Vape Cartridge Packaging Machines: How to Automate Pouching Carts and AIOs

Most vape brands still put cartridges into pouches by hand. It is slow, and it is hard to staff. This guide covers what a vape cartridge packaging machine does and what to check before you buy one.

Why carts are hard to bag by machine

The pouches are small. A standard pouch bagger is built for bags 90 mm wide and up. Cart pouches are often 60 to 100 mm wide. The product is also awkward: a 510 cartridge is narrow and top-heavy, and an all-in-one device is flat and wide. Each one needs to drop straight into the bag without hanging up on the zipper.

What the EcoVape does

The EcoVape is a pouch bagger built for small products in small bags. It opens, fills and seals two pouches at a time.

• Speed: 35 to 50 bags a minute.
• Pouch width: 60 to 100 mm at full speed. 40 mm pouches can run with bottom fill at about 20 a minute.
• Products: 510 cartridges, AIO vapes, single gummies and other small items. Both lanes run the same product.
• Operators: one.
• Bag supply: two magazines of about 100 pouches each.

Funnels are the changeover

Each product has its own funnel set. A 510 cart funnel guides a narrow cylinder. An AIO funnel guides a flat device. To change products, the operator picks the recipe on the touchscreen and swaps the funnels.

What to ask your bag supplier

• Pre-opened zippers. The machine does not open zippers. Bags must arrive with the zipper open.
• Child-resistant zippers are available on pouches from 85 mm wide.
• Consistent bags. Bags that are flat, even and the same size from lot to lot run faster with fewer stops.

Room requirements

The EcoVape runs on 220 V single phase power and needs about 15 CFM of air at a steady 90 PSI. Steady is the key word. If pressure dips when another machine cycles, the bagger faults. Give it a compressor with enough reserve.

What goes before and after

The EcoVape works with any filling system that feeds product to the funnels. After the bagger, a pouch labeler applies compliance labels at 20 to 60 pouches a minute depending on the label and product.

Is it worth it?

Count how many people bag carts on a normal day and how many units they finish in an hour. Compare that with 35 to 50 a minute from one operator. Lead time is 16 to 18 weeks, and financing is available through NEC Financial.

Talk to someone who runs these machines

Tell us your product, your bag and how many units you need per shift. We will tell you which machine fits and what it takes to install it. Contact LeafyPack or call +1 (657) 267-0059.