After sales service Maintenance Programs are the key to keep high levels of O.E.E. throughout the life of the equipment. We offer a modular service package providing planned maintenance tasks to optimise spare parts usage and maintenance cycles. Some related information Cartoning Machines & SystemsCartoning machines are packaging systems which erect, close and/or erect, fill and close carton blanks or folded and side seam sealed cartons. Cartons are one of the commonest forms of packaging. But while they almost all end up in a regular six-sided square or rectangular shape there are a number of different styles which are dictated by the filling and closing method. For example, some cartons are filled and closed via the end flaps; others are filled vertically and closed with a fold over 'lid'. Other important differences include the means of securing the carton in its erected form. Some are glued using adhesive; others have pre-cut tabs and slots, or are pre-coated with a heat sensitive material. Some applications use window cartons - a carton with a pre-cut area behind which transparent film has been fixed to allow the contents to be viewed. Cartoners which erect, fill and seal on one machine are sometimes called Carton Form, Fill, Seal machines. Some cartoning machines and systems are patented like the Tetra Brik and "Combibloc" for liquids which can only be produced on those companies' machines, while other patented designs like 'crashlock' cartons can be automatically erected on a wide range of machines. Cartons are made from cartonboard which is a semi-flexible paper material 250μ to 1,000μ in thickness. They should not be confused with Cases which are made from rigid corrugated board and are larger, often containing a number of cartons for transit. Cartons can come in the form of blanks, which are flat, pre-printed and cut to size and shape, with slots and tabs pre-cut if necessary. These are then folded or 'erected' to form the carton in the machine. However the majority of cartons are delivered folded and side seam sealed to form what is sometime known as a skillet. On the cartoning machine these skillets are erected and then filled with product before the end flaps are folded and closed. To add something extra to presentation, cartons come in a wide variety of shapes including hinged lids, triangular, hexagonal, octagonal, double-wall, frame-wall, wave-shaped cartons; and tapered trays. At their simplest cartoners can be semi-automatic machines which close the flaps of manually erected and filled cartons at low speeds, but at their most sophisticated cartoners are fully automatic machines incorporating pick-and-place product loading or stacking devices, leaflet inserters and coding devices and run at several hundred cartons a minute. Modern cartoners have benefited from the introduction of servo driven subassemblies, programmable logic controllers and even computers which allow the machines to be size changed automatically and synchronised using software rather than mechanical transmission components. However all these features come at extra cost and often a combination of old and new technology can achieve the desired performance. Cartoning machines are used in all fast moving consumer goods sectors but especially food, pharmaceutical, toiletry, cosmetic, household products, and DIY and recorded media industries. Cartoning machines are particularly important in the non-carbonated beverages industry but it is important to recognise that while the Combibloc carton is produced on a variant of a mandrel cartoning machine the apparently similar Tetra Brik cartons are produced on special vertical form fill and seal machines. CartonersCarton Erecting Machines
Carton Closing Machines
Case and Box HandlingBack in the day, everything was delivered in brown boxes or cases and this is still a major feature in the supply chain today although with some modifications along the way. Shrink and stretch wrap has obviously played a part in the distribution of fast moving consumer goods, in particular, but one of the latest developments in corrugated packaging has been the growth of the combined transit and display packs or the so-called shelf ready packs. This is designed to overcome the costs associated with getting products the last 50 yards of the retail supply chain, which are the most expensive. Faster shelf-loading solutions using cases and trays with knock-out perforated sections, tear tapes or removable lids have all been seen in recent times. These cut the time taken to replenish supermarkets’ shelves, while the greater availability of microflutes with improved graphic quality means that the easy-access transit container can double as an effective point of sale merchandiser. Many case or box packing machines are now designed to handle both traditional and shelf ready corrugated packaging. Another development has been the growth of robotics in case packing equipment to offer efficient and cost efficient handling of products. Machines incorporating robotics are designed to fully automate the