Glossary

Pouch filling glossary

The technical terms of flexible packaging and pouch filling, explained plainly. Formats, machines, processes and technologies — the reference for anyone specifying a pouch line in Brazil.

Pouch formats Machines and architectures Filling processes Packaging technology

Pouch formats

Stand-up pouch: A pouch that stands upright on the shelf thanks to a gusset (fold) at the base that expands when filled. It is the most widely used flexible format in retail for refills, sauces, beverages, snacks and pet food.
Doypack: The name by which the stand-up pouch is commonly known in Brazil and much of Latin America. Technically it is the same format: a flexible bag that stands upright thanks to a bottom gusset. The term comes from a 1960s French trademark that became generic in the industry. A doypack machine is therefore a stand-up pouch machine — same equipment, same formats.
Flat bottom: Pouch with a flat base and four corner seals that stands upright even when empty. Offers more front panel for branding and stacks better than a regular stand-up. Used for coffee, pet food and granulates.
Side gusset: Fold along the sides of the pouch that opens as it fills, adding volume without widening the front panel. It is the basis of the quad-seal format, filled on the RG series.
Spout pouch: A pouch with a spout welded to the top or corner, allowing pouring and re-closing. Common in liquids, beverages, baby food and viscous products. It can receive a screw cap applied by capping.
Stickpack: A thin, elongated tube sealed by crimp seal, for single doses — typically 5 to 30 g. Used in supplements, vitamins, sugar, instant coffee and pharmaceuticals.
Sachet: A flat four-side-seal pouch for small portions, from 1 to 20 g. Used in samples, condiments, OTC and cosmetics. Also known as a pillow pouch, after its cushion shape.
Box pouch: A pouch with reinforced base and sides forming a box shape, with good stability and high volume. Common in pet food, coffee and granola.
Pre-made pouch: Packaging that arrives ready from the factory, fed from a magazine; the machine only opens, fills and seals it. It allows premium finish, special formats and fast changeover — unlike roll-stock, where film becomes a pouch on the line itself.

Machines and architectures

Cartoner: End-of-line machine that erects the carton and inserts the filled pouch. Sits after the filler and before the case packer.
Case packer: Groups pouches or cartons into the defined pattern and loads them into the shipping case. Sets the palletising pattern downstream.
Palletizer: Stacks cases onto the pallet in layers, by robot or full-layer. Closes the line before shipping.
Labeler: Applies label, seal or tag to the pouch, carton or case. May include inline batch and expiry printing.
Checkweigher: Weighs every unit in motion and rejects those outside tolerance. It closes the loop with dosing: a recurring deviation points to the filler, not the scale.
VFFS (Vertical Form-Fill-Seal): A machine that forms the package from a film reel (roll-stock), then fills and seals vertically in continuous flow. Optimized for high speed on a single low-unit-cost format.
HFFS (Horizontal Form-Fill-Seal): The horizontal variant of form-fill-seal: the pouch is formed and filled horizontally. It works with pre-made pouches or pouches formed on the line, with good format flexibility.
Rotary fill-seal machine: A rotary machine that works with pre-made pouches held by grippers on a turntable of stations. Each station performs a step (open, code, fill, deaerate, seal). It is the basis of the Leepack RT, RD, RQ, RG, RV and RS series.
Simplex / Duplex / Quadplex: Gripper configurations of a rotary machine: Simplex handles 1 pouch per cycle, Duplex 2 and Quadplex 4. More grippers mean higher cadence (BPM) for the same pouch size.
Filler & weigher: The dosing assembly coupled to the filling machine. The weigher (multi-head scale) weighs solids and granules; the filler (pump or piston) doses liquids and viscous products. It sets filling accuracy.

Filling processes

BPM (Bags Per Minute): Pouches per minute: the capacity unit of a pouch filling machine. Leepack rotary machines range from 20 to 160 BPM depending on series and pouch size.
Format change (changeover): Reconfiguring the machine for another pouch size or type. On Leepack rotary machines it is automatic via HMI, within 5 minutes — a decisive factor for multi-SKU lines.
Capping: Automatic application of a screw cap on spout pouches. Integrated into the rotary machine itself on the Leepack RS (Rotary Filling & Capping) line. As a standalone machine it is known as a capper.
Vacuum packaging: Air is removed from the package in vacuum chambers before sealing, extending the shelf life of oxygen-sensitive products. It is the basis of the Leepack RV series.
Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP): Replacing the internal air with an inert gas — such as N₂ — before sealing, via gas flushing, to preserve the product and extend shelf life.
Ultrasonic sealing: Sealing by high-frequency vibration, able to weld the film even with product residue in the seal area, reducing leaks. Available as an option on Leepack rotary machines.

Packaging technology

Tear notch: Half-moon or V cut in the side seal that starts the tear and lets the pouch open without scissors. Defined in film conversion, not on the filling machine.
Fitment: Rigid part welded to the film — spout, valve, doser or applicator. The spout is the most common fitment.
Gusset: A fold in the material that expands when the pouch is filled, creating volume and stability. The bottom gusset forms the stand-up; the side gusset reinforces the quad-seal pouch. In Brazil the same element is called fundo, sanfona or fole depending on region and supplier.
Roll-stock (film reel): Reeled film from which the machine forms the package on the line itself, as in VFFS and HFFS. An alternative to the pre-made pouch: lower unit packaging cost, less format flexibility.
Zipper (re-closable seal): A closure that lets the pouch be opened and closed multiple times. Leepack rotary machines offer optional zipper openers and closers — some patented. The variant with a plastic slide is the slider zipper.
Retort (sterilization): Sterilizing the already-packed product by heat and pressure, in packaging that withstands high temperatures. Common in wet pet food and ready-meals in pouch. Packaging that withstands the process is called retortable, or autoclavável in Portuguese.

Leepack Machines →Pre-made × VFFS →FAQ →

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