Move finished products from the primary packing line into retail cartons, shipping cases, and pallets with one connected case packing system. The line can open cartons, arrange pouches, sachets, bottles, tubes, cans, or wrapped products, load them in set quantities, seal each case, and transfer it to palletizing. This cartoning system can work after a filling machine, pouch packer, flow wrapper, or labeling line. We configure the loading method, carton size, pack arrangement, line speed, and equipment layout around your production requirements.
Case Packing System and Cartoning System
Finished products often leave the primary packing machine as bags, bottles, tubes, trays or wrapped items. Before storage and delivery, factories still need to count them, place them into small cartons, load them into shipping cases and prepare the cases for pallet transport.
Vicanpack builds the case packing system around this part of the production line. The equipment can receive products from a filling line, VFFS machine, premade pouch machine, flow wrapper or another upstream machine. Conveyors then guide each product through grouping, cartoning, case loading, sealing and pallet stacking according to the required packing route.
The line does not need every process in every project. Some products go directly into corrugated cases, while others first enter retail cartons. Vicanpack selects the equipment according to how the finished package needs to leave the factory.
Cartoning or Case Packing: What Does Your Product Need?
A cartoning system loads individual products into folding cartons. It suits sachets, stick packs, tubes, blister packs, bottles, pouches and flow-wrapped products that need an outer retail box.
A case packing system works further down the line. It groups finished products or retail cartons and loads them into larger corrugated cases for storage and transportation.
A production line may use either system or combine both:
Product → Folding Carton → Shipping Case → Pallet
Factories can also skip the folding-carton stage:
Bottle, Bag or Tray → Shipping Case → Pallet
The correct route depends on the sales package, shipping method and number of products required in each carton.
What the Line Can Include
Product Sorting and Counting
Products arrive from the upstream machine through conveyors. Guides, sensors and counting units arrange them before loading. The machine can group products by quantity, row, layer or carton pattern.
Automatic Cartoning Machine
The cartoning machine opens folding cartons, inserts the product and closes the carton flaps. Depending on the product, the machine can use push-in loading, pick-and-place loading or manual-assisted feeding.
The cartoning system can also add leaflet insertion, date coding, carton checking and reject devices.
Case Erector
The case erector takes flat corrugated blanks from the magazine, opens each blank and folds the bottom flaps. Tape or hot melt glue closes the case bottom before the case enters the loading area.
Case Packing Machine
The case packer collects products in the required arrangement and places them into the shipping case. Side loading suits many cartons and regular packages, while top loading works well with bottles, pouches, trays and products that need robotic placement.
Vicanpack can match mechanical pushers, gripping tools, suction cups or robotic pick-and-place units to the package shape.
Case Sealing Machine
After loading, the case sealer folds the upper flaps and closes the case with tape or glue. The conveyor then sends the finished case to coding, weighing, inspection or palletizing equipment.
Palletizing Equipment
A palletizer arranges finished cases by layer and stacking pattern. Factories can choose a conventional palletizer, collaborative robot or industrial robot according to the case weight, production rate and available space.
Packages That Can Enter the System
Vicanpack configures cartoning and case packing equipment for:
- Sachets and stick packs
- Pillow bags and premade pouches
- Flow-wrapped products
- Bottles, cans and jars
- Plastic and metal tubes
- Cups, trays and containers
- Folding cartons
- Multipacks and bundled products
Food, beverage, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, daily chemical and consumer-product lines often use these package formats. Each format needs its own feeding guides, grouping method and loading tool.
A soft pouch cannot follow the same loading method as a rigid bottle. A lightweight folding carton also needs different handling from a heavy jar. Vicanpack checks these differences before choosing the machine structure.
Common Line Arrangements
Bag to Carton Packing Line
The upstream packing machine produces sachets, stick packs or pouches. The cartoning machine counts the bags, groups them and inserts them into folding cartons. The line can then send the cartons to a case packer.
Bottle Cartoning Line
A filling and capping line sends finished bottles into the cartoning section. The machine loads one or more bottles into each folding carton and closes the carton before coding or inspection.
Carton to Case Packing Line
The case packing system receives finished retail cartons, arranges them by row or layer and loads them into corrugated shipping cases. A case sealer closes each loaded case.
Direct Bottle or Pouch Case Packing Line
Products enter the shipping case without a retail carton. This layout suits factories that sell bottles, jars, cans, bags or trays by case.
Case Packing and Palletizing Line
The line combines case erecting, product loading, case sealing, conveying and robotic palletizing. It can also add checkweighing, barcode reading, case labeling and pallet wrapping.
Changing Between Products and Carton Sizes
Many factories pack more than one product on the same line. The package width, height, weight and carton arrangement may change between production batches.
Vicanpack can add adjustment points for carton magazines, conveyor guides, pushers and sealing units. Recipe settings can store operating data for different products where the machine configuration supports automatic adjustment.
Large differences in product shape or case size may require change parts, separate gripping tools or another feeding layout. Confirming the full product range at the start helps avoid unnecessary machine changes later.
Information Needed for Line Planning
To prepare a case packing system or cartoning system, Vicanpack needs the following details:
- Product name and package format
- Product dimensions and weight
- Folding-carton dimensions
- Corrugated-case dimensions
- Quantity per folding carton
- Quantity per shipping case
- Required carton arrangement
- Current production speed
- Upstream and downstream equipment
- Factory layout and available floor space
Product samples, carton drawings and factory layout files help the engineering team check the feeding direction, conveyor height and machine placement.
Connect the New Equipment to an Existing Line
A factory does not always need to replace the upstream packing equipment. A new cartoning system can connect with an existing bagging machine, filling line or flow wrapper when both sections use compatible speeds and transfer heights.
The same approach applies to end-of-line expansion. A factory can first install a cartoner or case packer, then add a case erector, sealer, palletizer or pallet wrapper when output grows.
The connection requires more than adding a conveyor. Sensors and control signals need to manage product accumulation, machine stops and restart timing. Vicanpack reviews these points when planning the line interface.
FAQ
What is the difference between a cartoning system and a case packing system?
A cartoning system places products into folding cartons for retail sale or grouped packaging. A case packing system loads products or retail cartons into corrugated shipping cases.
Can one line include cartoning and case packing?
Yes. The cartoning machine can load the primary packages first, and the case packer can place the finished cartons into shipping cases afterward.
Can the system pack products directly into a shipping case?
Yes. Bottles, jars, cans, pouches, trays and other packages can enter a corrugated case without a folding carton when the product and loading arrangement allow it.
How does the machine load products into the case?
The loading method may use side pushing, top loading, robotic gripping or suction picking. Product shape, case opening direction and packing pattern determine the method.
Can the line work with different carton sizes?
The machine can support several carton sizes within its adjustment range. Large size changes may need change parts or a different loading tool.
Can Vicanpack connect the system to existing machines?
Vicanpack can plan the connection after checking the current machine speed, conveyor height, product discharge direction and control interface.