Stack Feed Systems

Our in-house designed corrugate box stack feed system, with labelling or TIJ coding system (or both) and product collection trolleys, offers an ideal solution to dramatically reduce labour costs and increase labelling quality, for customers manually labelling volumes of boxes or trays, either to complement an in-line print and apply machine (i.e. for lower volume lines) or where the combination of label sizes and placement positions means it would not be practical to implement an inline solution.

Stack feed box feeder solutions can also be provided on a standalone basis for integration with your 3rd party packaging machine; for example to automatically top up the infeed hopper of a case erector, providing an infeed coding solution (with single shot and machine handshaking functionality via PLC where required)

A number of key features distinguish our solutions from others to the benefit of our customers:

• A true 900-1000mm hopper capacity, achieved via innovative roller array to spread the stack weight throughout the hopper, ensuring reliable feeding to the last box
• The option to include a 'minimum charge control' for easier box loading, as well as datum edge operation, for reduced machine setup and components movement
• The possibility to create repeatable setup parameters for different box types
• Tailored design to your largest and smallest box
• The possibility to label (print & apply label or code) on the top face / top and bottom face or across the corner of a box (or any other combination of labels that you might require)
• Typical feeding speeds between 40-60 boxes per min, depending on size

A special version of our stack feed system is available for crash-lock boxes, specifically designed to accommodate the asymmetric nature of these types of carton, allowing a full hopper height of products to be loaded and reliably fed where most competitor / off-the-shelf solutions necessitate a reduced/minimal quantity of cartons due to the lean of the stack removing much of the benefit of the feeder.

Stack feed solutions can also operate with standard or double thickness corrugated cartons, die-cut cartons, and flat format trays/shelf edge packaging. Feed operation employs a similar friction feed concept to our ALfeeder products, but can generally be considered suitable for larger products.