Product Catalog

Food Vacuum Chambers

Point Five Packaging is a full-service food packaging supplier with over 13 years in the industry. Our products and packaging systems connect companies of all sizes with the most advanced packaging technology available. The solutions we offer include several types of chamber vacuum sealer machines, suitable for use with liquids, produce, meat, dairy products, and much more. 

How a Chamber Vacuum Sealer Works

Also referred to as a chamber vacuum packing machine or chamber vac machine, a vacuum chamber sealer is an appliance that securely seals foods inside a bag or a pouch. Using a powerful vacuum, all of the air inside pouch is removed. When the air pressure is equalized outside of the container, the machine creates an airtight seal, enclosing the contents securely inside the packaging. 

Chamber vacuum sealers are a similar product to the suction edge sealers used in domestic environments. However, they are much more effective at eliminating all air from a package and more suitable for high-volume packaging needs. While edge sealers attach to the opening of a plastic bag and slowly extract air, chamber vacuum sealers surround the entire food package during the sealing process. 

The Chamber Vacuum Sealing Process

Sealing food inside packaging using a vacuum chamber sealer involves three basic steps:

1. Packaging containing a food item is placed inside the vacuum chamber. Next, the vacuum pump removes oxygen from the chamber. The oxygen inside of the packaging is also removed. During this step, the pressure inside the chamber is lower than the outside pressure. The amount of pressure used during this process is measured in millibars (mbars). 50 mbars indicates that 95% of the air has been removed. 

2. After the oxygen has been removed, the chamber vacuum's sealing bar heats a portion of the packaging until it melts, creating an airtight seal. 

3. The final step is for the machine to equalize the pressure inside and outside of the chamber. Since the packaging has been sealed, it cannot acclimate to outside pressure, causing the packaging to collapse, creating a vacuumed effect. 

Chamber vacuum sealer machines from Point Five Packaging come in a variety of adjustable pressure levels. This is helpful for sealing more delicate products that could become damaged, crushed, or negatively altered by too much pressure. When sealing these types of products, a more gentle pressure or shorter vacuum cycle time preserves product integrity while delivering a secure, food-safe seal. In addition, certain machines feature a gas flush cycle that also helps prevent product packaging from collapsing on top of its ingredients. 

Types of Chamber Vacuum Sealing Machines

Point Five Packaging offers several types of chamber vacuum sealing machines to meet a variety of sealing needs. Our solutions include:

• Vacuum sealers. Vacuum sealer machines come in many forms, however, all types will remove the oxygen from packaging and provide a seal using heat. The right vacuum sealer will increase packaging efficiency and extend product freshness. 

• Vacuum sealers with gas purge. These units introduce an inert gas mixture into the packaging, such as nitrogen. After the oxygen is removed, gas is added to prolong product shelf life, sometimes by as much as 10 times compared to without gas treatment. 

• Self-contained vacuum sealers. Featuring a built-in compressor for removing air as well as a gas flush option, self-contained vacuum sealers provide all-in-one space-saving capabilities. These machines do not require any additional equipment and offer greater simplicity compared to machines with external compressors. 

• Chamber vacuum sealers. This type of machine is excellent for packaging liquids or food products with a liquid component. They are capable of sealing multiple packages at once by simply placing them inside the chamber and removing air using the vacuum pump. 

Can I Vacuum Seal Liquids?

External vacuum sealer equipment, like edge sealers, cannot handle liquids as they will spill during the oxygen extraction process. Chamber-style units are capable of sealing liquids, however, it's important to review your equipment's manual and follow the operating protocol best practices. In general, liquids require a weaker seal than other types of food products. Additionally, since moisture can damage vacuum pumps, certain machines feature a pump conditioning process that should be completed at regular intervals. 

Food Vacuum Chambers From Point Five Packaging

Food Sleeve Systems

Food packaging sleeves are printed sleeves made of coated paperboard that wrap around food storage containers. These structured and durable sleeves offer a cost-effective and customizable marketing solution that make standard food containers more eye-catching and on-brand. Key benefits of food packaging sleeves include:

• Offer added protection

• Provide extra space for important information

• Ensure safe consumption

• Deliver great value at an affordable cost

• Improve brand recognition

• Give food containers a more unique look while leaving the product visible

• Customizable with several different sizes and designs

Food sleeves can be used in various ways, such as calling attention to limited-edition items or holiday packaging, indicating different flavors and ingredients, displaying use instructions, and more. 

Despite their many benefits and applications, applying paperboard sleeves to your trays or tubs can be labor-intensive, resulting in bottlenecks and reduced efficiency. Many companies are turning to automatic sleeving machines to improve line efficiency and reduce labor costs. Point Five Packaging offers a range of automatic sleeving machines that are reliable, easy to operate, and can significantly improve your packaging speed and output.

Types of Food Sleeve Systems

Point Five Packaging offers two primary food sleeve systems:

• P5-SLV Single Lane

• P5-SLV Double Lane

These machines are built to handle pre-glued packaging sleeves and offer high speeds, accurate sleeve placement, and the ability to handle a variety of tray and cup sizes. The P5-SLV Single Lane can reach speeds of up to 50 per minute, while the P5-SLV Double Lane can reach speeds of up to 100 per minute.

Both machines are designed for easy operation and maintenance, making them an ideal solution for high-volume food packaging applications. The P5-SLV Double Lane can run multiple lanes simultaneously, making it perfect for products that need to be packed in large quantities. 

Featuring compact designs, these systems are caster-mounted for easy portability with a variety of discharge and infeed options available. Sleeve hoppers are also easy to change over, lightweight, and can be customized to fit your unique sleeves.

Benefits & Applications of Automatic Sleeving Machines for Cardboard Food Sleeves

Our automatic sleeving machines offer a wide range of benefits compared to time-consuming manual methods. These benefits include: 

• Increases throughput. Automatic sleeving machines can process higher volumes of trays and containers compared to manual methods.

• Uses minimal materials. By ensuring each sleeve is applied consistently and accurately, sleeving machines minimize wasted materials.

• Applied automatically. Automatic sleeving machines automate the process of applying sleeves to cardboard food packaging, eliminating bottlenecks that slow down production.

• Minimizes labor. Automatic sleeving machines are designed to enhance productivity while allowing you to more efficiently allocate labor resources to more important tasks. 

• Tension control. These machines allow for precise tension control so you can ensure the product doesn’t fall out of the sleeve.

• Small footprint. With their compact design, automatic sleeving machines offer a space-saving solution for your facility.

Their many benefits make automatic sleeving machines ideal for various food packaging applications. For example, they can be used to apply sleeves to food trays, such as those you see in meat sections. They can also be used to apply sleeves to food containers and tubs for products such as fruit, soup, salad, and more.

Food Sleeve Systems from Point Five Packaging

Food packaging sleeves offer a great branding solution that can enhance and protect your product; however, manual application methods can lead to reduced productivity. Food sleeve systems from Point Five Packaging are designed to solve this problem by automating the application process for enhanced efficiency.  

Specializing in food packaging technology, Point Five Packaging has the materials, products, services, and solutions to meet any of your food packaging needs. In addition to our food sleeve systems, we also offer tray sealers, fillers/depositors, and vacuum chambers. 

To learn more about our automatic sleeving systems, or for help determining which food packaging solution is right for your needs, contact us or request a quote today.