Tray Sealers

The table lists what has been published for each tray sealer, row by row. The listings for the Rotarius and Linus 1100 carry technical data; for the two Ross machines the published data is a short description, so most of their cells read “Not published”.

The first decision is who handles the trays. On a semi-automatic sealer an operator places filled trays in the tool and takes the sealed packs out. On a fully automatic machine the trays are carried into the sealing station and out again without an operator handling each one, which matters once trays arrive from a loading line rather than a packing bench.

The Variovac Rotarius is semi-automatic, with two sealing tools on a rotary table. While one tool is sealing, the operator at the front removes finished trays and inserts new ones, so the machine avoids empty runs. It needs 1.6 m² of floor space and is described as suited to small companies. Of the Ross tray sealers, the X450 is the semi-automatic model, aimed at small processors, retail stores and food labs that want a compact, portable unit.

For continuous production, the Linus 1100 is a fully automatic inline sealer built for medium- and high-volume work. The Ross IN 1100 is fully automatic and designed for MAP and VSP packs.

A simply sealed pack has the lidding film sealed to the tray rim with the air left inside. In modified atmosphere packaging the air in the tray is replaced with a protective gas before the film is sealed, so the product sits under a lid with headspace. In vacuum skin packaging (VSP) the heated top film is pulled down tight over the product and seals to the tray around it, holding the product in place without headspace.

The Rotarius vacuumises the trays and flushes them with gas inside the sealing tool, so it works as a vacuum tray sealer for MAP and also lists skin sealing, with a tray depth for skin packs of up to 40 mm. The Linus 1100 seals trays plain, under protective gas or as skin packs, so it covers skin tray sealer work on a fully automatic machine. The IN 1100 is a MAP and VSP tray sealer from Ross. No pack types are published for the X450.

Tray choice sets much of what follows: the sealing tool and format parts are matched to the tray, and the lidding film has to seal to the tray material. The Linus 1100 processes almost all types of sealable tray, with PP, PE, PET, PS and aluminium named. It converts between tray sizes from either side, with fold-up wing doors for access, and a mobile tool trolley carries the format parts and can heat the sealing tools, which shortens set-up. The Linus takes film rolls of up to 300 mm diameter, with a maximum film width of 410 mm for an outside cut and 350 mm for an inside cut.

The Rotarius packs into ready-made trays up to 100 mm deep, or up to 40 mm deep for skin packs. Products may overhang the tray by up to 25 mm, and the Rotarius also takes film rolls of up to 300 mm diameter. Check your tray dimensions against the tooling before ordering.

Before a tray is sealed it has to come off the stack and be filled. The catalogue includes VEMAG machines for those steps. The examples below are illustrative: each is described from its own published data, and none is presented as connected to a particular sealer on this page.

For the equipment that moves product between these stages, see loading lines and conveyors, and talk to us when you are planning a processing line.