How do Facial Tissue Packaging Machines Work?

A facial tissue packaging machine is the critical final component of a production line, transforming stacks of cut tissue into the finished, sealed, and shelf-ready products that consumers buy. For any manufacturer, the packaging system is just as important as the folding and cutting machines, as it dictates your final product’s appearance, hygiene, and profitability.

As a manufacturer of complete, end-to-end tissue production lines, we at Mingyang Machinery know that a high-quality packaging machine must be fast, reliable, and perfectly synchronized with the rest of your line. There are two primary types of machines for this purpose: automatic soft pack wrappers and automatic cartoning machines. This article will explain how each of these systems works.

The Goal of Packaging: From Cut Tissue to Shelf-Ready Product

The primary goal of a facial tissue packaging machine is to take the precisely cut stacks of tissue from the log saw and place them into a protective, branded container, all at a speed that keeps up with the production line. This process must be automated to be efficient.

A modern tissue packing machine is responsible for three main tasks:

1. Grouping: It takes the stacks of tissue (e.g., 100-count stacks) fed from the cutter.
2. Insertion: It automatically inserts these stacks into either a pre-formed plastic bag or a cardboard box.
3. Sealing: It securely seals the package to protect the tissues from moisture, dust, and contamination, ensuring a hygienic and professional-looking final product.

This automation is essential for maintaining production speed and ensuring every package that leaves your factory is consistent and secure.

Method 1: How the Automatic Soft Pack (Flow Wrapper) Machine Works

An automatic tissue wrapper, often called a flow wrapper or bagger, is the machine that creates the common flexible plastic “soft packs.” This process is a high-speed, continuous-motion operation.

Here is a step-by-step look at how it functions:

1. Infeed: The cut tissue stacks are fed one by one from the log saw onto the packaging machine’s infeed conveyor. A “pusher” bar then moves each stack into the main packaging unit.
2. Film Forming: A large roll of pre-printed plastic film (like PE) is unwound and fed into a “forming box.” This metal guide folds the flat film into a continuous tube, or “web,” around the incoming tissue stack.
3. Sealing (Lengthwise): As the tissue moves through this film tube, a set of heated wheels or a sealing bar presses the two long edges of the film together, creating a “fin seal” that runs along the bottom or side of the pack.
4. Cutting & Sealing (Ends): A rotating “end sealer” jaw, which is both a cutter and a heat-sealer, performs two actions at once. It clamps down on the gap between two tissue stacks, heat-sealing the “trailing” end of the first pack and the “leading” end of the new pack simultaneously. In the same motion, a blade cuts the two packs apart.
5. Discharge: The now-finished, fully sealed soft pack is discharged onto a conveyor, ready for bundling.

This is an efficient, high-speed method that is very popular for its low material cost and flexible, durable packaging.

Method 2: How the Automatic Cartoning (Box Packer) Machine Works

A tissue cartoning machine, or “cartoner,” is used to create the classic cardboard box of facial tissues. This process is more complex, as it involves handling two separate items: the tissue stack and the flat-packed cardboard box.

Here is how this system works:

1. Infeed: Like the soft packer, the tissue cartoning machine receives the cut tissue stacks from the log saw via an infeed conveyor.
2. Carton Erection: At the same time, a separate mechanism pulls a single, flat-packed, pre-glued box from a storage magazine using vacuum suction cups. A set of mechanical arms “erects” or opens the flat box into its familiar square or rectangular shape.
3. Insertion: The machine synchronizes the tissue stack and the open box. A mechanical “pusher” arm automatically and gently slides the tissue stack horizontally into the open end of the carton.
4. Sealing: The loaded carton then moves to the sealing station. Mechanical arms fold the end flaps of the box in the correct order. For glue-sealed boxes, hot-melt glue is precisely applied before the final flap is closed and pressed. For “tuck-in” boxes, the arms simply fold the final flap and tuck it securely into a pre-cut slit.
5. Discharge: The sealed, finished box is discharged from the machine, ready for bundling.

This method is preferred for its premium, rigid appearance and high-quality branding capabilities, as the box provides a large, flat surface for graphics.

The Final Step: What is a Bundling Machine?

A tissue bundling machine, or “bundler,” is the final piece of the packaging line. This machine does not pack individual tissue stacks but instead groups the finished packs (either soft packs or boxes) into larger, multi-pack bundles for shipping.

After the primary facial tissue packaging machine, the individual packs (e.g., 10 boxes) are automatically collated and grouped. The tissue bundling machine then wraps this entire group in a larger plastic bag (often clear, heat-shrink film) and seals it. This creates the “6-pack” or “10-pack” bundle that is sold in bulk at a supermarket or sent to a distributor. This step is essential for efficient logistics and distribution.

How Packaging Automation Connects Your Entire Line

Packaging automation is the key to creating a truly “fully automatic” production line and achieving high profitability. A standalone folder or cutter that runs at high speed is useless if you do not have a packaging system that can keep up.

A modern tissue packing machine is integrated directly with the log saw. It uses sensors and a central PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) to automatically “call” for tissue stacks when it’s ready, and to stop the line if a problem is detected (like a jam or running out of film). This integration reduces your reliance on manual labor, eliminates bottlenecks, minimizes product damage from handling, and ensures your entire production process runs as one seamless, efficient, and high-speed system.