Coffee Bag Sealers and Weigh Fill Machines: Enhance Efficiency and Quality in Your Coffee Roastery
By Kristi Anderson-Runge
If the roaster is the heart of a coffee roastery, then consider all the supporting ancillary equipment as its rhythmic pulse—the steady, unseen force driving all the behind-the-scenes magic. And, at the helm are your coffee bag sealers and weigh fill machines, the cornerstone equipment for packaging up your precious, perfectly roasted beans.
We’d even say that coffee bag sealers and weigh fill machines aren’t just equipment; they’re the guardians of quality, the custodians of consistency, and the reason your customers’ experience with your coffee is nothing short of exceptional. At least, that’s the goal.
This article explores why coffee bag sealers and weigh fill machines are more than just cogs in the roastery wheel. They’re the dynamic duo working hard to ensure your roastery’s coffee packaging success. We’ll consider each machine’s role in your roastery, the reasons you need both machines, and how they work together to support your coffee products’ integrity. We’ll also review factors for selecting the best sealing and filling machines for your roastery and provide helpful checklists for what to consider in purchasing this equipment.
First, a quick primer on what coffee bag sealers and weigh fill machines do—and why you need them.
Coffee Bag Sealers: Preserving Freshness and Quality
Coffee bag sealers play a pivotal role in maintaining the freshness and flavor of your coffee beans. These machines are designed to create airtight seals on packaging, effectively preventing the infiltration of external elements such as moisture, oxygen, and contaminants that can compromise the quality of the roasted beans.
3 Reasons Why You Need A Coffee Bag Sealer
Freshness Preservation
Coffee bag sealers extend the shelf life of your roasted coffee beans by creating a barrier against external factors that can lead to staleness.
Aroma Retention
Coffee bag sealers prevent the escape of aromatic compounds, ensuring that the distinct flavors and aromas of your coffee are retained until your customer opens the package.
Brand Integrity
A well-sealed package not only keeps the coffee fresh and smelling great but also reinforces your brand’s commitment to delivering a high-quality product.
Weigh Fill Machines: Promoting Portioning Precision
Weigh fill machines play a vital role in the accurate measurement and dispensing of your roasted coffee beans into your packaging. These machines ensure that each bag or container contains the precise weight of coffee, contributing to overall consistency and your customers’ satisfaction with your coffee products.
3 Reasons Why You Need A Weigh Fill Machine
Accuracy
Coffee weigh and fill machines provide unmatched accuracy in portioning, ensuring that every package contains the specified weight of coffee beans.
Efficiency
Automation of the filling process reduces the likelihood of human error and significantly increases the overall efficiency of your roastery’s production line.
Flexibility
Coffee weigh and fill machines are adaptable to various packaging sizes and types, offering you the flexibility to cater to your customers’ diverse preferences.
How Coffee Bag Sealers and Weigh Fill Machines Work Together
We’ve chosen to write about coffee bag sealers and weigh fill machines in the same article because they work synergistically to make your packaging process efficient and accurate. The weigh fill machine measures and dispenses the required amount of coffee into each package. Then, the coffee bag sealer steps in to complete the packaging process.
This joint effort of protecting your end product results in a streamlined production system that guarantees consistency, accuracy, and the preservation of your coffee’s unique characteristics—from the roaster to your customer.
Now that we’ve outlined the coffee bag sealer and weigh fill basics—including why you need them and how they work together—let’s look at different types of each machine and considerations for deciding what kinds are best for your roastery operations.
What Type of Coffee Bag Sealer Is Right For You?
Coffee bag sealers come in various types, each designed for specific packaging needs and materials. Options include continuous band sealers, constant or direct heat sealers, impulse sealers, vacuum sealers, and more.
At Coffee Equipment Pros, we offer a selection of constant or direct heat sealers and continuous band sealers—both proven most effective for use in packaging your coffee products. We’ve curated a collection that minimizes decision overwhelm, appeals to all budgets, and provides the most sealing accuracy and flexibility in packaging applications and options.
Constant or Direct Heat Sealers
Constant heat sealers (also known as direct heat sealers) use constant, direct heat to melt the layers of your packaging together, creating a secure seal when cooled.
These are highly flexible “workhorse” sealers, available in a variety of configurations including portable handheld sealers, tabletop sealers, and standing sealers, which are usually outfitted with a foot pedal for operation—leaving both hands free for more efficient sealing.
Constant heat sealers are great for sealing a variety of paper, plastic, and foil bag types and various bag styles, and typically allow you to seal up to 20 bags per minute, depending on how quickly you work. It’s important to note that these machines require time to warm up and maintain a high temperature once engaged. They’re also not suitable for sealing polyethylene bags, since the higher temperature range needed for sealing is too high for polyethylene’s lower melting point.