packing of products into cases, trays or crates on new or existing production lines. Case Closing and Case SealingAutomatic case sealers are available for fixed or random sized cases and most have easy adjustments for quick size changes. Sealing is either with tape or hot melt adhesive. There are numerous options available, including in-feed and discharge conveyors, and many case closers and sealers can be integrated into new or existing lines and can be used as part of a modular system. Semi automatic sealers deliver quick, efficient case packing and sealing, and are available for fixed or random sized boxes. The machines can be custom fitted with a variety ofoptions, including custom in-feed and discharge conveyors. A case sealer is a packaging machine that applies pressure sensitive tape to the bottom and/or the top of a corrugated case or box to securely seal the contents within. Semi automatic case sealers can handle uniform or random sizes, or hold boxes steady for filling or even fold major flaps as it seals. Fully automatic case sealers fold all four top flaps of a box prior to applying tape to its top and/or bottom. These systems greatly reduce labour requirements as boxes are sealed on demand, and apart from the initial set up, do not require operators to run. Random case sealers are designed for use in any packaging environment and they avoid ‘set up’ time as they self adjust for each box as it is processed. Cases have to withstand rough handling, harsh environmental conditions and potential tampering and hot melt adhesive applied directly to case flaps creates a strong, rigid bond which helps ensure boxes remain intact and sturdy at all times. Adhesive manufacturers say that tape sealing packages cannot offer the same advantages as sealing with hot melt adhesive as, compared to tape sealing, hot melt systems provide superior: cost savings, safety, tamper evidence, operation, structural integrity and ease of maintenance Case Forming and Case / Box ErectingCase FormingCase formers can offer an ideal first step to packaging automation. The machines are designed to reduce the time and effort taken to manually erect a case, at a low capital cost as the machines fold the lower flaps and hold the open case steady to allow manual packing to take place with both hands Case/box erectingFully automatic case erectors with heavy duty construction are often easy to customise to accommodate a wide range of product sizes and types while integrating into any production line. Case erectors are perfect for low, medium as well as high speed packaging operations and some can handle up to 40 cases per minute. Box erectors are widely used in virtually any industry for automated drop loading and hand packing operations. They are used to form trays, cases and boxes for food, beverage, personal care and household care industries. The include bottles, jars, cans, cartons, pouches, bags and much more.
Case Packing and Case LoadingCase PackersCase packers are available in many configurations to pack virtually any product - small to large at speeds up to 30 cases or trays per minute. By automating the process, labour requirements are minimised while production output increases. Lines often integrate case erecting, product loading and container sealing into a single, compact machine. The fully automatic tray and case packers on the market are available in a variety of models, including machines that can form and pack corrugated wraparound cases, trays and display trays. Most models can handle a wide range of sizes and styles of blanks. Packing StationsEven packing by hand can be made more efficient with various options available. Many packing stations are specifically designed to enable customers to retain the advantages of packing by hand, such as quality control and flexibility, in a way that is more efficient than traditional methods. Case LoadingCase and tray loaders are widely used to wrap product primarily in the food, beverage, personal care, household care, pharmaceutical, automotive, industrial products and hardware industries. These include bottles, jars, cans, plastic containers, cartons, pouches, bags and much more. Case & Box Handling RobotsThe latest developments in case/box handling equipment has seen the rise of robotic machines that are designed to fully automate the packing of products into cases, trays or crates on new or existing production lines. These new units remove labour intensive operations, which can be a cause of repetitive strain injuries as well as a major cost. Many robotic systems offer efficiency through simplicity in terms of set-up, operation and maintenance. Robotics options include two axis robots for simple case loading; four axis robots for more complex case loading and palletising applications and high-speed automated pick and place robotics for volume operations. Integrated vision systems for product detection, orientation and quality control can also be offered to provide flexibility in case/pack handling and any future formats. Arranging Machines. Dispensing Machines |