Stick Pack Machine

A stick pack machine, or stick packing machine, forms, fills and seals narrow stick-shaped sachets from a reel of flexible film. It is a vertical form fill seal machine built in multiple lanes side by side, from a single lane up to ten lanes, so output scales from a small nutraceutical brand to a high-volume sugar or coffee packer. Nexus Australia supplies and supports stick pack machines Australia-wide, including the Nexus M2 multi-lane stick pack machine for powders and granules.

Also known as

• Stick packaging machine or stick sachet machine
• Multi-lane stick pack machine or multi-lane sachet machine
• Stick and sachet packing machine
• Powder stick pack machine or liquid stick pack machine, by product

How a stick pack machine works

A wide reel of film is slit into lanes, and each lane is formed into a narrow tube around its own filling pipe. Vertical seals close the tubes, a horizontal seal closes the bottom of each stick, the dosing units drop product into every lane at once, and the same horizontal jaw seals the tops and cuts the sticks apart. All lanes run in step, so a ten-lane machine produces ten sticks per cycle. Cut options include straight cuts, rounded corners and tear notches, with or without a tear line.

Dosing methods

• Volumetric cup filler: for free-flowing powders and granules such as sugar, salt, coffee and electrolyte mixes. Few moving parts, low maintenance, fast. Fitted to the Nexus M2 dual-lane machine.
• Servo auger powder filler: for fine, fluffy or cohesive powders such as protein, collagen, cocoa and pharmaceutical powders, where a cup would not fill consistently.
• Servo piston liquid filler: for honey, sauces, syrups, gels, oils and liquid supplements.
• Multi-head weighing system: high-speed weighing for pieces and mixed granules.
• Vibratory solid feeder: controlled flow of granules and small pieces.
• Capsule and tablet counting: counts tablets or capsules into each stick for pharmaceutical packs.

Products packed in stick packs

Instant coffee, sugar and sweetener sticks, seasonings and drink mixes; protein powder, collagen, electrolytes and vitamin blends; pharmaceutical sachets such as oral rehydration salts and macrogol powders; honey, sauces and condiment portions; cosmetic samples such as face masks and powder cleansers; chemical and agricultural single doses. Stick packs suit any product sold as a single serve, and the format uses less film per dose than a flat sachet.

Key features

• Compact footprint: a multi-lane machine occupies little more floor space than a single-lane bagger.
• Lane count to suit output: from one lane for trials to ten lanes for full production, with the same dosing platform.
• Film compatibility: runs laminates, polyethylene and paper-based films from a single reel.
• Hygienic design: food-grade stainless steel contact parts, easy strip-down for cleaning, suited to food and pharmaceutical standards.
• Recipe control: touchscreen with stored settings for each product and film for quick changeover.
• Format options: stick length, width, cut style and tear features set to the pack you want.

Stick pack versus sachet versus pouch

A stick pack is long and narrow, opened at one end and poured. A sachet is a flat four-side seal pack, better for pastes and larger doses. A stand-up pouch is a multi-serve retail pack that is bought premade. For single-serve powders and liquids under about 30 g, the stick pack is usually the cheapest format per dose and the easiest to use. Our comparison of sachet, stick pack and pouch formats covers the choice.

Benefits

• Portion control: every stick carries the same dose, which matters for supplements and pharmaceuticals.
• Low film cost per dose: a narrow stick uses less material than a sachet of the same volume.
• Shelf presence: printed sticks in a display carton sell well in pharmacy and grocery.
• Scalability: add lanes as volume grows without changing the dosing method.

Output

Output depends on lane count and dose: a dual-lane machine runs at a rate suited to a growing brand, and a ten-lane machine at full production speed. Stick pack machines sit within the wider bagging system range alongside VFFS baggers.

Send us your product, dose weight and target sticks per minute, and we will specify lanes and dosing. Contact Nexus Australia for a quote on a stick pack machine.