Packaging equipment is machinery designed to complete product assembly tasks such as labeling, bagging, wrapping, filling, and preparing items for shipment. The type and amount of packaging equipment to consider depends on the complexity of the product being manufactured and the extent of assembly that is required.
For example, you’ll need more machinery if you’re packaging a product from start to finish. If you’re making soda you’ll need machines to organize empty bottles, label them, fill them with soda, and put them into cartoners. Separately, co-packers, who often work as contractors, may focus solely on preparing the product for shipping, so they may only need packaging machinery dedicated to that part of the packaging process.
27 Types of Packaging Machines
One of the first steps to purchasing packaging machinery is to determine what equipment is necessary for your business. Many machines can be used depending on the industry you’re working in, the product you’re making, and how much of the packaging process you’re doing in-house.
We’ve broken down packaging equipment into 9 broader categories:
Packaging Line Necessities
Types of Equipment: Palletizers-Depalletizers, Conveyors, Feeders, etc.
Applications: Manufacturing (i.e. automotive, consumer goods), Food and Beverage, Retail and E-Commerce, Pharmaceutical Industry, etc.
Packaging line necessities are core pieces of equipment that are often indispensable for the packaging process. From the beginning of the production line (depalletizers) to the middle (conveyors, feeders) and end (palletizers), these types of packaging machinery are used across a variety of industries because of their versatility and widespread applications.
Palletizers and Depalletizers
Palletizer and Depalletizer Equipment Manufacturers: Busse, Alvey, Von Gal, Columbia, Whallon, etc.
Palletizer and Depalletizer Resale Costs: $10,000 - $300,000+
Palletizers and depalletizers operate in two different, yet similar ways. Depalletizers are machinery that unload products from pallets and often places them on a conveyor. Meanwhile, palletizers are automated equipment at the end of a production line used to organize and pack the products efficiently onto palletizers. This equipment gets rid of the hard manual work of loading and unloading boxes at the beginning and end of production lines. It also helps protect employee health while creating a more efficient system, especially with fully automated equipment. Resale costs range from less than $10,000 to over $300,000 for automatic palletizers and depalletizers.
Conveyors
Conveyor Manufacturers: Garvey, Shuttleworth, Ambec, Arrowhead, Nercon, etc.
Conveyor Resale Costs: $100 - $200,000+
Conveyors move products from one part of the packaging process to the next. There are a variety of conveyors ranging from common belt and roller conveyors to flexible, magnetic, vibratory, and even pneumatic conveyors. Conveyors sometimes complete more than one job, such as the one in the video above which acts as an accumulator and a conveyor. While conveyors all serve a similar purpose, different styles have different applications and may serve different industries. For example, while pneumatic conveyors are commonly used in industries such as pharmaceutical and chemical, magnetic conveyors are most widely used for machinery and metalworking. Costs of conveyors range from a couple of hundred dollars for a simple roller conveyor to over $200,000 for more specialized conveyor types.
Feeders
Feeder Manufacturers: Hoppmann, Longford, MGS, Streamfeeder, Thiele, etc.
Feeder Resale Costs: $1,000 - $50,000+
Feeders are pieces of packaging machinery that organize materials in production lines and guide them through the packaging process. There are a variety of feeder types including brush, vibratory, and centrifugal. These can be used for food and drink packaging. In the baking industry, a feeder like the one pictured above could be used to move ingredients such as flour or sugar from storage bins to the part of the production line where the dough is being prepared. The resale cost of a feeder ranges from under $1,000 for a more simple feeder to over $50,000 for higher-end feeders.
Product Preps & Checks
Types of Equipment: Cleaners, Rinsers, Metal Detectors, etc.
Applications: Chemical, Cleaning Products, Food and Beverage, Healthcare, Industrial, Cosmetics, etc.
This packaging equipment category is vital to ensure product safety and quality assurance during the packaging process. Machinery can vary from cleaners and rinsers to metal detectors and tamper-evident seals. Many industries use this automated equipment to help effectively meet compliance rules and regulations.
Cleaners and Rinsers
Manufacturers for Cleaners and Rinsers: Bevco, McBrady, US Bottlers, Nercon, I and H, etc.
Resale Costs for Cleaners and Rinsers: $1,500 - $30,000+
Cleaners and rinsers are used in various industries to ensure the product being packaged is clean before additional materials are placed inside. Specific machinery includes bottle cleaners, sterilizers, and washers. These machines are often used in the food and beverage industries to ensure a high standard of cleanliness. For instance, before filling bottles, machinery like an air rinser can be used to blow compressed air into the bottle to ensure dust or debris is cleared from the bottle. This equipment sells for anywhere from $1,500 or less to over $30,000 depending on the features and functions of the equipment.
