Horizontal Cartoner

Horizontal Cartoner

A horizontal cartoner is a packing machine that integrates mechanics, electricity, compressed air, etc., and many industries introduce it for packaging all kinds of products.

It is also called an end load cartoner or a side load cartoner.

The carton’s back panel is parallel to the ground during end load cartoning.

As shown in the video below:

A horizontal cartoning machine could complete the following steps in one stop, which includes:

• Box Blank Picking
• Blank Unfolding & Erecting
• Carton Placing & Conveying
• Product Loading
• Dust Flaps Folding
• Carton Closing
• Closed Carton Outputting

It is suitable for cartoning medicines, cosmetics, food, daily necessities, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), hardware fittings, stationery, toys, oral liquids, granules, flavorings, etc.

A variety of options are available for your choice, including:

• Closed Carton Sorter
• Code Printer
• Hot Melt Adhesive Applicator
• Leaflet Folder
• Leaflet Inserter
• Sachet Sorter
• ……

To purchase a side load cartoner or seek an end load cartoning solution, contact us via email or WhatsApp.

Email: info@sirosilo.com

WhatsApp: +8617312124727

What is a Horizontal Cartoner?

A horizontal end load cartoner completes a series of motions such as box blank picking, blank erecting, box bottom closing, content loading, box top closing, and closed carton outputting in one stop.

In short, it converts flat box blanks into product-packed closed cartons.

You can use it alone, or integrate it with other upstream & downstream equipment to form a packaging line, such as:

• Tube Filler
• Dynamic Checkweigher
• Collaborative Robots
• Labeling Machine
• Metal Detector
• Horizontal Flow Wrapper
• Shrink Wrapping Tunnel
• Sorting Machine
• Cellophane Overwrapping Machine
• VFFS (Vertical Form Fill Seal Machine)
• Case Packer Machine

Working Principle

Referring to the photo below, let’s dive deep into its working principle.

A simplest side load cartoner works as shown in the above photo.

Upstream equipment or workers put the products into the bucket conveyor, and the photoelectric eyes quickly identify the products in the bucket and send signals to the PLC.

Then, the PLC issues a command to the the box blank picker.

The box blank picker quickly picks up a blank, pre-breaks & erects it, and puts the erected carton into the chain conveyor.

These product and carton chain conveyors move forward synchronously.

During carton conveying, the cartoner first closes the box bottom;

Then the carton comes to the cartoning station, and an air cylinder drives a pushrod inserting the product into the carton;

Next, the carton moves forward following the chain conveyor for its top closing;

At last, the product-packed & closed carton comes out from the outlet.

Components

The schematic below clearly displays common components of an end load cartoner equipment.

Let’s explore them in depth one by one.

Bucket Conveyor

The bucket is typically mounted on a toothed chain driven by a separate servo motor.

It carries the product precisely to the loading station, its width is adjustable according to your product size.

Bucket ConveyorWhen the bucket approaches the loading station, a photoelectric eye detects the product and sends a signal to the PLC.

Then PLC sends a command to the box blank feeder (picker), and the feeder picks up a box blank from the magazine.

Box Blank Magazine

It plays the role of storing carton blanks.

You could adjust its length & depth by loosening screws, which fit the corresponding carton size.

When the box blank supply is insufficient, the warning light lights up to remind the operator to replenish.

The cartoner automatically stops if the box blank is out of stock.

Blank Picker & Erector

It is the so-called carton feeder.

When the carton feeder receives a command from PLC, it will pick up the carton blank from the magazine, pre-break it, and place it on the carton conveyor.

The carton sits between two lugs so it doesn’t shift out of place.

Carton Conveyor

Two independent servo motors drive the carton forward until outputting the closed carton.

Cartons sit between two lugs, you can adjust these lugs, fitting cartons of different sizes.

To further prevent the cartons from shifting during conveying, a top pressure plate lightly presses the cartons.

Product Loader/Inserter

For continuous motion cartoner, the barrel cam loader plays the role.

The barrel cam loader consists of many sliding arms driven by servo motors, thus they can smoothly load products into cartons.

For the intermittent cartoning machine, the pushrod undertakes the product loading task.

Carton Sealer

This part comprises a closure panel folding rod & a carton closure unit.

Two rotary cranks drive the carton closure unit to move a connecting plate.

There are two stainless steel paddles (or plows) on the connecting plate:

• Folding Tuck Flap
• Inserting Tuck Flap

The power of the paddle (or plow) comes from the cam on the carton closure unit.

Closed Carton Outlet

After closing/sealing the carton, the closed carton comes to the outlet.

Leaflet Folder

GUK paper folding machine undertakes this task.

GUK Paper Folding MachineIt is compatible with different driving modes, its wear rate is low, and it is easy to maintain & upgrade.

As a high-speed leaflet folding machine with superior performance, its max. speed could reach 500 sheets per minute.

Code Printer

You could choose an ink printer or a deboss coder to complete batch & date printing.

