Jelly, Peanuts, Oats: Anti-Blocking Tips for Different Granular Materials on a VFFS

Jelly, Peanuts, Oats: Anti-Blocking Tips

Different Granular Materials, Different Funnel Blockages

Vertical Packaging Machine Encyclopedia ·— for operators running multi-product lines

Cover: different granular materials block the funnel in different ways

Morning run on peanuts — smooth. Afternoon switch to jelly — the funnel throat suddenly “glugs” and blocks. You poke it for ten minutes: the material has formed a bridge across the funnel.

This is daily life on a multi-product line. The manual says the machine handles puffed snacks, shrimp crackers, peanuts, popcorn, oats, melon seeds, jelly, sugar, salt, detergent powder — all granular, short-strip or noodle-form products. Particle size varies wildly, so one anti-blocking trick cannot cover every material.

1. Classify First: Flowability Decides

Whether the funnel blocks comes down to the material’s flowability. Split it into two groups:

•  Free flow: peanuts, melon seeds, sugar, salt — uniform pellets, smooth surface, gravity alone feeds them; standard hopper angle works.

•  Poor flow: coated jelly, dusty oats — irregular size, sticky or powdery surface, prone to forming an “arch” at the throat.

Fig. 1: Material flowability classification (from the manual, applications)

2. Tilt the Funnel: Angle Follows the Material

“The forming tube adjustment directly affects bag quality and film pulling. When the bag width changes, simply remove the forming-tube assembly and install the matching one.”
— VFFS instruction manual — forming tube adjustment notes

The forming tube shapes the bag; the hopper feeds the product. When switching to a poor-flow material, steepen the hopper angle so gravity slides the product down instead of packing it in. A steeper wall means less “sticking”.

⚠  Do not over-steepen — the folding guide A-point must stay 2mm from the forming tube. Move one thing, re-check the alignment.

3. Add a Vibrator: Break the Bridge

If angle alone does not clear the bridge, bring in the vibrator. Mount a small vibrator on the hopper wall.

•  Pulsed, not continuous: vibrate while feeding, stop once the level is steady — continuous vibration packs the material tighter.

•  Right location: on the conical wall, never on the forming tube or longitudinal seal, or film feeding will suffer.

•  Start low: minimum setting first; enough to break the arch is enough — too strong crushes the jelly coating.

Fig. 2: 3-step anti-blocking routine (from the manual, forming tube & 2mm folding guide)

4. Must-Checks After a Material Change

After tilting and adding the vibrator, do not jump straight to full production. Follow the manual’s startup sequence:

Table 1. Four must-checks after a material change

✔  Treat material changes like tool changes. Log the hopper angle and vibrator setting for each product in the shift handover — next switch back is instant.

Final Thoughts

Jelly, peanuts, oats — different particles, same logic: classify the material, tilt the angle, then vibrate.  Hold the 2mm forming-tube line and every switch is calm.

Next article: why winter and summer need two parameter sets — ambient-temperature compensation for sealing.

Call to Action & Series Note

Still fighting funnel blockage after material changes? Send us your material details (type, particle size, moisture) — our engineers will recommend the hopper angle and vibrator setup. Or reply with keyword “manual” to download the VFFS Instruction Manual (PDF).