Granule Stick Pack Machine: Drink Mixes

Quick specs for your brief

The granule route uses volumetric cups or vibratory feeding selected around particle flow and the portion volume. Review bulk density and segregation alongside fill weight, then fit the unfolded strips and seal allowances within the reel width.

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What granule properties change the machine setup?

Particle size, bulk density, flow and the balance of coarse and fine fractions decide how dosing and feeding are set up. Granulated drink mixes, sugar-like ingredients and blended solid beverages differ on all four. Send a representative sample with the smallest and largest intended portions. If the recipe combines coarse particles with fine powder, say so rather than calling it free-flowing; the filler has to be judged on what it actually receives.

Watch the material in storage, transfer and the hopper. A blend can separate into fractions as it is handled, and moisture pickup or compaction can change how it discharges. Note any bridging, clinging to surfaces or lumps. These details shape the trial and the feeding arrangement. Pack weight is only part of the assessment; where blend uniformity matters, your product team should also decide how the contents of representative packs will be checked.

For white sugar portions, use the sugar stick packing application to review crystal flow, cup or auger assessment and the counting-to-carton handoff.

Related reading: Sugar Stick Packing Machine

Volumetric cup and vibratory dosing

Volumetric cups and vibratory feeding are the dosing options to assess with your sample. Ask how each lane receives product, how the dose is adjusted and how settings are saved. Two blends with the same serving weight can occupy different volumes or feed differently because of particle shape. Include both if the machine will run both recipes.

A volumetric cup measures volume rather than weight, so any change in bulk density shows up directly as a change in fill weight. Compare samples after a refill, at different hopper levels and after a pause. If filling is inconsistent, review the supply and dosing sequence together before moving the target setting, then record the change and retest the affected conditions. That evidence is worth more than one good batch made at the start of a demonstration.

Further reading: Compare auger dosing for a powder-rich blend

Stick pack or sachet for granules?

A slim stick suits a small serving; a wider four-side-seal sachet gives more room for a bulky or coarse blend. In the reference configuration, back-seal sticks run about 20–60 mm wide per lane and four-side-seal sachets about 30–80 mm, both about 50–180 mm long. Draw the finished pack with dimensions, seal layout and opening feature, and check that the filling path passes the largest particles and leaves room to close the pack.

Stick and sachet capability, seal layout and cutting options are confirmed for the configuration you order; belonging to the same equipment family does not make formats interchangeable. Compare settling, appearance and emptying on filled samples, and note any carton dimensions that limit the pack. Settle the pack design this way before ordering printed film and format-specific parts.

These are configuration ranges, not a promise that four lanes cover every width up to the maximum. Check unfolded strip widths, seals and edge allowance against the reel-width limit on the approved web layout.

Further reading: Compare stick and sachet seal layouts; Check pack volume before selecting width

Keeping granules out of the seal and cut

Granules have to land in the pack within the filling interval and leave the closure zone clear before the jaws close. Watch for particles that bounce, hang in the filling path or arrive after the main dose. Inspect end seals and cut edges on samples from every lane. When a particle is trapped, look at timing, fill position and pack volume together; a higher seal temperature will not solve it.

Provide the film supplier's code, structure, thickness and roll dimensions, keeping in mind the reference film reel width of up to about 420 mm, so film handling and sealing are reviewed on the actual material. Check registration, seal appearance and cut position during sustained running and after restarts. Agree pack tests and acceptance limits with your quality team before the trial, and keep results with the tested product and film: a similar-looking film or a different particle distribution can call for another review.

Further reading: Check film width against the approved lane layout

Protecting the blend during refills and changeover

Map how granules travel from blending or storage into the machine, including transfer equipment, batch size, waiting time and any segregation or breakage you already see. If a recipe contains fragile particles, state what particle condition or appearance has to survive packing. Ask the equipment team to review the supply arrangement against those points and to say which feeding components and interfaces are in the quoted scope.

For a line running several recipes, write down the changeover sequence and cleaning requirements. Check access to hoppers, dosing parts, chutes and pockets where granules collect. Keep each approved recipe with its settings and contact-part list. Include inspection, reassembly and startup checks when timing the changeover, and have operators verify the product and film before production resumes.

How fast is a four-lane granule stick pack machine?

As a reference range, each lane runs about 30–50 packs per minute, up to roughly 120–200 packs per minute across four lanes, with fill weights of about 1–30 g per stick pack. Free-flowing, uniform granules sit toward the upper end; blends that segregate or bridge sit lower. Volumetric cups or vibratory feeding are chosen after the sample has been tested.

These four-lane configuration ranges support the initial equipment comparison. The quotation specifies output, fill range and dose accuracy for the agreed product, film and pack size; factory acceptance testing checks those requirements under recorded conditions.

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Testing usable output across the active lanes

Usable output depends on dose, pack length, filling interval and downstream handling as much as on lane count. State the required accepted packs per minute and the operating pattern, including batch changes and refills, and explain how finished packs will be collected, counted or passed on. A packer that discharges faster than the next station can take packs does not deliver the line output you need.

Plan a trial that covers start-up, steady running, refills and restarts. Collect lane-identified samples and keep weight results separate from checks on pack appearance and product condition. Where mixture consistency matters, use your product team's test method instead of treating weight alone as proof. Record conditions, duration and rejects, and if the recipe or portion changes after testing, decide whether the earlier evidence still applies. The trial record should cover these points on every lane:

Further reading: Plan representative granule sample testing; Record lane-by-lane acceptance conditions

• Consistent product supply to each lane
• Target weight and variation between lanes
• Product trapped in seals or caught during cutting
• Pack volume, settling and appearance
• Recipe changeover and cleaning access

Documents to request for a granule machine

For a granule machine, request a configuration list naming the dosing method, cup or feeder sizes, format tooling and lane count. Include the agreed acceptance criteria and recorded test results in the quotation's document list. Keep these with the product sample and film references used for the trial.

Operating instructions, a list of change parts and wear items, and control-cabinet wiring diagrams are other common requests; check which are included. Raise any market-specific compliance documentation as its own question instead of assuming it is supplied. Keep the set with the trial evidence so a later recipe or format change can be compared with the original setup.

From granule assessment to quoted configuration

Translate observed segregation, moisture pickup and particle damage into checks on the proposed feed path. Identify transfer points, hopper hold-up and outlet geometry before fixing the dosing arrangement. Match the quoted cup or feeder parts to each portion, and verify that replenishment maintains the same product condition across the active lanes.

Ask the quotation to list the dosing method, pack format, lane count, peripherals and change parts, with the trial criteria alongside them. The workshop photographs show packaging equipment assembly; the granule dosing and forming arrangement is defined in the project specification. To discuss your own configuration, send the brief through the request-a-quote page on WhatsApp.

Common Questions