already Screwed Up)

You can’t just buy a VFFS Machine and hope it works for everything

I’ve been handling packaging equipment orders for about five years now. Not as a sales guy—I’m on the buying side, doing procurement for a mid-size food processing company. In that time, I’ve personally made and documented nine significant mistakes, totaling roughly $22,000 in wasted budget. Some of that was on vertical form fill seal packaging machines, and I’m not proud of it.

So when someone asks me, “What’s the best biscuit packing machine?” or “Which powder filling machine should I get?”—my honest answer is: it depends entirely on what you’re packing, at what speed, and what your floor looks like. There is no universal winner. Anyone who tells you different hasn’t run a line for a year.

“I’ve seen perfectly good VFFS machines sit idle because they were the wrong fit for the product. Not because they were broken—just wrong.”

I’ll organize this by three common scenarios I’ve lived through. If you’re shopping for a tea powder packing machine, a potato chips packing machine, or a general powder filling machine, you’ll probably end up in one of these.

Scenario A: You’re packing fine powders (tea powder, spices, flour)

This was my first big mistake. I bought a VFFS machine that was advertised as “multi-product capable.” Sounded great. It was the worst powder filling machine I’ve ever touched.

Powder is mean. It clogs, it bridges, it leaves residue. A standard auger filler isn’t always enough. I learned this the hard way on a $3,200 order of tea powder that came out underweight because the auger wasn’t designed for the fine particle size.

What I wish someone told me:

• Not all auger fillers are created equal. You need a stirring system in the hopper to keep the powder from bridging.
• Check the powder’s flowability (angle of repose) before you buy. If it’s less than 40 degrees, you might need a vibratory feeder instead.
• Budget for a dust collection system. I didn’t. The line turned into a mess.

The surprise wasn’t the machine’s performance—it was the cleanup. After every shift, we spent 45 minutes wiping down powder buildup. That’s lost production time.

Scenario B: You’re packing irregular products (potato chips, biscuits, snacks)

This sounds easier than powder. It is not.

I once ordered 500 boxes of bags for a new potato chip product. The VFFS machine we had was fine for consistent shapes. But potato chips are irregular, fragile, and don't settle the same way every time. The result? Bags with too much air, broken chips, and product wedged in the seal area.

What saved us: A multilane bagging machine with gentle product handling. Not every biscuit packing machine needs this—but if your product breaks easily, don't cheap out on the infeed conveyor. I watched $890 worth of product get wasted in one afternoon because the chips were dropping too far into the forming tube.

Key lessons:

• Adjustable forming shoulders are worth the extra cost. Fixed ones can’t handle irregular shapes.
• Look for a film tension control system. Without it, the seal alignment drifts, and you get bags that look amateur.
• The best potato chips packing machine I’ve seen uses a weigher with memory buckets—not just standard fillers.

“I’m not a mechanical engineer, so I can’t speak to the exact gear ratios. What I can tell you from a buyer’s perspective: test the machine with your actual product before you sign. If the seller hesitates, that’s a red flag.”

Scenario C: You need multi-product versatility (biscuits, tea, snacks—all on one line)

This is the dream that gets people into trouble. A single vertical form fill seal packaging machine that can do everything. I’ve tried it. The reality is: you end up compromising on every product.

For example, a machine that handles biscuit packing well might have a bucket elevator and vibratory feeder. That same machine, when switched to powder, will have powder settling in the elevator buckets. Cleaning takes hours. Or, a machine optimized for powder has an auger filler that can’t handle chip flow without jamming.

My honest take: If you’re running three different product types, buy two dedicated machines. Or one machine with a quick-change forming tube system and two separate filling heads. The cost of the changeover parts is less than the downtime from constant cleaning and jams.

One more thing: I’ve never fully understood why some VFFS machines can handle 60 bags per minute for powder but only 25 for chips. It’s got something to do with the settling time needed for each product. I’m not going to pretend I know the physics. But I know to ask that question before buying.

How to know which scenario fits you

By now you might be wondering, “Which one am I?” Here’s a quick test:

• Powder scenario: You’re packing tea powder, spices, flour, or any dry material that flows like sand. Risk: dust and bridging.
• Irregular scenario: You’re packing potato chips, biscuits, cookies, or any product that breaks or varies in shape. Risk: damage and seal contamination.
• Multi-product scenario: You’re planning to switch between two or more of the above regularly. Risk: inefficient changeovers and lowered performance on every product.

No, there isn’t a magic formula to decide. But I’d say: try to dedicate one machine to one product type if you can. It’s simpler. The “one machine for everything” approach worked for me only after I’d wasted two years and about $1,500 in changeover labor costs.

If you’re still unsure, do what I wish I did: ask for a trial run with your actual packaging material and product. Any reputable supplier should agree. If they push back, walk away. That’s not harsh—it’s protective.

Bottom line: VFFS equipment is powerful, but only when matched to your specific product. Don’t let a shiny spec sheet talk you into a poor fit. I’ve caught eight potential purchase mistakes this year just by running the scenario test above. Hope it helps you avoid my $22k tuition.