The right film for every product.

Property of a pack that allows it to be opened easily at the seal seam. VARIOVAC regularly tests films for formability, sealability, appearance and peelability.

Film that is bonded firmly to the bottom film or tray by heat and pressure during sealing, closing the pack airtight. VARIOVAC supplies films as consumables, including lidding films, and tests them for formability, sealability, appearance and peelability. With trays, the tray sealer cuts the sealing film using an outside cut or inside cut.

Packaging method in which heat makes the film fit tightly around the product. The product is vacuum-packed and sealed in a formed bottom film and then passes through a shrink tunnel. Typical products are meat, poultry, sausage and cheese.

Specially developed film for shrink packaging. After evacuation and sealing, heat in the shrink tunnel shrinks it tightly around the product so that it adapts exactly to its shape.

In this packaging method, the top film fits tightly around the product like a 'second skin'. It holds the product in place on the bottom film or tray and is particularly suitable for high-quality food such as meat, fish, poultry and cheese. Non-food products such as clamps can also be packed in this way.

Flexible top film for skin packaging. It fits tension-free around the product like a second skin and seals it across its surface onto a rigid bottom film or tray.

Thermoforming packaging machines pack products fully automatically. The bottom film is unwound from the film mandrel and transported into the forming tool. The forming tool consists of an upper and a lower part, and this is where the bottom film is heated and formed. Forming is done either purely by vacuum (as on the VARIOVAC Maximus RE) or with compressed air (VARIOVAC Rapid Air System). The film with its formed cavities then moves into the loading area. Here the product (e.g. sausage or cheese) is placed in the cavities by hand or by robot. To prevent heavy packs from sagging, pack guide rails are available for the different formats. Next, the top film is laid over the filled cavity and sealed in the sealing tool. The sealing tool also consists of an upper and a lower part. For certain products, the top film has to be formed as well; this takes place in the top film forming station. Sealing the top film onto the bottom film creates a seal seam. From this point on, the products are protected from environmental influences and keep for longer, because the ambient air has been removed from the pack or replaced with protective gases using one of several methods. In the next step, the individual packs are separated (cross-cutting and longitudinal cutting). Various knives can do this: guillotine, punch, circular knife, rotary shear cutter or crush knife. Depending on the technology and packaging material used, the finished packs can be opened very easily or even resealed. Finally, the individual packs leave the machine on a discharge conveyor. From there, the packs can be transferred to a line converger (Variotrack), where they are conveyed individually.