All considered, these are a great budget-friendly option, with portable handheld sealers available for under $200 USD, and tabletop and standing models coming in under $1,000 USD.
Continuous Band Sealers
Continuous band sealers can be oriented to receive your bags vertically or horizontally to accommodate your coffee bags’ various sizes, orientation, and weight. They're also designed for hermetically sealing a wide variety of metalized, paper, and plastic materials along with multiple bag styles.
These sealers are highly effective and popular in many packaging applications, especially for sealing large quantities of bags in a production line, sealing around 20-80 bags per minute, depending on the model. Continuous band sealers also provide consistent and uniform seals across a wide range of bag sizes, and offer adjustable settings for temperature, conveyor speed, seal width, embossing, gas flush, and more.
If constant heat sealers are the workhorses, then continuous band sealers are the racehorses—built for speed, agility, and performance. The price tag reflects this, too, with units in our collection ranging from around $1,000 USD to $16,000 USD (ask about our competitive financing).
If you're thinking about getting a continuous band sealer, it's probably because your customer demand is rising. Consider whether the equipment cost is justified by the potential for increased profits through faster and more efficient production.
Checklist: 6 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Coffee Bag Sealer
With any equipment purchase, you’ll want to consider factors like initial cost, operating expenses, space requirements, and ease of use when investing in a coffee bag sealer. At Coffee Equipment Pros, we’ve partnered with leading industry manufacturers to identify what we believe is the best range of coffee bag sealers to meet a diverse spectrum of needs. Your only job is to narrow down the excellent options to meet your specific criteria.
So, as you do you research, we’ve provided a checklist of important factors to consider when purchasing a coffee bag sealer. Keep in mind that we’re here to help you find the perfect machine for you per your specifications.
What Type of Coffee Weigh Fill Machine Is Right For You?
Just like coffee bag sealers, weigh fill machines come in various types to serve different packaging needs. We’ve assembled a collection of gravity-fed and auger-fed weigh fill machines that deserve a look.
All of the weigh fill machines we carry are semi-automatic, meaning that there is some level of human interaction required in the packaging process—such as placing bags or containers under the filling spout, initiating the filling process, and removing the filled bags or containers.
With this setup, these machines can fill anywhere from 360-900 bags per hour (6-15 bags per minute), depending on the brand and model, with high levels of accuracy.
Gravity-Fed Coffee Weigh Fill Machines
With gravity-fed weigh fill machines, gravity dispenses your coffee product into the coffee bag, with the flow controlled by a valve. All of the gravity-fed machines in our collection include vibrator agitation, which helps improve the flow of your coffee product, ensuring a consistent and even distribution and more accurate weighing.
Interested in a gravity-fed weigh fill machine? Be sure to check out our offerings by ActionPac (ME109), All-Fill (VF/100e and VF/200e), and Logical Machines (S-4 and S-5).
Auger-Fed Coffee Weigh Fill Machines
Auger-fed coffee weigh fill machines utilize a rotating screw, or auger, that dispenses a set amount of your coffee product into your coffee bag.
Auger fillers can carry advantages over gravity-fed vibratory fillers for applications where precision and control over the filling process are critical. They’re especially suitable for handling fine powders, granules, and products with variable flow characteristics. They offer better accuracy, reduced product waste, and the ability to handle a wider range of materials.
If this is something that sounds like it would serve your purposes, take a look at the All-Fill B/350e.
Checklist: 6 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Weigh Fill Machine
Just as with a coffee bag sealer, you’ll want to consider all the same factors like initial cost, operating expenses, space requirements, and ease of use. Here’s a checklist of important factors to consider when purchasing a coffee weigh fill machine. As always, we’re here to help.
Coffee Equipment Pros Offers the Coffee Bag Sealer and Weigh Fill Choices You Need
At Coffee Equipment Pros, we’re pleased to partner with top manufacturers to supply a diverse selection of coffee bag sealers and weigh fill machines for your roastery’s coffee packaging needs.
We offer a large selection of continuous band and direct heat sealers from industry giants, including ActionPac, QuantumPak, and Sealer Sales.
For weigh fill machines, heavy hitters ActionPac, All-Fill, and Logical step up to deliver great options for gravity- and auger-fed fillers.
When considering your options, this is a great time to pick up the phone and call us—especially if you plan to purchase both machines together. Rick can talk you through the best options to match your needs and offer a package for optimal savings, including how to tap into our financing.
This is also a great time to try out our Compare feature and view the machine specifications side-by-side. Just click the teal 'Add to Compare' button on any product page to easily view and compare models, features, prices, and specifications. Access your detailed comparison chart by clicking the teal 'Compare' tab at the top left corner of the CEPros website screen.
Questions? Take advantage of our live chat or call/text Rick directly at 949.289.8083 and let’s help you build the right filling and sealing solution for your roastery.