Cartoner Packaging Solutions

Cartoner equipment is used in conveyor lines to form and seal paperboard, or chipboard, containers. These complex packaging systems can be either semi automatic, where boxes are filled manually, or fully automatic, where boxes are filled through the use of a feeder or other mechanical device. Systems are made to handle a wide variety of carton sizes, weights, and styles, and are in operation for line speeds that require as much as several hundred cycles per minute. Technical innovation in this area of automation occurs at a very rapid rate, making it important to survey the market frequently. Major packaging shows, such as Pack Expo and WestPack, provide an opportunity to see these systems, which usually have an extremely large footprint, in operation. Heritage Pioneer, with rich experience in both automation and container manufacture and design, is well positioned to assist in the effort to review options and specify requirements for new equipment.

Industries and Applications

Many sectors of industry utilize cartoner systems. These include medical / pharmaceutical, personal care products, household products, chemicals, food and beverage, confectionery, printing, nutraceutical, and contract packaging. Since these are high production industries, at least some degree of automation is almost a necessity, as the manual setup of a folding carton is extremely time consuming. Horizontal machines feed containers into the system on their side, where they are then folded, sometimes glued, and conveyed downstream for product insertion, which can be accomplished manually or automatically. In some cases – cereal boxes, for example – bags are inserted before product is introduced. Vertical machines introduce boxes into the system standing on end, and are often used in conjunction with gravity feed devices that pour granular product or small parts into the box from overhead. After product is inserted, boxes move further downstream where they are sealed, usually by gluing. In many applications, devices to weigh or measure the volume of product are used during the fill process. Labeling and coding equipment is also commonly employed with a cartoner for product dating and product identification. Since every user’s operation is unique, systems usually require some degree of customization in order to provide maximum efficiency. However, in certain industries, such as beverage, where there is some standardization of container size, manufacturers specialize in equipment specifically designed to run a given product type. Limiting customization reduces machinery cost, simplifies integration, and expedites installation.

Containers and Cartoner Equipment

One of the most important components of these systems is the container itself. Because these machines run at such high speed, the integrity of the box being fed into them must be exceedingly high. Boxes that are warped, out of square, miscut, or are in some way inconsistent, will not feed properly, accept gluing, bag insertion, product, or closure. This results in downtime, which is costly in high speed operations. Other associated problems, also costly, include repackaging and a compromise of quality standards. Link back to the Cartoner main page, our packaging solutions main page or back to the top of this Cartoner packaging solutions article.