The batch & date printed by the ink printer are less clear, and the ink may gets damp in a humid environment.

If your budget is enough, we recommend you use the deboss coder.

The batch & date printed by the deboss coder are not easy to wear, they could maintain a clear display for a long time.

Hot Melt Glue Applicator

For seal end carton closing, hot melt adhesive applicators are essential.

These applicators’ nozzle sprays hotmelt glue onto the carton’s inner closure panel.

In the next station, a paddle (or plow) presses the outer closure panel onto the inner closure panel, these 2 panels stick together to complete the carton closure.

Types

Carton Style

End load cartoning often involves the following four types of cartons:

123 Bottom Box

Auto Bottom Box

Seal End Carton

Tuck End Box

Automation

Fully Automatic

A fully automatic side load cartoner integrates an automatic product feeder.

When the product comes out of the upstream production or primary packaging line, the product feeder automatically feeds it into the bucket conveyor.

As shown in the video below, the facial cream bottle passes from the upstream filling machine and approaches the cartoner through a belg conveyor, then a pusher pushes it directly into the bucket conveyor.

Semi-automatic

For semi-automatic end load cartoner, a worker manually loads the product into the bucket conveyor, as shown in the video below.

Motion Manner

Continuous Motion

Continuous motion cartoners adopt a barrel cam loader to push products into the box.

The barrel cam loader integrates many sliding arms, pushing the products into the carton without pause.

Intermittent Motion

Intermittent motion cartoners push the product into the carton through the back-and-forth movement of a pushrod.

During the product loading process, the product, carton, and leaflet conveying chains pause for a while, waiting for the pushing completion;

Hot Selling

Biscuit Cartoning Machine

The video below shows the automatic counting, sorting, and end load cartoning of 15 biscuit bags.

Bags of biscuits come out of the upstream primary packaging machine (VFFS), they first enter a conveyor belt, which carries them to the bag counter & sorter.

After 15 bags are sorted and counted, they are pushed into the bucket conveyor of the cartoner by two pneumatic control push plates.

The bucket conveyor conveys 15 bags through the product loading, dust flaps folding, closure panel gluing station, and closed carton outlet to complete the whole box packaging process, these 15 biscuit bags are packed into full overlap seal end cartons.

Blister Cartoner

The 120CPM blister cartoner in the video below is popular.

It integrates a blister magazine and a leaflet folder.

You can assign an employee to refill the blisters and flat leaflet sheets and leave the other processes to the machine.

Bottle Cartoner

The workflow of a fully automatic side load glue cartoner is visible in the video below.

Its workflow includes the following steps:

1. Bottle Sorting
2. Bottle Conveying to Bottle Feeder
3. Bottle Feeding into Bucket Conveyor
4. Bottle Conveying on Bucket Conveyor
5. Leaflet Folding, Feeding & Conveying
6. Box Erecting
7. Bottle & Leaflet Inserting
8. Dust Flaps Folding
9. Glue Sealing
10. Closed Carton Pressing & Outputting
11. Code Printing
12. Closed Carton Collecting

Food Cartoner

In the following common categories, many foods are packaged in cartons by side load cartoner.

• Alcohol
• Baking
• Beverages
• Bread & Bakery
• Breakfast & Cereal
• Candy
• Coffee
• Dairy & Eggs
• Frozen
• Pantry
• Snacks
• Tea

If your food is not fragile, we will find a suitable end-load cartoning solution for you.

Email: info@sirosilo.com

WhatsApp: +8617312124727

Pizza Cartoner

Please enjoy the following pizza wrapping cartoning line presentation video first.

• Workers feed pizzas manually;
• Pizzas pass through horizontal flow wrappers one by one;
• Wrapped pizza enters the shrink tunnel;
• Heat shrink-wrapped pizzas are fed into the bucket conveyor one by one;
• The cartoner finishes pizza cartoning step by step.

Pouch Cartoning Machine

Sachet Cartoning Machine

Soap Cartoning Machine

Tea Box Packaging Machine

Tissue Box Packing Machine

Tube Cartoning Machine

Vial Cartoning Machine

Robotic Cartoning

Robotic cartoning introduces programmable robots for product picking & placing.

In a vertical cartoning machine, the robot picks the product up and places it directly into a carton that opens on top;

When the robot works with a side load cartoner, it grabs the product and places it into a bucket.

The bucket carries the product to the cartoning station where a push rod or barrel cam loader inserts the product into the carton.

Manufacturers

Side load cartoner manufacturers are spread all over the world.

The following list covers the most well-known manufacturers in this niche.

• acg
• bergami
• bosch/syntegon
• bradman lake
• cam
• clybourn
• dividella
• econocorp
• hoonga
• ima
• iwk
• mgs
• marchesini
• ra jones
• romaco
• tishma
• uhlmann
• ……

These manufacturers have a long history, and strong technical accumulation, and continue to lead the technology.

