Retrofitting Vertical Pouch Machines

1. Introduction and Objectives

Vertical pouch machines are primarily used in food, chemical, and non-food industries for forming, filling, and sealing pouches from film webs.

Retrofitting aims to increase availability, reduce operating costs, and adapt machines to current safety, quality, and digitalization requirements (Industry 4.0).

2. Typical Initial Situation

• Robust mechanics but outdated control technology (e.g., old PLCs, relay technology, analog drives).
• Frequent failures, high downtime, and increasing spare parts shortages for electronic components.
• Outdated operator interfaces, missing recipe management, and limited process data acquisition capabilities.
• Increasing requirements for hygiene, energy efficiency, and product safety (e.g., traceability).

3. Retrofit Project Scope

A retrofit project can be divided into several technical focus areas:

• Control Technology: PLC replacement, decentralized peripherals, and fieldbus systems (e.g., Profinet) for modular machine structure.
• Drive Technology: Replacement of mechanical main shafts with controlled servo or frequency converter drives for film feed, cross, and longitudinal sealing stations.
• Operation & Visualization: New HMI panels with touch operation, clear visualization, recipe management, and diagnostic functions.
• Safety Technology: Adaptation to current standards through safe controls, light curtains, and safety switches.
• Peripherals & Sensors: Modernization of scales, dosing systems, temperature and pressure sensors, and quality control.

4. Benefits and Economic Aspects

• Extended machine life with significantly lower investment compared to new equipment.
• Higher cycle rates through precise drive and control technology plus reduced setup times (e.g., tool-free format changes, recipe data).
• Improved product quality through stable sealing parameters, reproducible motion sequences, and enhanced process monitoring.
• Integration into networked production environments (Industry 4.0 concepts, data acquisition, condition monitoring).

5. Typical Project Workflow

• Inventory of existing machine (mechanics, electrical, safety concept, performance requirements).
• Development of retrofit concept defining what stays mechanically and what components are replaced.
• Design and planning of control cabinet, decentralized peripherals, and drive technology including software concept.
• Implementation during planned downtime, commissioning, parameterization, and operator/maintenance training.

6. Conclusion

Retrofitting vertical pouch machines offers an economical way to adapt existing equipment to modern requirements and sustainably extend service life.

The combination of modern control, drive, and safety technology creates high-performance machines with improved availability, quality, and transparency.