Cartoning machines are more than just putting products into boxes

The fierce global market competition and customer demand have driven carton makers to keep making progress and develop new and more efficient cartoning machines.

Cartoning machine faces more challenges

In trying to meet the needs of customers, carton makers have encountered many challenges. Customers who purchase their equipment want better flexibility, modularity, reliability, and easy-to-clean machines. At the same time, the pressure from cost and the need for product differentiation have driven the continuous development of cartoner technology.

Z Automation is a manufacturer of upright and horizontal cartoning equipment. The needs of its customers can be varied. “If customers want to produce a wide range of different products, rapid conversion is the first consideration for them to purchase equipment,” said Walter Langosch, vice president of sales for the company. “But if fast conversions can't be repeated, it doesn't make any sense.”

Due to different applications, the customer's first consideration is also different. "If it is a dedicated machine, then efficiency is the first consideration," Langosch said. "The second level of consideration is usually to comply with the existing GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standard, and then the flexibility of the machine (especially for The contract packager.) Finally, it is possible to load different products into different cartons, and at the same time, it is also a good cartoner that can quickly change without tools."

Bill Crist, chairman and CEO of Kliklok-Woodman, believes that one of the most fundamental questions customers need to solve is how to switch from a long-term production of simple products with universal packaging to a highly flexible operational production environment. In response, the design of the new machine requires the aggregation of higher-level motion controls to achieve repeatability of dimensional changes, simple and rapid conversions, seamless mechanical or electronic integration with upstream or downstream equipment, and machine control or operational data and users. The production plan is integrated with the manufacturing system. In addition, it is also important to perform offline diagnostics and make changes to operating parameters when needed. Crist also said: “Customer training and support is an independent product. Now, this product is becoming more and more important.” Richard Bahr, President and CEO of MGS Machinery, agrees. "In terms of meeting customers' future needs, integration of equipment and high-quality customer support and training are equally important," Bahr said. "These have nothing to do with product design, but they play a vital role."

The application of servo technology improves the performance of all aspects of the cartoning machine

Dedicated machines can achieve high speeds and high efficiencies relatively easily, but to do this on a flexible, often changing machine requires fast and repeatable renewal so that downtime can be minimized. In order to achieve rapid renewal, the typical approach is to add hardware, which depends on the complexity of the factory's production line and the maintenance worker's proficiency.

"The use of servomotors eliminates the need for mechanical motors and all mechanical parts because the servomotor itself is a direct drive and gearbox," Langosch said. "Some people think that servomotor technology will bring huge benefits, while others Machines that prefer mechanization because they are cheaper, but the price of the servo system has also dropped."

RA Jones & Co. used more servos to make the change faster and reduce mechanical complexity. Lisa Pitzer, the company's marketing program manager, realized that customers need faster renewal to maximize the flexibility of the production line and thus gain the most time for production. “Customers also demand that they be able to easily clear the blockage and clean the machine when switching production gaps,” Pitzer said. “They demand an ergonomically improved machine so that the loading of components, the cleaning of plugs and the operation of the machines are easier. ."

KHS-Bartelt's cartoning machine adopts an all-servo (third-generation) design. At the same time, the company also realized that the health of the machine has become very important. "The design of the machine is moving from the protective cover toward simplification," said Tom Brooker, the company's product manager. "The surface of equipment such as protective covers needs regular cleaning. As a result, customers are increasingly inclined to simplify machine design. Willing to eliminate any need to cover the existence of protective equipment, but also do not want to add a protective cover to them."

New products meet new customer needs

Because of the limited space available at many plants, the top loading cartoner has been improved and smaller in size. Rene Kummer, Secondary Packaging Product Manager at Sigpack Systems, said: "The demand for small and compact integrated solutions is very strong in the market. Now, integrating a tray molding, top loading cartoning machine and tray sealing into a single machine has become The standard of the top loading and packing line."

The Aagarad Group's combined system is only 18 feet long and is controlled using an HMI (Hub Management Interface) and PC controller. The overall architecture has three types of equipment: cartoner, case packer and palletizer. The size of the system is much smaller than the integration of the three devices. Aagarad itself claims that the system has reduced its footprint by 50%.

The customer's needs must be met without compromise. "You have to sell the best machine, not the highest-priced one, to the customer," Langosch said. "Because we only serve our customers honestly, we can keep this customer forever."

Source: Packaging Machinery