Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas this September
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries.
REGISTER NOW & SAVE

Case taper fills tall order

E-Z Mix replaced a manual operation with a first-of-its-kind taping machine that top- and bottom-seals tall cases. Change to longer tape rolls also saves money.

Case sizes handled by the adjustable taping machine, top, range from a 10' cube to a case 32 1/2 ' tall, above.
Case sizes handled by the adjustable taping machine, top, range from a 10" cube to a case 32 1/2 " tall, above.

An operation such as case taping that’s usually so straightforward as to be ubiquitous at most plants was not so easily done at E-Z Mix, Chicago, IL. The company packages specialized plastic cups preprinted with ratios for mixing of paints used by auto body shops.

The company’s corrugated cases, most filled with the plastic cups, include one that stands more than 30’’ tall. It could not be handled by conventional case sealers, says company president Rick Hyman. “It’s difficult to tape a box that tall because it tends to tip as it conveys through a conventional taping machine,” he says, noting that the cases must be run standing upright through a taping machine.

Height wasn’t the only challenge. Cases are prone to falling over because, even when filled with the lightweight cups, they weigh very little. Most cases, filled with cups or lids, weigh 4 lb or less.

Yet manual case sealing methods proved inefficient and tiresome for workers, especially as output demands increased. Those demands compelled E-Z Mix to search for a taping machine, which led them to Manta Ray (Menomonee Falls, WI). Like other companies Hyman had contacted, Manta Ray didn’t have a taper available to handle the tall cases. But there was one major difference: Manta Ray was willing to build one for his application, says Hyman, at a reasonable price. The Sting Ray Tall Boy Model 3330 case sealer, installed in March, “works fine,” says Hyman.

In fact, it works so fine that E-Z Mix has doubled its cased output, he says.

Synchronicity

Conveying Innovations Report
Editors report on distinguishing characteristics that define each new product and collected video demonstrating the equipment or materials as displayed at the show. This topical report, winnowed from nearly 300 PACK EXPO collective booth visits, represents a categorized, organized account of individual items that were selected based on whether they were deemed to be both new, and truly innovative, based on decades of combined editorial experience in experiencing and evaluating PACK EXPO products.
Take me there
Conveying Innovations Report
Annual Outlook Report: Workforce
Hiring remains a major challenge in packaging, with 78% struggling to fill unskilled roles and 84% lacking experienced workers. As automation grows, companies must rethink hiring and training. Download the full report for key insights.
Download Now
Annual Outlook Report: Workforce