Sachets are a uniquely important format in India. Single-use packs of shampoo, ketchup, hair oil, detergent and cosmetics make products affordable for millions of consumers and help brands reach rural and price-sensitive markets. Behind every sachet is a fast, precise machine that forms, fills and seals pouches holding just a few millilitres of product.
How Sachet Machines Work
Sachet machines are typically compact vertical form-fill-seal machines. Film is formed into a tube or folded around the product path. A dosing pump or piston delivers a small, precise volume of product. Heat sealing jaws close the sachet on three or four sides and a cutter separates sachets, either individually or in strips.
Multi-Lane Machines
To achieve high outputs, many sachet machines have several lanes running side by side. A single machine can form and fill multiple sachets in each cycle. Multi-lane machines dramatically increase output without a large footprint.
Dosing Small Volumes Accurately
Accuracy is a serious challenge when packing just a few millilitres. Small variations represent a large percentage of the fill. Piston pumps with precise stroke control or servo-driven pumps are commonly used. Product viscosity and temperature must be controlled, as changes affect dose volume.
Preventing Product in the Seal Area
Liquid in the seal area causes weak seals and leaks. Good nozzle design, proper timing of dosing and sealing and drip prevention help keep seals clean. With viscous products like ketchup, suck-back on the nozzle reduces stringing.
Film and Sealing
Sachet films are usually laminates with good barrier properties to protect the product. Seal temperature and pressure must match the film. Sachets often have a tear notch to make opening easy, which must be cut accurately by the machine.
Hygiene
For food products such as ketchup, contact parts should be stainless steel and easy to clean. For cosmetics, cleanliness and prevention of cross-contamination between products matter just as much.
Coding and Strips
Batch and date codes are printed on the film before forming, typically using a thermal transfer printer or hot stamp coder. Sachets may be cut individually or left in strips for retail display, and the machine must be set accordingly.
Common Challenges
- Leaking sachets: check seal temperature, pressure and contamination in the seal area.
- Inconsistent fill: check pump settings, product temperature and air in lines.
- Film registration problems: check eye mark sensor and film tension.
Packing Sachets for Distribution
Sachets usually leave the machine in strips that are counted, folded or hung on display cards before being packed into cartons. These steps are often manual and can become a bottleneck. Automatic counting and strip cutting help, and some lines add simple bundling or cartoning equipment. When planning a sachet line, look at the entire flow from film roll to finished carton, not just the sachet machine itself. Balancing the manual and automatic steps keeps operators busy without letting finished sachets pile up around the machine.
Choosing a Sachet Machine
Consider product type, sachet size and shape, number of lanes, required output and film type. Request trials with your actual product and film.
Hilden supplies sachet and small pouch packing solutions for food, personal care and household products, and can help brands select machines that deliver accurate, leak-free sachets at the volumes they need.
