Apparatus for forming filled pouches comprising: (a) a vacuum supply apparatus, (b) an elongated conveyor support, (c) an elongated row of vacuum apertures leading from the vacuum supply apparatus and discharging through the conveyor support, (d) a sequence of processing stations above the row of apertures in the conveyor support and which comprise holding, forming, filling and sealing stations, (e) a conveyor which includes a plurality of recessed vacuum moulds in its upper surface and mounted to slide over the conveyor support through each the processing station, (f) vacuum orifices extending through the conveyor into the vacuum moulds for transferring under-pressure from the vacuum apertures to each of the moulds, (g) means for supplying formable sheet material on to the conveyor at or ahead of the holding station, (h) drive means for driving the conveyor carrying the sheet material through the processing stations, and (i) means for supplying into the mould recesses through the vacuum apertures and the vacuum orifices a forming under-pressure at the forming station and at one or more subsequent processing stations characterised in that the vacuum apertures are constructed on the conveyor support as a combination of large vacuum apertures and smaller vacuum apertures through the area extending from the holding station to the forming station, and only with the smaller vacuum apertures in the subsequent areas, such that the under pressure in the moulds increases gradually or stepwise form a lower under pressure to a higher forming under pressure and the under pressure at the forming station is greater than the under-pressure at one or more (and preferably all) of the subsequent processing stations. (a) a vacuum supply apparatus, (b) an elongated conveyor support, (c) an elongated row of vacuum apertures leading from the vacuum supply apparatus and discharging through the conveyor support, (d) a sequence of processing stations above the row of apertures in the conveyor support and which comprise holding, forming, filling and sealing stations, (e) a conveyor which includes a plurality of recessed vacuum moulds in its upper surface and mounted to slide over the conveyor support through each the processing station, (f) vacuum orifices extending through the conveyor into the vacuum moulds for transferring under-pressure from the vacuum apertures to each of the moulds, (g) means for supplying formable sheet material on to the conveyor at or ahead of the holding station, (h) drive means for driving the conveyor carrying the sheet material through the processing stations, and (i) means for supplying into the mould recesses through the vacuum apertures and the vacuum orifices a forming under-pressure at the forming station and at one or more subsequent processing stations characterised in that the vacuum apertures are constructed on the conveyor support as a combination of large vacuum apertures and smaller vacuum apertures through the area extending from the holding station to the forming station, and only with the smaller vacuum apertures in the subsequent areas, such that the under pressure in the moulds increases gradually or stepwise form a lower under pressure to a higher forming under pressure and the under pressure at the forming station is greater than the under-pressure at one or more (and preferably all) of the subsequent processing stations.