As a Chinese supplier, our biggest advantage is customizing machines according to your requirements.

Contact us via Email or WhatsApp to customize your desired end load cartoner.

Price

The following aspects influence horizontal end load cartoner price: speed, degree of automation, customized features, and configuration.

Speed

Continuous motion cartoner is faster than intermittent motion one, and its price is higher.

Degree of Automation

A fully automatic cartoner adds an automatic product feeder and costs more.

If your cartoner runs independently and your local labor costs are low, we suggest you turn to manual product feeding.

Customized Features

Every customer has different product & cartoning requirements, and because of this, many customers purchase a custom end load cartoner eventually, which costs more than a standard one.

Configuration

Many customers have rigid requirements for PLC, inverters, and touchscreen brands.

Integrating better components will increase the final price.

As far as we know, Chinese horizontal cartoning machine price ranges from USD$15,000 to USD$100,000.

Horizontal Cartoner Choice

Box Types

The following four box types are the most common:

• • • Tuck End
    • 123//1-2-3/Snap Lock Bottom
    • Auto/Auto-lock Bottom
    • Full/Partial Overlap Seal End Box

After confirming your box type for your supplier, they can recommend a suitable model to you faster.

Carton Sizes

Compatible box size (L x W x H/D) is an important parameter.

All your box sizes should be compatible with your desired machine.

If your box size is out of range, please select a suitable supplier to customize your dreamy cartoning solution.

Box Design & Material

Folding cartons must be pre-folded (deep creasing line) during production at the factory, and the erecting directions of all your boxes must be consistent.

Some cartons are produced from recycled materials, and such cartons’ quality is poor, which will affect the blank opening & cartoning effects.

We recommend you produce cartons from pulp as much as possible.

Product & Package

As long as your products & package are suitable for placing on a flat surface and loading into the carton with a push rod, you can choose an end load cartoner.

Rate

If your cartoner works alone, you must make sure its rate can match your daily throughput requirements;

For cartoning machines integrated into a packaging line, their rate must match the upstream & downstream equipment.

The faster the machine, the higher the price, please carefully choose the suitable speed based on your future needs.

Size Switch

For cartoning machines that are compatible with several sizes, size changeover is an unavoidable issue.

The size switch will cause some downtime.

Different cartoning machines consume different size switch times due to different product loaders, please confirm it with the supplier in advance.

Combination & Integration

As a secondary packaging machine, the cartoning equipment is usually in the middle of the packaging line.

It may connect an upstream FFS machine or tube filler and combine a downstream checkweigher, labeler, heat shrink film tunnel, or case packer.

Please make sure your preferred cartoner can communicate with upstream & downstream equipment.

Your supplier should have extensive experience in packaging line integration.

Footprint

The footprint is also an unavoidable factor in any packaging line design.

Before purchasing cartooning equipment, please plan your production line, and measure the length & width of available space.

To facilitate machine maintenance, the measured length & width should be 0.6-1m larger than the machine length & width.

Operator Ability

Cartoner operation & maintenance require certain craftsmanship.

An outstanding operator can help you increase productivity and reduce machine failure rates & downtime.

We suggest you pay attention to training some high-quality operators or pay a higher price to hire one.

Safety

The complex cartoner integrates a variety of hard metal fittings, and accidents may occur due to improper operation.

Therefore, the cartoner usually has an emergency stop switch.

Some cartoners can also add protective doors and a built-in safety switch.

If the protective door opens in production, the machine automatically stops to protect the operator.

Vertical Cartoner

Vertical cartoner automatically top loads products into folding cartons.

It is suitable for cartoning any product that will fall with gravity, especially powder, granular, seeds, oral liquid, etc.

Its frame is a star wheel with 12 workstations distributed in an orderly manner.

These stations include:

• • • Carton Erecting
    • Bottom Sealing
    • Product Loading
    • Code Printing
    • Leaflet Inserting
    • Top Sealing
    • Closed Carton Outputting

A few spare stations are reserved for future functions.

Please click the photo below to dive deep into the top load cartoner.

Horizontal V.S. Vertical Cartoner

• • • Top Load Pros

It is compact with a small footprint, now capable of cartoning many products after a long development, and its price is cheaper than side load type;

• • • Top Load Cons

Different products & packages need custom-sized molds, replacing these molds requires downtime.

Additionally, if your boxes come in many sizes, custom molds will cost you additional expenses.

End load cartoners are widespread in cosmetics, soap, toothpaste, and blister packing.

• • • End Load Pros

It’s very stable for a wide range of applications, especially suitable for packaging products easily stackable or in specific shapes.

Its speed could reach 1000+ cartons/min, its efficiency is quite high, and it is compatible with boxes of different sizes without size molds.

• • • End Load Cons

Its high price has driven away many interested parties.

You have scrolled this far, so why not contact us to get a quote for comparison and enjoy worry-free sourcing services like our American customer Mr. Bob?

Email: info@sirosilo.com

WhatsApp: +8617312124727