Metal Detectors
Metal Detector Manufacturers: Eriez, Safeline, Cintex, Goring Kerr, Loma, etc.
Metal Detector Resale Costs: $1,000 - $40,000+
In the packaging process, metal detectors play a crucial role in making sure no metal contaminants have made it into the product. There are various metal detectors including conveyor metal detectors, gravity feed metal detectors, pipeline metal detectors, and X-ray scanners. Checking for metal is especially important for industries such as food and beverage and pharmaceuticals. It can be dangerous if metal makes it into products people are consuming and can lead to major recalls. Simple metal detectors can sell for as little as $1,000, but advanced automated metal detectors, which often include X-ray machines, can go for over $40,000
Organizational Necessities
Types of Equipment: Unscramblers, Accumulators, etc.
Applications: Food and Beverage, Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Goods, Cosmetics, etc.
Organization is everything when it comes to production lines. A properly organized packaging process guarantees better production and makes it easier for your business to keep to a timeline and stay within budget. Certain machinery such as accumulators, unscramblers, and packaging lines can help automate the organization process.
Unscramblers
Unscrambler Manufacturers: Arrowhead, Island, Shuttleworth, Garvey, Simplex, etc.
Unscrambler Resale Costs: $1,000 - $40,000+
Unscramblers are used in product lines to help organize the product ahead of packaging. Machinery such as bulk bottle unscramblers are designed to get bottles facing the right direction. If bottles are on their side or upside down, the machine rights them so they are ready for the next steps in the packaging process such as filling, capping, and labeling. Used unscramblers can sell for under $1,000 (for certain unscrambling tables and cap sorters) to over $40,000 for high-end automated unscramblers.
Accumulators
Accumulator Manufacturers: Arrowhead, Island, Shuttleworth, Garvey, Simplex, etc.
Accumulator Resale Costs: $1,000 - $18,000+
Similar to unscramblers, accumulators are helpful with optimizing production lines and cutting down on any disruptions. Accumulators help conveyors with product organization and relieve production lines in the case of backups. These can provide temporary storage for products such as bi-directional accumulation tables or spiral accumulators. So for example, if filling shampoo bottles, a spiral accumulator would be the space for a large number of shampoo bottles to be held and moved through. Because of its spiral configuration, it helps save floor space and can accumulate a lot of bottles even if there are slowdowns in the upstream process. Resale costs for accumulators range from $1,000 for an accumulation table to over $18,000 for bi-di tables.
Fillers
Types of Equipment: Packaging Lines, Form Fill & Seal, Capsule Equipment, Tablet Equipment, etc.
Applications: Pharmaceutical, Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Personal Care, Industrial, etc.
Fillers are pieces of equipment used to fill containers precisely. This essential packaging equipment is designed to handle everything from dry to liquid products, putting them into bottles, capsules, or other packaging formats. Different types of fillers are tailored to accommodate specific viscosities of liquids. For example, some machines are better used for liquids such as lotions or gels while others are best used for dry products such as flour, powders, or sugar.
Packaging Lines
Packaging Line Manufacturers: FOGG, Baldwin Levimatic, Goosens, Klockner, etc.
Packaging Line Resale Costs: $5,000 - $300,000+
Packaging lines often serve as an efficient, automated way to fill an assortment of products ranging from drinks to syringes to tablets and capsules. This machinery includes both dry and wet filling lines, as well as niche equipment specific to tablets, pills, and capsules. Used packaging lines can resell for $5,000 for more niche packing machines for products such as hard soaps or sugar-coffee sticks to over $300,000 for more specialized machinery to fill bottles.
Form Fill and Seal
Form Fill and Seal Manufacturers: Bartelt, Prodo Pak, Wrapade, Rovema, and Circle
Form Fill and Seal Resale Costs: $5,000 - $280,000+
Form fill and seal machines are similar to packaging machines, but are more specialized. This equipment creates the packaging for a product such as a bag. It then fills it with the required product such as chips, rice, sugar, and even industrial goods like screws or nails. There are two types of form fill and seal machines: vertical and horizontal. This equipment can sell used for under $5,000 to over $280,000.
Sealing Equipment
Types of Equipment: Can Seamers, Cappers, Tamper Evident Seals, Vacuum Sealers, Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) Packagers, etc.
Applications: Food and Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Healthcare, Personal Care Products, Cleaning Supplies, etc.
Industries rely on sealing equipment to protect products from spilling and to prepare them for consumers. Specialized sealing equipment such as can seamers and cappers have niche abilities, while others work for a greater variety of products and goods such as tamper evident seals and vacuum sealing equipment. Sealing equipment can help businesses improve the shelf life of products and protect them from any potential contamination or tampering.
