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What Is A Case Sealer?

Posted by Julie Rotuno on 14th Jun 2022

What Is A Case Sealer?

A case sealer is a piece of industrial machinery that is used to tape and seal packages. These machines will normally consist of two or more guide rails, which are used to guide and hold the package in place. Then, a mechanical arm uses an attached roll of tape to seal the package securely. These machines are very important in the packaging process, and should not be disregarded.

Types Of Case Sealer

As with most machines, case sealers are available in a variety of forms. For instance, there is a difference between automatic case sealers and semi-automatic case sealers. Depending on how your manufacturing process works, either one of these might be the better choice.

A semi-automatic case sealer requires at least some degree of help from a human. In most cases, a human will have to fold the flaps of the container and place them appropriately. By contrast, a fully automatic case sealer will fold and prepare each box with no help from a human hand. Obviously, these kinds of machines are more expensive than their semi-auto counterparts. That’s why a business owner has to weigh the cost carefully. You have to ask yourself if the extra money you spend on the automatic sealer is truly worth the investment.

You will also have to decide between a uniform case sealer and a random case sealer. Once again, your manufacturing process will determine your needs. A uniform case sealer is meant to seal a single type of box. This makes them an ideal choice for assembly-line use. However, they can only handle one size, and that means you will need a different machine for each different type of package that you use.

A random case sealer, on the other hand, can detect the dimensions of a box and adjust itself accordingly. By doing this, a random case sealer can handle any kind of box. For companies that deal with a large variety of packages, this kind of machine is definitely essential.

What To Look For In A Good Case Sealer

A case sealer needs to have certain qualities in order to do its job. For one thing, you want a machine that is durable enough to hold up to extended use. After all, the entire purpose of this machine is to save you money. Those savings will be completely negated if the machine is constantly breaking down. Repair costs are unlikely to be cheap, and every minute of lost production equals lost revenue.

You also need to think about the size of the boxes that your company normally handles. Obviously, a smaller machine will have a harder time with larger boxes. On the other end of the spectrum, it would be pointless to buy a huge machine to package tiny boxes.

As with most products, the most expensive models tend to give the highest level of quality. Of course, it’s not always possible to buy the very best. Even if your company can afford to get the best, it might not be cost-effective to do so. If you go with a low-cost case sealer, you are more likely to experience issues.

For instance, it is common for cheaper models to sway and shake as they run. This can cause uneven seals on the package, and can even prevent the machine from doing its job properly. An unsteady machine will produce inconsistent results, and that is a big issue. We would recommend that you go for something in the middle price range. You want something that is easy on the bank accounts while also being reliable enough to do the job for years to come. While the higher-quality machines are more expensive, nothing is more expensive than a total breakdown.

You should also look for a case sealer in which the tape head is easy to access. When there is a problem with the machine (and problems will inevitably occur), the tape head is the most likely source. At the very least, you will need to access this area to change the tape roll when it has been depleted. Ideally, you should try to get a machine that makes tape adjustments and replacements easy. Otherwise, you will end up losing time as your employees are forced to fiddle with the tape head. As we all know, time is money!

Why Use A Case Sealer?

There are many reasons to use a case sealer, as opposed to having all packages sealed by hand. For a large-scale business, it just makes more sense to automate this part of the process. Machines like this are meant to save on labor costs, and they are quite effective for that purpose. Basically, it’s one less person that you have to hire. By saving on labor costs, a machine like this can pay for itself over time.

A case sealer also ensures that every package is sealed in a uniform way, and this is another fine benefit. Packages sealed by hand are sure to be slightly uneven and inconsistent because of human error. You can’t realistically expect a human being to get the tape in a perfectly straight line with every package, or to place the tape in the exact same spot for every package. A machine, on the other hand, has no problem with that.

Conclusion

While it may be a relatively expensive piece of machinery, a case sealer is truly essential for any business that is producing large amounts of packages. It just doesn’t make sense to do things the old-fashioned way when a case sealer can handle the job with more efficiency and precision than a human being could ever hope to have. As a final note, we should mention one other point: You should always make sure that your case sealer is compatible with your tape! If you have enjoyed this article, and if you would like to read more of our work, we invite you to fill out the contact form below.

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