Pizza Box Folding Machine

Pizza Box Folding Machine

A pizza box folding machine converts box blanks into sealed-bottom, open-top mailer/postal, lid & base, and pizza boxes for following product loading.

The photo above shows a standard mailer/postal box, it is made of kraft cardboard or corrugated paper and is popular in express packaging.

A pizza box’s structure may be the same as a mailer box, or there may be some minor differences.

The standard lid & base box are very simple, including a top lid and bottom base, as shown in the figure below:

If your box looks like a twin to the boxes in the pictures above, contact us to confirm the customization possibility for a box folding machine.

Email: info@sirosilo.com

WhatsApp: +8617312124727

Workflow

A mailer box former’s workflow is clear in the video below.

It absorbs a box blank with vacuum cups first;

Then, the vacuum cups absorb the blank to the folding station with a servo motor drive;

A folding station in the following photo:

Thirdly, this folding station finishes the mailer box forming & side panel insertion step by step;

Finally, the rear box pushes the front box out.

Structure Schematic

Let’s show you the schematic of a mailer box folding machine first.

It includes the common components listed below:

• Box Blank Magazine
• Control Cabinet
• Drive Chain
• Folding Station
• Lifting Motor
• Servo Motor
• Side Panel Folder & Inserter
• Touch Screen
• Tower Light
• Vacuum Grabber

Box Blanks Magazine

It pre-stores the box blanks and automatically lifts or lowers with a motor drive.

Its size is adjustable according to your box size.

Vacuum Grabber

It comprises guide rails, aluminum profile brackets, vacuum suction cups, etc.

Servo Motor

This servo motor drives the vacuum grabber forth and back between the blank magazine and the folding station.

Folding Station (Optional Hot Melt Glue Spraying)

A stamping & forming punch compresses the blank into the box shape.

If the dust flaps of your box adopt glue sealing, a hot melt glue applicator is available for your choice.

Side Panel Folder & Inserter

The cylinder drives four pushers & two plows to fold and insert the side panels, thus the box bottom is sealed.

Box Outlet

Formed boxes come out from the machine through this outlet.

Please watch the video below to review the entire operation.

Features

Simple structure, compact footprint;

Touch screen HMI, easy parameters setting & operation control;

Real-time status monitoring, automatic shutdown for failure;

PLC control to ensure stable & smooth operation;

Box blanks refilling without machine downtime;

Photoelectric eye detection for each essential motion;

Quick & easy size changeover, averaging 15-20 mins;

Current & cumulative output count;

Safety cover protects the operator;

High-quality components.

Price

The photo below shows the reference price of standard pizza/postal box formers in the Chinese market.

Its price will be higher if your mailer/pizza/postal box is non-standard and adopts hot melt glue to attach dust flaps to the side panel.

In addition, some customers may request additional features or specific parts, which can drive up the final price.

Manufacturers

If you search “mailer box folding machine” on Google, you will be hard-pressed to find just a few suppliers.

Foreign manufacturers usually use the keyword “tray former” to promote this type of machine, while Chinese manufacturers call this type of machine an aircraft/airplane box folding machine.

The following foreign tray former manufacturers are hot:

• adco
• combi
• ipak/wexxar
• kliklok
• swf

As a Chinese supplier, our greatest advantages are flexible customized services.

Please feel free to tell us your customization requirements via Email or WhatsApp.

Email: info@sirosilo.com

WhatsApp: +8617312124727

Pizza Box Former Choice

Almost all Chinese box folding machine manufacturers produce formers for mailer/postal or lid &  base boxes.

Namely, if your pizza box doesn’t share the same design as the mailer box, you should discuss customization possibilities with these mailer box former manufacturers.

After confirming the customization possibility, you must clarify your requirements from the following aspects.

Types of Box

Determining your box type is the priority.

• Mailer/Postal Box
• Pizza Box
• Lid & Base Box

For pizza boxes, usually, only the front panel needs to be locked;

As for postal/mailer boxes, some boxes need to lock the left & right side panels, and some boxes need to lock the left & right side panels plus the front panel.

The folding machine price varies for different box types.

Box Sizes

After you communicate all your box sizes to the manufacturer, they will recommend the most suitable model.

Ideally, all your box sizes will be within the compatible range of standard machines.

If not, please discuss it deeply with the manufacturer and confirm the customization possibility.

Speed

If your requirements for output are not high, we suggest you choose a moderate-speed intermittent motion machine, 700-1200 boxes per hour.

Such an intermittent mailer box former machine has good stability, a long service life, and brings sustainable benefits.

If you prefer high-speed, the mailer box folding machine in the video below can meet your requirement, it integrates a conveyor to achieve simultaneous folding of multiple boxes, leading to a speed of 25-30 boxes per minute.

Please comprehensively consider your existing output requirements & possible future increases, and choose a reasonable speed.

Footprint

Please measure the space available for your box folding machine before purchasing.

A distance of 0.6-1m should be around the machine to facilitate future operation & maintenance.

Customized Components

Some customers will specify the brand of components (such as PLC, inverter, touch screen, air cylinder, etc.).

These requirements are achievable, but the price will be higher than the standard.

In addition to the high price of branded components, manufacturers have to rewrite software codes for different brands, which consumes more manpower & time.

Optional Hot Melt Glue Applicator

Some mail/postal boxes require hot melt glue to seal the dust flaps to side panels.

In this case, you must use a hot melt glue applicator.

If you choose Robatech or Nordson hot melt adhesive applicators, they are expensive and have good effects;

Chinese hot melt glue applicators are cheaper, and the effect is not as good as Robatech or Nordson.

