QINGDAO, China — September 26, 2026 — SunAura Machinery has expanded its pillow packaging machine line with two new models — the ZW-3000E servo-driven flow wrapper and the SZ-180 multi-lane flow wrapper — extending its pillow packaging range to cover applications from 30 to 300 packs per minute across food, pharmaceutical, and industrial product packaging.
The new models complement the existing ZW-320ET, ZW-500S, and ZW-580S servo wrappers. The ZW-3000E targets high-speed single-lane applications where the standard models reach their limit, while the SZ-180 brings multi-lane capability — two parallel lanes running simultaneously, effectively doubling throughput for narrow products.
New Model Range
| Model | Type | Speed | Product Length | Film Width | Best Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZW-3000E | Servo flow wrapper | 150–300 packs/min | 80–500mm | Up to 600mm | High-speed bakery, confectionery, frozen food |
| SZ-180 | Multi-lane flow wrapper | 2 × 80–120 packs/min | 50–300mm | Up to 400mm (2 lanes) | Small products: candies, cookies, bars, hardware |
ZW-3000E: High-Speed Servo Flow Wrapper
The ZW-3000E is designed for producers who need the highest single-lane throughput. It shares the ZW series platform — full-servo drive on film feed, seal jaws, and discharge — but with a larger forming box, heavier frame, and faster servo cycle rates.
Key specifications and features:
- 300 packs per minute: the fastest machine in the SunAura pillow line, achieved through high-speed servo axes and a precision cam-free jaw drive.
- Large forming box: handles product lengths up to 500mm and film widths up to 600mm — suitable for baguettes, large bakery trays, and multipacks.
- Recipe-driven changeover: up to 100 product recipes stored on the HMI. Format change takes under 2 minutes — select the product name and the machine adjusts film length, jaw timing, and conveyor speed automatically.
- Integrated code printing: optional inkjet coder integration prints date and batch on the film during wrapping.
- PROFINET/EtherNet/IP: line integration with upstream feeders, checkweighers, and downstream case packers.
“The ZW-3000E answers the customers who told us 150 packs per minute was not enough,” says the SunAura sales engineering team. “Bakery and confectionery lines running three shifts need the highest possible throughput from a single machine — and they want the reliability and changeover speed of our servo platform. The 3000E delivers exactly that.”
SZ-180: Multi-Lane Flow Wrapper
The SZ-180 takes a different approach to throughput: instead of one fast lane, it runs two parallel lanes simultaneously. Product is split into two feeds, each lane has its own film path and sealing jaws, and both lanes discharge onto a common conveyor. The result is 2 × 80–120 packs per minute — up to 240 packs per minute total for narrow products.
The multi-lane design offers two advantages over a single high-speed machine:
- Flexibility: each lane can run a different product or a different film — two SKUs on one machine.
- Graceful degradation: if one lane needs maintenance, the other continues producing — no full line stop.
Best for small products: candies, cookies, granola bars, soap bars, hardware fittings — anything narrow enough that two lanes fit within the machine’s width. For a complete view of the pillow packaging range, see our pillow packaging machines.
Why Pillow Packaging Demand Is Growing
The new models arrive as demand for flow wrapping continues to grow across food and consumer goods industries. Flow wrapping — also called pillow packaging — is the process of wrapping product in a continuous film tube, sealing the longitudinal seam and the two end seals to form a pillow-shaped pack.
Flow wrapping is the standard for bakery, confectionery, and frozen food because it is fast, uses minimal film, and protects products from moisture and contamination. The market’s shift toward more product SKUs has increased the demand for quick-changeover machines — exactly what the servo platform provides. And the rise of private-label and contract packaging has pushed producers toward flexible machines that handle multiple product types on one line.
Applications Across Industries
The expanded pillow packaging line serves several customer segments:
Bakery: bread loaves, buns, cakes, pastries, and cookies are flow-wrapped at 150–300 packs per minute. The ZW-3000E handles the largest bakery products; the SZ-180 handles small cookies and biscuits on dual lanes.
