Void fill air pillow packaging uses material such as peanuts, paper or air pillows to fill spaces in packages. This eliminates the voids within a package and prevents the packaged item from moving around and possibly causing damage. Choosing the right void fill material affects not just product protection, but also shipping weight, storage space and how much time packers spend at each station.
Air Pillows vs. Other Void Fill
Not all void fill materials perform the same. Loose fill packing peanuts are inexpensive but messy — they spill during loading, static-cling to hands and clothing, and generate ongoing cleanup at every packaging station. Paper void fill avoids the static-cling problem but creates dust, and while it’s technically reusable, most of it ends up thrown out after a single use.
Foam void fill (molded or loose-fill) offers good cushioning but is bulky to store and doesn’t compress well, meaning you’re paying to ship and warehouse mostly air. Air pillows solve all three problems at once: they ship completely flat and deflated, inflate on demand right at the packing station, and produce zero dust or static mess — making them the cleanest and most space-efficient void fill option for most operations. For operations shipping high volumes, that space and labor savings compounds quickly across thousands of packages a month.
Air Pillow Systems & Machines
Pyramid Packaging is a distributor of AirPouch Express 3 Void Fill packaging equipment. The AirPouch Express 3 Tabletop Void-fill System provides on-demand, easy-to-use AirPouch EZ-Tear air pillows for high packing productivity, and reduced shipping costs. Operating at speeds over 50 feet per minute in semi-or fully-automatic modes, the AirPouch Express 3 creates continuous strips of void fill air pillow which are ideal for all protective packaging applications. Simply plug the unit in, load the air pillow material, and start packaging. The system is compact enough for a single packing station or can be scaled into a fully automated fulfillment line.
Because the film feeds directly into the machine and inflates only what’s needed, there’s no pre-measuring or overfilling — packers use exactly as much material as each box requires, which keeps material costs predictable order over order.
The AirPouch EZ-Tear pillows are puncture-resistant air significantly improve protection while reducing packing and shipping costs. Its perforated technology makes it extremely easy for packers to grab a strip of air pillows and quickly tear off as many as they need. The pillows are specially designed perforations allow more air into each pillow. They are available in 8, 10, and 12 inch widths — wide enough for bulky items, narrow enough for tight void space in smaller boxes. Because the film ships flat on a roll and inflates only as needed, a single case of film replaces what would otherwise be several cases of pre-inflated cushioning, cutting incoming freight and storage costs as well.
Or call Pyramid Packaging at 847-272-3400.
Where Void Fill Air Pillows Are Used
Void fill air pillows work well wherever a shipped item is smaller than its box or needs cushioning against shifting and impact during transit. Common applications include:
- E-commerce and mail-order fulfillment, where box sizes vary and void space is unpredictable order to order
- Fragile or irregularly shaped products that need cushioning on all sides, not just top and bottom
- Multi-item shipments where products need to be kept separated to prevent scratching or impact damage
- High-volume distribution centers looking to cut void-fill material and labor costs
Because air pillows are lightweight and take up minimal storage space before use, they’re also a practical fit for smaller operations that don’t have room to stock cases of foam or loose fill. Pyramid Packaging can help you calculate roughly how much film you’ll need per month based on your current box sizes and order volume, so you’re not over- or under-stocked.