The process of packaging cakes and bakery products performs not one, but three very important functions. For this reason it is important to think carefully about buying the right packaging machine, thus ensuring aesthetic and durable packaging of your product. Polpack Company is very experienced in providing packaging for the bakery and confectionery industry and in the following short article I will try to introduce the available types of machines for packing bread, cakes, sandwiches and other delicacies ?.

What a good package of baked goods or cookies get us:

• It is a barrier between the product and the external environment; it protects the contents of the package from any external factors that may damage the packaged product. Depending on the needs of a given type of packaging, it can provide mechanical, chemical or physical protection
• The filming machines for cakes, biscuits, sandwiches and bread, for example, should help to keep the organoleptic characteristics of the product intact without altering them through contact with the packaging itself or external factors
• Packaging machines for cakes or bread should provide the best possible presentation of the packaged product. Aesthetic packaging should serve to attract the potential consumer’s attention and encourage him to choose “our” product.

Packaging machines for cookies and baked goods

Before deciding on the right packaging machine, it is important to answer at least some basic questions about our expectations from the future packaging machines

• expected output
• when you want to pack cookies or baked goods
• what kind of film for packaging we want to use. Is the film to be clear or printed?
• how many different products we have to pack. Small series and high variability of products suggests that a better choice will be a simpler packaging machine, e.g. a hood, tunnel or semi-automatic flow-pack.
• how much space we have in our production facility. The hood packaging machine takes up much less space than a horizontal flow-pack
• whether cakes, sandwiches are to be packed with alcohol or gas

Shrink wrap machines for baked goods

Hood packaging machines DIBIPACK. These are basic machines for packing bread, rolls, breadcrumbs and cartons of cookies. We can safely say that most bakeries and pastry shops in Poland have or had this type of packaging machine. Simple one-man operation and small external dimensions. We recommend PVC DECOTERM semi-sleeve film for hood packaging machines. The output of these machines is estimated at 400-600 loaves of bread per hour or 150-200 cartons of cookies. Importantly, the output is strictly dependent on the involvement of the film machine operator

Semi-automatic film sealing machines with integrated tunnel. ESPERT machines are an intermediate group between hood machines (versatility and easy operation) and automatic machines (efficiency). According to our experience these machines are suitable for foiling of bread and pastry products. Semi-automatic ESPERT packaging machines can work with both semi-sleeve film such as PVC DECOTERM and polyolefin DECOLINE. The capacity of ESPERT semi-automatic film sealing machines is estimated at 700-900 packages per hour.

An example of automatic machines packaging in shrink film, e.g. cookies in cartons, can be a MecPacksealing machine. The machine provides output up to 2000 packages per hour, it works mainly with polyolefin film (half-sleeve). The advantage of an automatic machine for packing cookie cartons is the high output and the possibility of in-line connection. Well-adjusted packaging machine does not involve operator in the process of product packing and ensures high repeatability.

Flow-pack machines for packing bread or biscuits

Automatic horizontal flow-pack packaging machines ensure high efficiency of the packing process (from 40 to 200 packages per minute). They make it possible to pack products in a transparent film or with a full overprint. Flow-pack machines are suitable for packing bread (sliced horizontally), rolls (also multipacks), sandwiches (e.g. with gas application), doughnuts, muffins as well as smaller cookie cartons. Flow-pack machines provide much stronger and tighter seals compared to shrink foil machines.

Flow-pack machines can be divided into

• Horizontal packaging machines with top film infeed. This type of machine is most often delivered to the producers of bakery and pastry products. According to our experience, these machines are perfectly suitable for foiling of the majority of bakery and confectionery products.
• Horizontal packaging machines with lower film feed. These machines allow packaging of products that are less shaped or that cannot be placed on the pusher of the machine with the upper film feed.

We offer many variations of packaging machines that vary in size, capacity and customization.

Baked goods wrapping film – what to choose

The basic issue is to pay attention to whether the film has food approval allowing direct contact of the packaged product with the film.

• PVC heat-shrinkable film. Mostly for packing of cookies in cartons, bread (also sliced) we use DECOTERM foil in a half-sleeve. This film is characterized by perfect transparency, high gloss and low shrink temperature – so it can be used on manual (hood) and semi-automatic packaging machines. PVC heat-shrinkable film is very easy in “processing” so we can be sure that our product will be well packed every time. We recommend films with a thickness of 15 or 18 microns for packing bread, whereas films with thickness of 18 or 25 microns are suitable for packing cartons with cakes, depending on their size. What is important, DECOTERM film is manufactured in Poland!

• polyolefinheat-shrinkable film. Polyolefin film DECOLINE DCL-B is becoming more and more popular among food producers. An unquestionable advantage of DECOLINE polyolefin film is a higher efficiency, which translates into lower costs of packing products. Polyolefin film requires higher shrink temperature, proper air circulation and precise sealing elements. Therefore, we recommend using this film on semi-automatic or automatic filming machines. DECOLINE shrink film is certified for food packaging and is also produced in Poland! For demanding customers we offer biodegradable film DECOLINE DCL-BD.

• polypropylene film. Films dedicated to flow-pack machines. Polypropylene film can be fully printed or colorless. It allows for quick packaging of e.g. bread, cakes on trays, muffins or sandwiches. The polypropylene film can be multilayered (laminate), which enables packing products in a modified atmosphere (e.g. packing and dosage of gas)

Do you need more information about our packaging solutions for cakes, bakery products or sandwiches? Feel free to contact us, we have 30 years of experience and we will be happy to answer your questions and help you find the perfect packaging solution for your bakery products, pastries, doughnuts, sandwiches and more

Kamil Woliński