Lid & Base Box Former

Lid & base boxes can also be automatically folded and formed by the machine in the video below, the formed boxes are suitable for packaging various products such as clothes, fruits, gifts, mobiles, shoes, underwear, etc.

In the above video, the lid & base boxes are interlocked from the side panel to the bottom panel to erect.

Another type of lid & base box requires hot melt glue to seal the side panels to form it, as shown in the following video:

If your lid & base box are made of white cardboard, please choose the folding machine in the video below:

Some customers favor high speed and choose a duplex folding machine:

Our lid & base box folding machines share the same design as the mailer box erector, as shown in the photo below:

Tuck End Box Erector

In addition to pizza box folding machines, the following folding carton erectors are also popular.

• Tuck End Box Erector
• 123 Bottom Box Erector

Let’s dive deep into tuck end box erector first.

Tuck end box erectors can form both straight & reverse tuck end cartons.

And it has 2 types for your choice.

Intermittent Motion

Parts

This intermittent motion small box erector consists of the following parts:

• Alarm Indicator
• Aluminum Profile Frame
• Box Blank Magazine
• Carton Forming Station
• Control Cabinet
• Leveling Feet
• Pneumatic Components (Air Cylinder)
• Touchscreen
• Universal Wheel
• Vacuum Generator
• Vacuum Suction Cups

Processes

Its running processes include:

1. Box Blank Picking-up & Placing
2. Box Framing
3. Dust Flaps Folding
4. Closure Panel Folding
5. Tuck Flap Folding & Holding
6. Tuck Flap Inserting
7. Carton Blowing Out

Please watch the operation guidance video for a better understanding.

Selling Points

Its following features may appeal to you:

1. Compact structure, small footprint;
2. Simple & convenient touchscreen control;
3. Photoelectric eye detection ensures stable & smooth running;
4. Low power cuts electricity bills;
5. Safety cover protects the operator;
6. Easy shifting with universal wheels.

In addition, a pneumatically controlled top pressure plate is added to the carton framing device.

With this dedicated design, the tuck flap insertion effect gets much better.

HMI

• Startup Screen (Your Logo & Native Language)

• Home Interface

• Cylinder Control

• Output Signal

Continuous Motion

Composition

The following schematic shows its structure.

It consists of the components below:

• Touch Screen

Convenient control.

• Box Blank Magazine

It pre-stores max. 400 pcs box blanks in advance (depending on blank thickness), and blank restocking is achievable without machine downtime.

• Transmission Chain

It sits inside the machine and connects to a row of lugs outside.

The cartons are placed between neighborhood lugs one by one, and then the chain conveyor drives the row of lugs forward.

• Folder & Former

During the forward movement, the folder & former complete the bottom closure panel & dust flaps folding and insert the bottom tuck flap into the carton.

• Closed Carton Outlet

The chain conveyor carries the closed carton to the outlet finally.

Most customers will place a collection container under the carton outlet, and the closed cartons directly enter the container for downstream packaging.

• Control Cabinet

It is equivalent to the continuous tuck end box erector’s brain.

The PLC inside issues instructions for smooth & stable running.

Workflow

Tuck end box forming includes the following steps:

1. Carton Blank Pickup
2. Bottom Dust Flap Folding
3. Bottom Closing Panel Folding
4. Bottom Tuck Flap Insertion
5. Closed Carton Outputting

Please watch the video below to digest these steps.

Parameters

Speed	40-60 CPM
Size Range	L(30mm-120mm | 1.18″-4.72″) W(30mm-80mm | 1.18″-3.15″) H(70mm-165mm | 2.75″-6.5″)
Compatible Box	Straight/Reverse Tuck End
Power	0.4kW
Voltage	110/220/380V, 50/60Hz
Air Pressure	0.6Mpa-0.8Mpa | 6-8 Bar
Dimension/Weight	L1.66m x W0.96m x H1.5m 450Kg
Size Changeover Time	15-20 Mins

123 Bottom Box Erector

The 123 bottom box erector is another hot-selling type of folding carton erector, it folds & forms the 1-2-3 bottom box (also called snap lock bottom carton) as shown in the photo below:

There are also 2 types of such erectors available.

Intermittent Motion

Components

Intermittent 1-2-3 bottom box erector consists of the following parts:

• Control Console
• Electric Cabinet
• Alarm Light
• Carton Blank Magazine
• Carton Erecting Unit
• Bottom Locking Unit
• Carton Outlet

Workflow

Let’s dive deep into its running processes.

• Box Blank Grabbing & Conveying

Two vacuum suction cups suck a box blank from the blank magazine and then convey the blank to the carton erecting unit.

• Carton Erecting

A photoelectric eye detects the coming box blank and sends a signal to the PLC.

Then, the PLC sends a command to the other two vacuum suction cups to absorb the box blank, generating a reverse pulling force.

Two reverse pulling forces erect the box blank into a square shape.

• Bottom Interlocking

Now it’s the bottom locking unit’s turn.

It folds the female bottom closure panel first, then folds the two closure flaps, and finally tucks the male bottom closure panel into the female bottom closure panel.

• Closed Box Outputting

Compressed air blows the closed box out, and the closed boxes with open tops drop into the pre-placed collection container.

Its workflow is clear in the video below.

Non-pre-creased 123 bottom boxes are foldable on the erector in the video below:

Continuous Motion

Continuous 123 bottom box erectors share the same design as the continuous tuck end box erectors mentioned above.

The only difference between them is their different carton folder & former unit.

You have read this far, so why not contact us to enjoy worry-free sourcing services like our American customer Mr. Bob?

Email: info@sirosilo.com

WhatsApp: +8617312124727