Sielaff FK 230

The FK series is what the industry calls a shaft-vending machine: products sit in vertical shafts behind a closed door; the consumer selects by number, and the bottle drops. No glass panel, no visibility into the product range. Sielaff also operates two glass-front series with lift dispensing, SiLine GF and Robimat X — operators seeking visibility should look at those models. The FK answers a different question: what can a machine withstand when stationed at a factory gate or inside a warehouse?

The manufacturer is based in Herrieden, Bavaria, which for this machine is not a marketing point but the reason for the spare parts availability detailed below. The series comprises three sizes. The FK 185 measures 1830 × 850 × 670 mm and weighs 265 kg; the FK 230 measures 1830 × 1120 × 670 mm and weighs 351 kg; and the FK 320 measures 1830 × 1120 × 880 mm and weighs 495 kg. All three are the same height; width and depth vary. Those measuring a niche have a choice between narrower and deeper.

This review addresses the FK 230, the mid-size model. It is the standard choice because at 1.12 metres wide it still passes through standard doorways, and at 670 millimetres deep it fits against a wall without blocking a corridor. At 351 kg empty weight, delivery is not a two-person job — fully stocked, the machine can weigh an additional 100 kg or more depending on product mix. For upper floors without a service lift, this machine is the wrong choice.

Payment integration is clearly documented for this machine: MDB is standard; Executive and BDV are optional. This is the most favourable baseline for retrofit upgrades. MDB allows a payment terminal to reserve funds and reverse a transaction if a vend fails — this is the function that determines whether a cashless purchase remains hassle-free for the consumer. On a machine shipped with MDB as standard, terminal replacement later is a matter of hours, not controller replacement.

The machine ships as a cash-only unit: coin validator, banknote reader, and change dispenser are what dealers stock in the base configuration. Card payment is added through the configurator. For budgeting, this means the same as for most machines in this class: terminal and integration must be included in the quote comparison, otherwise the comparison is apples to oranges.

The vend mechanism is the core. Standard and narrow shafts can be freely mixed, and this statement from the manufacturer highlights the practical advantage of the design: a shaft is set to a specific container size and operates reliably. There is no spiral that jams and no lift mechanism that can fail. The FK 320 accepts cans and bottles from 0.2 to 2.0 litres and stacks up to four rows deep; the FK 230 allows one to two rows.

The FK 230 has eight shafts standard and allows up to ten selection positions. Bottle length is limited to 295 millimetres — this is the figure to check against planned products because some 1-litre bottles exceed it. Standard 0.33-litre cans stack two rows deep; 0.5-litre cans stack one row.

Capacity must therefore be assessed honestly: it is less than what a glass-front spiral vender of the same price class offers in variety, but more than what a tabletop unit can deliver. Eight to ten selections are sufficient for a beverage portfolio comprising water, two soft drinks, a juice, an energy drink, and two to three rotating SKUs. For a location that also needs snacks, this is the wrong machine — a combo vender is required instead.

Those needing greater depth should choose the FK 320. It stacks up to four rows deep and accepts containers from 0.2 to 2.0 litres, maintains eight to ten selection positions, and grows to 880 millimetres depth and 495 kg. This is the machine for high-volume locations where quantity per SKU, not variety, is the constraint — a warehouse with shift operations, for example, where three hundred workers drink the same water.

This is where the design shines. A shaft vender has few parts to fail: no boiler, no brew group, no grinder, no spiral, no lift mechanism. Descaling is eliminated entirely. What remains is refrigeration plus one drive motor per shaft.

The shaft motor is accordingly the part you need to know. A specialist dealer stocks it for the FK series under part number SIE6080051000 at €173.25 gross (approximately €146 net) with a delivery time of five to seven working days; used motors are also available. With eight shafts, this is a manageable risk, and operators with in-house technicians routinely replace this component themselves.

Spare-parts availability is overall the strongest reason to buy this machine. At least four German dealers stock Sielaff parts, and the manufacturer is based in Germany. For a machine expected to run eight to twelve years, this is worth more than any accessory feature — the question is never whether something fails, but how long it takes to get the replacement part.

On cooling: condenser and refrigeration circuit must be inspected regularly and cleaned of dust. A clogged condenser first wastes electricity, then ruins the compressor; on a machine in a factory floor, it clogs faster than in an office. The manufacturer specifies no interval in the sources reviewed; for refrigerated venders, professional inspection every three to six months is industry standard. Because the refrigerant is propane, this work must be performed by qualified personnel.

The electrical specifications are unremarkable and practical for that reason: 220 to 230 volts, 50 to 60 hertz, minimum 10 amps. A standard outlet with its own circuit breaker suffices; no three-phase power, no electrician required.

Rated power varies significantly across sizes, and the figures come from the manufacturer: 300 watts for the FK 185, 470 watts for the FK 230, and 690 watts for the FK 320. Notably, the high-security variant lists 300 watts across all three sizes according to the manufacturer — whether this indicates different refrigeration design or a simplification in the datasheet could not be determined. Operators ordering the security variant should have this value confirmed.

Rated power is not consumption, as with any refrigerated appliance. A beverage vender draws power through the compressor continuously, and operational draw is well below the connection rating. But this is where documented information ends: neither the manufacturer nor any dealer reviewed provides annual consumption, and no standby power draw is stated.

The dealers reviewed quote two prices for a new machine, and they lie close together. One dealer lists the FK 230 from €6,268.92 including VAT, approximately €5,268 net. A second dealer quotes €5,650.80 net, with three to five working-day delivery and side blanks included. Both prices were verified on dealer websites on 24 August 2026. The range of approximately €5,270 to €5,650 net is therefore substantiated.

Door variants add approximately €125 gross for the RB and approximately €226 gross for the EB, according to dealer guidance. Cashless payment is not included and is ordered through the configurator — this is the most common reason why two quotes for the same machine differ by four-figure amounts.

Priced this way, the machine sits clearly below glass-front combo venders, which start at around ten thousand euros net for comparable capacity. For beverage-only sales, the FK costs about half as much — but offers less visibility and fewer selection positions.