Canning Equipment
Canning Equipment Manufacturers: Ferrum, Angelus, Canco, etc.
Canning Equipment Resale Costs: $6,000 - $350,000+
Canning equipment is used to seal cans. This equipment can be fully automated or it can be partially automated. There are also distinct types of can seamers including vacuum can seamers and steam flow can seamers. Vacuum can seamers are typically used for dry products and low-acidic food. Meanwhile, steam flow can seamers are primarily used for high-acidic foods such as jams and jellies. Used canning equipment can be listed anywhere from $6,000 for semi-automatic can seamers to over $350,000 for commercial automated seamers.
Cappers
Capper Manufacturers: Alcoa, Zalkin, West, Crown, Bertolaso, etc.
Capper Resale Costs: $1,000 - $100,000+
Cappers are used to cap products in containers such as bottles or jars. These can be put on the product in a variety of ways including screw types, press-on (dome caps), and over cappers . While commonly used within the food and beverage industry, capping equipment is also used for other products such as hairspray (i.e. the cap that goes on top of it). This equipment ranges from over $1,000 for simple or semi-automatic cappers to over $100,000 for more specialized and automated cappers.
Tamper Evident Seals
Tamper Evident Seal Manufacturers: Axon, Lepel, Marburg, Enercon, PDC, etc.
Tamper Evident Seal Resale Costs: $500 - $15,000+
Tamper evident sealers can be used to improve the manual sealing process or automate it so products make it to consumers in ideal condition. Neck banders specifically help seal bottles such as salad dressing or sauces. Meanwhile, induction cap sealers can help provide that extra layer of protection for products such as condiments or even cosmetic and personal care products. Separately, vacuum sealers can help in two ways: ensuring no outside air spoils the product while also providing consumers with a tamper-evident seal to show nothing has been damaged or contaminated. These sealers go for as little as $500 for manual sealers to over $15,000 for automated sealers.
Wrapping
Types of Equipment: Blister Packaging, Skin Packaging, Shrink Wrap Packing, Wrappers, etc.
Applications: Consumer Goods, Food and Beverage, Retail, Pharmaceuticals, etc.
In the packaging process, wrapping is important to protect products and, in some cases, prepare the products to ship safely. This type of packaging equipment ranges from blister and skin packaging for products such as tools, tablets, and notably, food products. Other types of wrappers include shrink-wrap packing, wrappers for pallets, and stretch-wrap machines.
Blister and Skin Packaging
Blister and Skin Packaging Manufacturers: Zed, Alloyd, Visual, Ampak, Uhlmann, etc.
Blister and Skin Packaging Resale Costs: $5,000 - $200,000+
Blister and skin packaging uses different methods to encase products. Blister packaging is distinguished by its clear plastic front and sturdy cardboard backing. It’s commonly seen on products such as batteries and toys. Separately, skin packaging wraps products in a clear wrapping such as foods (including meat and seafood), industrial parts, and consumer goods. Resale costs for blister and skin packaging machines range from under $5,000 to over $200,000 depending on the machine type and features you’re looking to get.
Shrink Wrap Packaging
Shrink Wrap Manufacturers: Shanklin, Arpac, Conflex, Rennco, Eastey, etc.
Shrink Wrap Resale Costs: $1,500 - $65,000+
Shrink wrapping machines are used by businesses to make products smaller and easier to transport and ship. These machines use heat to shrink-wrap products, so the material around the product becomes a tight protective seal. Different shrink wrap equipment types include automatic or semi-automatic L Bar Sealers and shrink tunnels. Examples of products that have been shrink-wrapped include frozen pizzas, a carton of wet cat food, or situations where multiple products are being sold together (such as a few bottles of dishwasher detergent all wrapped together). This equipment can sell for less than $1,500 for pieces like a shrink tunnel to over $65,000 for more sophisticated equipment.
Wrappers
Wrappers Manufacturers: Doboy, Shanklin, Scandia, Sasib, Bosch, etc.
Wrappers Resale Costs: $1,000 - $75,000+
Wrappers are a common piece of packaging equipment used across all industries. These are typically used at the end of the packaging process to wrap pallets of products and prepare them for shipping and transportation.Types of wrappers include flow wrappers, stretch wrappers, and over wrappers. For example, wrappers package the exterior of candy bars such as a chocolate bar. Simple, used wrappers can sell for as little as $1,000 while more top-tier automated wrappers can be sold for over $75,000 on the resale market.
Bagging Equipment
Types of Equipment: Bagging, Cartoners, etc.
