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Lidding machines or tray sealers are used to seal a plastic film to the top of a tray. The seal is capable of containing liquid within the tray. Lidding machines have become very popular for creating packaging in the "ready to eat meals" category at supermarket deli's. We offer a variety of machines for the small producer up to the larger operations who have special needs when it comes to tray sealing.
Machine Types: EHQ-200, EHQ-350 and EHQ-350BL: The EHQ-200, EHQ-350 and EHQ-350BL are entry level automatic tray sealing machines. These machines, trays and film are all available on our site. This makes the EHQ series lidding machines one of the easiest machines on the market to get started with. To use, simply place your filled tray into the bottom plate and the machine does the rest. The food tray will be taken into the machine, the film is applied and the machine opens and brings out the sealed tray. The whole process takes seconds! The film is die cut around the tray. The EHQ series are 115 volts and do not require external air. The largest tray that will fit into the EHQ-200 is 5.4" x 7.6" x 4.4" deep. The EHQ-350 will go up to 12" x 7.6" x 4.4" deep. The EHQ-350BL will go up to 12" x 9" x 4.4" deep. The stock heater sets (or tray mold plate) are listed with each machines details. Video of EHQ in operation. TSM-104: This is the mid level machine. The TSM-104 is considered a semi-automatic tray sealing machine. The trays are placed in the mold and the drawer is pushed into the machine. As the drawer is closed the film is automatically pulled over top of the trays. The machine the seals the trays and die cuts or trims around the tray leaving a finished look to the tray. The drawer is then opened and the tray are removed. The normal cycle time is 3-5 seconds. The TSM-104 is 220V single phase and does require external air. The usable impression plate dimension is 13.25" x 10.75" x 5.5", meaning this is the largest size tray that will fit in the imprsssion plate. Video of TSM-104 in operation with the stock 4 impression plate. TSM-105: This is the currently the top level machine. The TSM-105 is considered a semi-automatic MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging) and tray sealing machine. The trays are place in the mold and the drawer is pushed into the machine. As the drawer is closed the film is automatically pulled over top of the trays. The machine has the capability of pulling a vacuum, injecting an inert gas, and then sealing the trays and die cutting around the tray leaving a finished look to the tray. The drawer is then opened and the trays are removed. The normal cycle time if using the vacuum and gas function is similar to a vacuum machine at 25-30 seconds. The TSM-105 is 220V single phase with a 40 meter or 2 horsepower vacuum pump and does require external air. The usable impression plate dimension is 13.25" x 10.75" x 5.5", meaning this is the largest size tray that will fit in the impression plate. TSM-1000 Auto: Coming soon! Video of TSM-1000 coming in January 2010.
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Choosing the Right Machine: TSM-202 and TSM-203: Good for small operations with low volumes. Trays that do not need a modified atmosphere package. Trays that do not need a retail appearance. Examples: Wedge sandwiches, meals to go or higher production meals to go for TSM-203. EHQ-200, EHQ-350 and EHQ-350BL: Good for small operations with low volumes. Trays that do not need a modified atmosphere package. Trays that need the more finished look the die cut film provides. Largest tray size gets larger as you move up the line. Examples: Any low volume trayed items that need the finished look of die cut film around the tray. TSM-104: Good for the medium sized operations who need to produce some volume. Trays that need a more finished look or that require a larger tray than the TSM-200 Series will allow. Example: Salsa or Ice Cream TSM-105: Good for the larger operations who need to produce more volume. Trays that require a modified atmosphere package (MAP) and the finished result of the die cut. Example: Salad or Olives
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Mold Plates (EHQ series Heater Sets): Due to the fact that there are over 50,000 varieties of trays, most mold plates are custom made for each application. Each machine is available with a "stock" mold plate. These are shown with each machine's detail page. The EHQ series have quite a few stock heater sets available for a wide variety of tray sizes. There is a great deal of time spent on designing and calculating how many size trays will fit be mold plate. The size of the tray will determine how many trays will fit in the mold plate and thus this will determine the amount of output for each machine. Example: If you have a tray that is 5" x 6-1/2" x 2", we can fit 4 trays into a TSM-104 or TSM-105 mold. Therefore, we can achieve 4 trays per cycle on these machines. In a TSM-202 can only fit 1 of these sizes trays and thus can only achieve 1 tray per cycle. The TSM-203 can do two of this size per cycle. The EHQ series stock heater sets hold one tray per cycle. The following picture shows several different tray shapes:
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Film For Tray Sealers: When it comes to choosing the correct film, it is important to remember that the tray material and the film material must be of like components to ensure a good seal and bond. We offer the OVAF or RV3 film in 100GA. See our page on film for lidding machines for more details. Film for the EHQ series which is matched for the trays we offer can be found at film for EHQ machines. |
| Lidding Machines and Tray Sealers | ||
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TSM-202 single tray lidding machine/tray sealer, comes with two stock tray sizes | More information and to order |
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TSM-203 single tray lidding machine/tray sealer, two 6-3/4" x 8-3/4" trays at a time. | More information and to order |
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EHQ-200 die cut film lidding machine, comes with one of 8 stock heater sets (tray sizes). | More information and to order |
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EHQ-350 die cut film lidding machine, comes with one of 9 stock heater sets (tray sizes). | More information and to order |
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EHQ-350BL die cut film lidding machine, comes with a larger stock heater set (tray size). 9 other stock heater sets are available. | More information and to order |
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TSM-104 semi-automatic lidding machine/tray sealer, up to four 5" x 6" trays at a time. | More information and to order |
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TSM-105 MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging) lidding machine/tray sealer, up to four 5" x 6" trays at a time with vacuum and gas flush. | More information and to order |
