DOKTEK PACK · TRAY
Configured to orderAutomatic Food Tray Sealing Machines
A tray sealer closes a filled, preformed tray with a lidding film. DOKTEK FoodTech supplies tray sealing machines for ready meals, fresh-cut vegetables, salads, fruit, meat and dairy — seal-only or with vacuum and gas flushing for modified-atmosphere packs.
Configuration is selected according to product, packaging format and required capacity. Machine speed, dimensions and price are stated in the quotation once the product and the pack have been reviewed.
Machine summary
- Status
- Configured to order
- Machine types
- Semi-automatic tray sealers and inline automatic tray sealers
- Trays
- PP, PET, CPET, aluminium and board-based trays
- Atmosphere
- Seal-only, or vacuum and gas flushing (MAP)
- Capacity
- Depending on tray format, tooling and atmosphere
- Changeover
- Sealing tooling per tray format
How a Tray Sealing Machine Works
- 01
Tray denesting
- 02
Filling
- 03
Tray transport
- 04
Film over tray
- 05
Seal (+ gas)
- 06
Cut + discharge
In the sealing station a heated upper tool presses the lidding film onto the tray flange against a lower tool shaped to the tray; for modified atmosphere the station is evacuated and flushed with gas before sealing.
Machine Configuration
- 01
Tray denester
Separates empty trays from a stack and places them on the infeed.
- 02
Filling
Manual filling stations or automatic depositors, weighers or pick-and-place feeding.
- 03
Tray transport
Indexing infeed that brings trays into the sealing station in the tooling's pattern.
- 04
Sealing tooling
Upper and lower tools per tray format, with in-mould or outside-cut film trimming.
- 05
Vacuum and gas system
Vacuum pump and gas mixer for modified-atmosphere packs, where required.
- 06
Controls
PLC and HMI with recipes for temperature, sealing time, vacuum and gas values.
Suitable Products
Typical tray-sealed products
- Ready meals and catering portions
- Fresh-cut vegetables, salads and fruit
- Stuffed vegetables and rolled products after cooking
- Meat, poultry and fish
- Cheese and dairy desserts
Usually better on another machine
- Loose products sold in bags — vertical bagging
- Products where the tray is wrapped rather than lidded — flow pack
Seal-Only, Modified Atmosphere or Vacuum Skin
A seal-only pack closes the tray with the air inside it. A modified-atmosphere pack (MAP) replaces the air with a gas mixture chosen by the food producer for the product. A vacuum skin pack draws a top film tightly over the product on the tray — it is covered on the vacuum packaging page.
Which atmosphere a product needs, and what shelf life follows, is the food producer's decision and validation; the machine delivers the configured vacuum, gas and seal.
Trays and Lidding Films
PP and PET trays are common for chilled products, CPET and aluminium for ovenable ready meals, and board-based trays where plastic reduction matters. The lidding film is chosen to seal to the tray material, with peelable or weld seals, anti-fog layers for fresh produce and printable films.
Capacity, Changeover and Cleaning
Trays per minute depend on the number of trays per sealing cycle (set by the tooling), the sealing time, and the vacuum and gas time for MAP. A tray format change is a tooling change; recipes hold the process values.
Food-contact parts are stainless steel or food-grade materials and the tooling is removable for cleaning. The sealing station is guarded and interlocked; CE documentation can be prepared according to the machine scope.
Integration
Upstream, trays can be filled by hand, by a depositor or by a weigher with a distribution system. Downstream, sealed trays go to labelling, checkweighing, metal detection and case packing. For ready-meal and fresh-cut lines, DOKTEK can connect the tray sealer to its own processing and inspection equipment.
Optional Equipment
Options- Automatic tray denester
- Vacuum and gas flushing (MAP)
- Gas mixer
- Printed-film registration
- Top or bottom labelling
- Checkweigher and metal detector
Options are confirmed per project for the tray and the product.
Specification basis
DOKTEK FoodTech supplies tray sealing machines as configured systems: the machine, the dosing or weighing equipment, the format parts and the controls are selected for the customer's product, pack and capacity rather than sold as one fixed model.
For that reason this page publishes no speed, pack-size range, film width, machine dimension, reference installation or price. Each is stated in the quotation for the agreed configuration and can be confirmed with the customer's own product and packaging material before shipment.
What Is Confirmed Before Quotation
Trays per minute are confirmed for the agreed tray format, tooling and atmosphere. No figure is quoted before those are known.
- Tray dimensions, material and supplier
- Lidding film
- Seal-only or modified atmosphere
- How trays are filled
- Required trays per minute
- Labelling and downstream handling
Next step
Send Your Product and Pack
A packaging quotation starts with the product and the pack you want to sell. The more of the following you can send, the more specific the reply.
- 01Product and how it behaves (free-flowing, sticky, fragile, frozen, powder)
- 02Target pack weight or count per pack
- 03Pack format — photo or sample of the bag, pouch, tray or case
- 04Packaging material, if already chosen
- 05Required packs per minute or per shift
- 06What comes before and after the packaging machine
Evidence and status
Status
A DOKTEK FoodTech packaging solution, supplied and configured to the product, the pack format and the required capacity. Specifications are fixed in the quotation.
Listed under: Packaging & end-of-line
Public evidence
Specified per project: machine configuration, layout and performance are defined in the quotation for the customer's product and pack.
DOKTEK PACK · TRAY
Frequently asked questions
Questions before a machine evaluation.
01What is a tray sealing machine?
A machine that seals a lidding film onto the flange of a filled, preformed tray, using heated tooling shaped to the tray — optionally after evacuating the tray and flushing it with a gas mixture.
02What is the difference between a semi-automatic and an automatic tray sealer?
A semi-automatic tray sealer is loaded by hand and seals one cycle at a time. An inline automatic tray sealer transports trays through the sealing station continuously and can be connected to automatic filling and downstream equipment.
03Can the same machine seal different trays?
Yes, with a tooling set for each tray format. A tray change is a tooling change plus a recipe.
04Does a tray sealer extend shelf life?
A modified-atmosphere pack can support the shelf life a producer validates for the product; the gas mixture and shelf life are the producer's decision. The machine delivers the configured vacuum, gas flush and seal.
05How fast is a tray sealing machine?
Speed depends on the number of trays per cycle, the sealing time and the vacuum and gas time, so it is stated in the quotation for the agreed tray and tooling.
Next step
Request a technical evaluation for your product.
Send a short video of your current process, product photos and your target output. An engineer reviews them and replies with what can be evaluated for your line, before any quotation is made.