Stop ≠ Power Off: The VFFS Daily 30-Minute Maintenance Checklist

Stop ≠ Power Off

The VFFS Daily 30-Minute Maintenance Checklist

Cover: clearing the machine with compressed air after the run

Quitting time, flip the switch and walk out — the most common move on the line, and the biggest maintenance mistake. Left overnight with film scraps, oil and debris, the machine shows every fault the next morning.

01  The First Step Is Not Cleaning — It's Cooling

“Before cleaning the machine, switch off the power and make sure the heating parts have cooled down.”
— VFFS manual §6.1(2)

⚠  The seal jaws run above 200°C. Brushing them right after shutdown burns you. Cut power and wait for cooling — that is the precondition for every cleaning step.

02  The Golden 30 Minutes: Six Steps

Fig. 1: Daily 30-minute flow (from manual §6.1)

•  Compressed air: clear product debris that has gathered on the transport line;

•  Seal jaws: brush film scraps off the side and end seal surfaces with a silicone-oil wire brush;

•  Soft cloth: wipe the control panel, guards and tabletop;

•  Photoeye lens: wipe dirt and black spots off the lens and tension roller — these cause the most false alarms.

✔  Parts that touch food must be strictly sanitized; dry all surfaces after wiping.

03  Three Cleaning Don'ts

Fig. 2: Do's and don'ts (from manual §6.1, §3.7)

⚠  Never spray water or vapor directly on the machine — water in the electric box risks the PLC.

⚠  Never use alcohol on painted or printed surfaces, it damages them; keep fire safety when using flammable solvents.

04  Daily Checklist

Table 1. Daily / per-shift checklist (from manual §6.1 & safety rules)

Final Thoughts

Maintenance is not about one heavy session — it's about doing those 30 minutes right, every day.

Want the printable checklist?  Reply with keyword "maintenance" for the printable daily checklist, or send us your machine model and our engineers will tailor it for you.