Packaging machines are used to package products or components. This product area includes equipment that forms, fills, seals, wraps, cleans, and packages at different levels of automation. Packaging machines also include related machinery for sorting, counting, accumulating, printing, and labeling. There are many different package types. Examples include: aerosol containers, bags and pouches, blister packs, bottles and jars, cartons and boxes, cans, capsules, cartridges, cases, cups and trays, drums, kegs and pails, pallets and intermediate bulk containers , tubes, and vials. Closing methods for packaging machinery can use caps and lids, cork, glue, heat seals, nails or staples, tamper-evident or tamper-resistant tape, tuck and fold techniques, and wrapping film and paper.

Applications
Applications for packaging machinery include:
·         automotive
·         chemical and petrochemical
·         cosmetics and perfumery
·         electronics and semiconductor
·         food and food service
·         garment
·         household product
·         medical
·         military
·         music
·         video and software
·         pharmaceutical
·         stationary
·         Tobacco
Types
There are many different types of packaging machines. Suppliers that provide integration services can help customers integrate new equipment into existing production lines or help set up equipment and train employees. Common packaging machine types include:
·         accumulators
·         batching machinery
·         bagging machinery
·         banding machinery or sleeving machinery
·         box making machinery
·         bundling machinery
·         capping machinery
·         cartoning machinery
·         closing machinery
 
Accumulators gather goods or items for processing. Batching machines prepare material for processing or packaging. Bagging machines place products in a bag, pouch, or sack. Banding machines and sleeving machines secure products together with a band or sleeve. Box making machines build boxes from cardboard. Bundling machines form goods into piles for subsequent banding or wrapping. Capping machines place, snap, or screw caps onto containers. Cartoning machines create cartons or boxes from cardboard. Closing machines are designed to close packages with a tying wire, narrow metal strap, or tape around the neck of the bag; by placing a lid on a can or drum; and closing a box or other type of package.
Manual, semi-automatic, and automatic packaging machines are commonly available. Product types include: cleaning machinery and sterilizing machinery, collating machinery, combining machinery, counting machinery, decorating machinery, erecting machinery, filling machinery and packer machinery, forming machinery, and inspection machinery. Form, fill, and seal machinery is also available. Cleaning machines sanitize containers or packaging devices. Collating machines package or assemble products in proper numerical or logical order. Combining machines form containers into a single line for subsequent filling operations. Counting machines count products before, during, or after a process. Decorating machines decorate packages. Erecting machines build packages such as cartons or boxes. Filling machines and packer machines fill bags, bottles, and cans with a predetermined volume of product. Forming machines are used to form containers or packages. Inspection machines review products for blemishes, leaks, or consistency.
Suppliers of packaging machines also provide: palletizers, de-palletizers, pallet dispensers, unloading machinery, sealing machinery, shrink machinery, strapping machinery and banding machinery, sorting machinery, tape dispensers, vacuum chambers, and wrapping machinery. Palletizers and de-palletizers place and remove goods on pallets in an orderly fashion. Pallet dispensers hold a number of pallets and dispense them on demand. Unloading machines remove products or goods from packaging. Sealing machines close and seal an individual package, or provide a continuous seal.
Shrink machines apply heat to shrink a plastic wrapper around a product. Strapping machines and banding machines strap or band products. Sorting machines are used to divide groups of dissimilar products into the proper order. Tape dispensers are devices that hold a roll of tape for easy dispensing. Vacuum chamber machines package a product under vacuum. Wrapping machines range from small manual hand stretch wrappers to sophisticated automated wrapping stations. Other types of packaging machines are also available.