Sealing Equipment for Cardboard Boxes

Equipment Overview

Process to fold cardboard box lids for shipment.
Daily production is about 5,000 boxes.

Before Improvement

Previous equipment

Cardboard boxes are transferred on a conveyor and a front inner lid is folded inward by blade ❶.

After a sensor detects the cardboard box, the air cylinder moves down the arm ❷ to fold the back inner lid inward.

By transferring the cardboard box with the outer lids touching the guide bars ❸, the outer lids are gradually folded inward.

Boxes are transferred to the taping device ❹.

Problems

The back inner lids could not be folded sometimes because of delayed timing of the air cylinder.

Countermeasures for problems in folding inner lids

When a problem occurred in folding inner lids, the conveyor was stopped to adjust the speed controller of the air cylinder and to redo the packing. This work (10 minutes) occurred 3 times per day.

After Improvement

Improved equipment

✪ The air cylinder has been replaced by an ELECYLINDER.

Improvements

✪ There is no delayed timing of arm's downward movement, eliminating folding errors of the back inner lid.

Effects After replacing an air cylinder with an ELECYLINDER

✪ The working hours has been reduced by 30 minutes per day.
Speed controller adjustment and re-packing of 30 minutes per day have been eliminated.

✪ Annual saving for labor cost is $1,800.
US$15 x 30 minutes (10 min. x 3 times) x 240 days = US$1,800.
*(Condition: Labor cost US$15/hr., Annual operation 240 days.) Exchange Rate: 1 (USD) = 100 (Japanese Yen).