Applications: Agriculture, Chemical, Industrial, Household Products, Food and Beverage, Cosmetic, etc.
Bagging equipment is the process of enclosing products or materials within bags, pouches, or containers. This could involve filling a bag of potato chips or putting completed products into their final sale packaging, such as placing face lotion bottles into a box.
Bagging
Bagging Equipment Manufacturers: Autobag, Urania, Sharp, Titan, Doypack, etc.
Bagging Equipment Resale Costs: $200 - $250,000+
Bagging equipment is used across industries to consolidate and securely contain products. In the agricultural industry, bagging equipment is necessary to package everything from nuts and seeds to animal feed or even gravel. While heat and band sealers require more manual work, requiring individuals to place the bag into the equipment, automated bagging equipment streamlines the process by doing the tasks autonomously. Bagging equipment sells on the resale market for less than $200 for simple heat and band sealers to over $250,000 for higher-end automated equipment.
Cartoners
Cartoners Equipment Manufacturers: Adco, Langen, Clybourn, Jones, Serpa - FMS, etc.
Cartoners Equipment Resale Costs: $3,000 - $100,000+
Cartoners are packaging machines that fabricate cartons where finished products are ultimately packaged. Types of cartoners with distinct functions range from auto-load cartoners to carton closers, gable cartoners, and hand-load cartoners. Cartoner machinery can be used to build cartons from scratch and seal them to ensure the product is properly enclosed and protected. Cartoners are used in a variety of industries, but it has notable applications in the food and beverage industry. You can commonly see products put together via cartoners in grocery stores such as milk cartons or cereal boxes. Used cartoners can sell for as little as $3,000 or less to over $100,000.
Visual Packaging Elements
Types of Equipment: Labelers, Printing Equipment, etc.
Applications: Food and Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Consumer Goods, Healthcare, etc.
Visual packaging elements include machinery that helps label products during the packaging process. Within production lines, this can include labeling machines, industrial printers as well as coder machines. This machinery helps show important information such as nutritional labels, expiration dates, and how-to instructions for products.
Labelers
Labelers Manufacturers: Krones, New Jersey, Label Aire, Quadrell, Accraply, etc.
Labelers Resale Costs: $1,000 - $65,000+
A product isn’t complete without a label to help people understand what it is, what its purpose is, and how to use it.Labelers are key to automating this tedious labeling process. There is a range of labeling equipment including glue labelers and pressure-sensitive labelers. This packaging equipment can label anything from food products to chemical or even automotive goods. For example, labelers can place the labels on the front and back of laundry detergent so consumers know what type of detergent it is, how to use it, and what to do if it is used inappropriately. Labelers can cost anything from $1,000 for simple labelers to over $65,000 for more sophisticated machinery.
Transportation Prep
Types of Equipment: Checkweighers, Case Packaging Equipment, etc.
Applications: Retail and E-commerce, Food and Beverage, Industrial, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, etc.
Very rarely are products used in the same place they’re created, so businesses need a plan, and often machinery, to ensure their product can move from one place to the next as simply and efficiently as possible. This type of packaging machinery is necessary for a variety of industries including consumer goods, retail, e-commerce, and more.
Checkweighers
Checkweighers Manufacturers: Ramsey Icore, Mettler Toledo, Hi-Speed, Loma, Garvens, etc.
Checkweighers Resale Costs: $500 - $35,000+
Checkweighers are packaging machinery used to ensure products are of the proper weight. These machines can be both manual or automatic depending on the equipment. It is used at the end of the production line to make sure the final products have been made correctly. This is especially necessary ahead of transport to ensure products are not overweight. Incorrectly weighed products could lead to issues with shipping costs and transportation issues. Used checkweighers can sell from $500 to over $35,000
Case Packaging Equipment
Case Packaging Equipment Manufacturers: Combi, Randles, Marq, McDowell, Moen, etc.
Case Packaging Equipment Resale Costs: $1,500 - $100,000+
Case packaging equipment encompasses a variety of packaging machinery including case sealers, erectors, and packers. This machinery is normally used as part of the final steps before shipping,as it works to get the final products into the necessary cases or containers. Resale costs for this equipment can range from $1,500 for a carton sealer and taper to over $100,000 for higher-end case packaging machinery.
Where to Buy Used Packaging
When you’re ready to buy packaging equipment, look no further than Bid-on-Equipment. We help businesses easily sell and buy used packaging equipment. Used packaging equipment has many benefits. It’s more affordable than brand new pieces of machinery and you’re able to get used equipment much faster since there’s no manufacturing delay. We are a small business ourselves and are trusted throughout the industry as a fair and transparent company where you can buy packaging equipment in a convenient and cost-effective way.