Confectionery: chocolate bars, candy bars, wafers, and energy bars are wrapped in high-volume production. The ZW-500S and ZW-580S remain the workhorses; the ZW-3000E serves the largest candy producers.
Frozen food: frozen vegetables, ice cream bars, and prepared meals are wrapped on machines that tolerate cold environments. The stainless steel construction and open-frame design meet food-grade standards.
Industrial and consumer goods: soap bars, wet wipes, hardware fittings, and stationery are flow-wrapped at lower speeds. The SZ-180 handles narrow products on dual lanes, and the film types include printed and plain films.
Integration with Weighers and Sealers
Pillow wrappers rarely work alone. For snack and confectionery lines, the wrapper pairs with a multihead weigher — product is weighed into portions and fed to the wrapper’s infeed conveyor. For bag-in-box operations, the wrapped packs feed into case packers and carton sealers downstream.
The ZW and SZ series communicate with upstream and downstream equipment over the same control network. A typical integrated line includes a multihead weigher, the flow wrapper, a checkweigher, a case erector, and a carton sealer — all synchronized from one HMI. For complete systems, see our turnkey packaging line solutions.
Market Context: Flow Wrapping Trends Driving the Expansion
The new models arrive at a time when three trends reshape the flow wrapping market:
SKU proliferation: the average food factory runs more product formats than ever — regional flavors, private-label versions, seasonal editions. Each new SKU adds a changeover on the packaging line. Mechanical wrappers with 20-minute changeovers cost the line hours per shift. The servo platform’s recipe-driven changeover makes multi-SKU production economically viable.
Labor economics: packaging lines are increasingly hard to staff. A flow wrapper with automatic product feeding runs with minimal operator presence. The ZW-3000E at 300 packs per minute replaces what would otherwise be a high-speed manual packing team — and does it consistently.
Film sustainability: buyers and regulators pressure producers to reduce film usage. Servo-controlled film feed applies exactly the film length required per pack — no more. On a line running 200 packs per minute, the 3–5% film saving from servo control pays for meaningful operating cost reduction over a year.
Technical Highlights of the ZW-3000E
The ZW-3000E’s 300 packs per minute capability rests on three engineering choices:
Servo-driven jaw motion: the transverse seal jaws are driven by independent servo motors on a cam-free motion profile. The jaw speed profile is optimized per product — the jaws track the product at constant velocity during sealing, then return at maximum speed. This is what allows 300 cycles per minute without shaking the product or tearing the film.
Precision film feed: the film pull is servo-driven with a dancer-roll tension system. Film length is controlled to ±0.5mm, which reduces waste and ensures the printed registration mark lands at the same position on every pack.
Fast recipe recall: the HMI stores 100 recipes with all parameters — film length, jaw temperature, seal dwell, conveyor speed, and product timing. Changeover is a two-touch operation: select the recipe, confirm, run. No mechanical adjustment, no trial-and-error.
These three features are what distinguish the new model from the existing ZW series — the platform is the same, but the servo cycle rates, jaw design, and control firmware are upgraded for the higher speed class.
Customer Applications and Early Adopters
Two customers have been running pre-production versions of the new machines:
A bakery in Turkey runs the ZW-3000E on a flatbread line, wrapping 220 packs per minute across three shifts. They report changeover between their 9 product formats dropped from 25 minutes to under 2 minutes per format — recovering roughly 3.5 hours of production per day. The servo film control reduced their film consumption by 4.2%.
A confectionery producer in Malaysia uses the SZ-180 with two lanes — one lane wrapping chocolate bars, the other running wafer biscuits. The dual-lane design lets them switch one lane’s product while the other keeps running. They report line utilization improved from 71% to 89% because maintenance and changeover on one lane no longer stop production.
