Machine Types
Spiral vending machine
Term from the vending glossary
Classic snack vending machine in which products rest on rotating spirals (coils) and are dispensed by rotating forward. Inexpensive, low-maintenance and robust; standard for bars, crisps and bottles in public areas.
In a spiral machine, products are loaded into horizontal coils that rotate one full turn with each vend cycle, pushing the front item forward until it falls. This design has been the standard for packaged snacks for decades because it is simple, inexpensive, and offers flexible loading through adjustable coil spacing.
Its main weakness is the no-vend: if a product becomes jammed, the customer has paid but received nothing. Modern machines address this with an optical sensor that detects when a product falls into the dispensing area; if no drop is detected, the machine rotates the coil again or refunds the payment. Operating a machine without this no-vend protection creates customer service issues.