Buying Advice: Choosing the Right Pillow Packaging Machine
When comparing pillow packaging machine quotes, focus on these factors:
Match speed to your line: buy a wrapper rated 10–20% above your current line speed. A wrapper running at its absolute maximum is one product jam away from bottlenecking the whole line. If your filling or feeding equipment limits the line, match the wrapper to that speed instead.
Product range first: measure your longest, widest, and tallest product. The forming box must accommodate all of them — changing forming boxes is costly. Buy a wrapper whose product range covers your next 3 years of SKUs, not just today’s range.
Servo vs. mechanical: mechanical wrappers cost less but changeover takes 15–30 minutes and seal temperature drifts with speed. Servo wrappers cost 20–30% more but change over in minutes and hold seal consistency at any speed. For multi-SKU production, servo pays back through recovered changeover time within 12–18 months.
Film and registration: confirm the machine handles your film types — plain, printed, or laminated — and that the registration sensor reads your film’s print marks. If you plan to switch film suppliers, confirm the machine’s sensor tolerates variations in print mark quality.
Sample run: send your actual products and film to the supplier for a test run. Measure speed, seal quality, film consumption, and product damage at your target rate. A sample run with your real product prevents weeks of post-delivery adjustment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a flow wrapper and a band sealer?
A flow wrapper (pillow packaging machine) creates the bag itself from flat film — it wraps the product in a film tube and seals both ends. A band sealer seals the mouth of pre-made bags. Flow wrappers are used when product is fed continuously and no pre-made bag exists; band sealers are used when product is already bagged and only the opening needs sealing. Many snack lines use both: a weigher fills a bag former, and a band sealer closes it — or a flow wrapper replaces the entire bagging process.
How long does a format change take on the new models?
On the ZW-3000E, format change takes under 2 minutes with recipe memory — the operator selects the product name and the machine adjusts all parameters automatically. On the SZ-180, each lane changes independently, and a full dual-lane change takes 5–10 minutes. Mechanical wrapper changeovers typically take 15–30 minutes.
Can the SZ-180 run two different products at the same time?
Yes. Each lane has its own film path, forming box, and sealing jaws. Lane 1 can run chocolate bars while lane 2 runs wafers — or the two lanes can run the same product at double speed. This flexibility is the main advantage of the multi-lane design over a single high-speed machine.
What film types work with the ZW and SZ series?
Standard flow-wrap films: PP, PE, POF, and laminated films (PET/PE, foil laminates) in thicknesses from 20 to 60 microns. Printed films work with registration mark sensors for print-aligned cutting. All models have automatic film registration control.
How much do the new pillow packaging machines cost?
The ZW-3000E high-speed flow wrapper starts at $35,000–$55,000 depending on configuration. The SZ-180 multi-lane wrapper ranges from $45,000 to $70,000. The existing ZW-320ET, ZW-500S, and ZW-580S remain available from $15,000. Contact our SunAura sales team for a quote based on your product, speed, and film requirements.
Availability and Support
The ZW-3000E and SZ-180 are available for ordering with 4–6 week lead times. Each machine includes:
- Factory acceptance testing with customer product samples
- On-site installation and operator training
- 18-month parts warranty on servo and mechanical components
- Remote diagnostics capability
- CE certification documentation
Flow wrappers pair with multihead weighers for portioned products and band sealers for bag closure. For complete flow-wrap packaging lines, the wrappers integrate with multihead weighers, band sealers, and downstream case packing equipment. To request a quote, contact the SunAura sales team.
About SunAura Machinery
SunAura Machinery is a packaging equipment manufacturer based in Qingdao, China. The company’s pillow packaging line now includes five models from 30 to 300 packs per minute — the ZW-320ET, ZW-500S, ZW-580S, ZW-3000E, and SZ-180 — covering bakery, confectionery, frozen food, and industrial applications. All equipment is CE certified and exported to 100+ countries.
Editorial note: Specifications are subject to change without notice. Contact SunAura Machinery for current configuration options.