Vimco’s end-of-line case closing machines offer efficient and reliable case sealing with options for hot-melt glue or adhesive tape. Known for their flexibility, these machines support quick and easy format changes, allowing seamless transitions between different product types and packaging sizes. Ideal for high-demand production lines, Vimco’s case packers minimise downtime and enhance productivity by accommodating various packaging requirements with ease.
A case packer loads product into a case that already exists, then closes it. A wrap around machine takes a single flat cardboard blank and folds it around the collated product, so the pack is formed and closed in one pass. Wrap around uses less board and produces a tighter pack, which matters for pallet stability and transport damage. Case packing is the simpler choice when you are already buying erected cases or when the pack has to match an existing format exactly.
The two Vimco case packers differ in how they close the box. The CP100 closes with hot melt glue and the CP101 with adhesive tape. Glue gives a flush, tamper evident seal with nothing on the outside of the case, which retail and export customers often prefer. Tape is cheaper to run, simpler to maintain and easier for the receiving end to open. The decision is usually driven by who opens the case and what the customer expects to see, not by machine performance.
Case packers can be built for side loading or robotic top loading. Side loading suits product that collates naturally into rows and columns and generally uses less floor space. Robotic top loading handles fragile, awkward or mixed product and gives far more freedom to add formats later, because a change of pattern is a change of program rather than a change of tooling. The extra flexibility costs more up front and repays itself only if the format range actually changes.
The wrap around machines come with one blank magazine on the WA101 or two on the WA102. The double magazine is what allows tray and lid solutions to run on a single machine, feeding both blanks in the same cycle instead of splitting the job across two machines or a manual step. If tray and lid is anywhere in your five year plan, the WA102 is the cheaper decision to make now rather than later.
All four machines are built for quick format change, which is the specification that matters most for anyone running several products a day. A line that is fast but slow to change over loses more time to changeovers than it gains in run rate. Count the changeovers in a typical week before you compare cycle times, because that is usually where the real capacity is sitting.
End of line is the last packaging step before the pallet. Upstream the retail pack is made by cartoning machines and sleeving machines, with forming and closing and lidding machines handling trays. Downstream the cases go to palletising and dispatch. All of it can be specified together as a complete packaging line so the rates and controls match rather than being reconciled afterwards.
The cost of an end of line machine is mostly not the machine. Board quality and blank tolerance decide how reliably the magazine feeds, glue or tape is a recurring consumable, and both are worth pricing over a year before choosing a closure method. Wrap around typically uses a single blank where case packing uses a case plus closure, so board consumption is part of the comparison rather than an afterthought.
Specification starts with the case sizes and pack patterns you actually run, not the fastest machine on the list, and the awkward SKU is usually the one that decides the machine. LVP Automation specifies, installs and supports end of line machines from Finglas, Dublin 11 as part of our wider automation services.
Rapid, guided changeovers keep production moving when SKUs and case sizes change frequently, perfect for FMCG and contract packing.
Choose hot-melt for high speed and strong bonds, or tape for lower consumable temperature sensitivity and easy openability, both verified for seal quality.
Simple PLC/HMI handshakes to printers/label applicators, checkweighers, barcode scanners and palletisers for a smooth end-to-end flow.
Quick answers on sealing choice, speeds, case types, changeovers, QA, integration and maintenance.
Hot-melt suits high speed and stronger bonds on most boards; tape offers simpler consumables and easy opening. We’ll match to your board grade, speed and cost targets.
Standard RSC/FEFCO styles and many variants. We validate flap length, board grade and compression to ensure a reliable close.
Speed depends on case size and sealing method. Systems are sized to your target cpm and upstream/downstream constraints.
Recipe recall with guided adjustments and tool-less changes minimises downtime between case sizes and SKUs.
Yes, sensors/vision can confirm flap position, glue presence/tape application and print/label checks, with reject logic for non-conforming cases.
Absolutely, TIJ/CIJ/TTO and print & apply integrate cleanly, with encoder triggers and verification.
Yes, height/guide adjustments and compression settings are recipe-driven; we’ll confirm ranges during design.
We tune compression, glue temp/time or tape tension to suit board quality; trials confirm a stable close at speed.
Routine cleaning; checks on compression belts, glue heads/tape heads, sensors and drives. Preventative schedules keep uptime high.
PLC I/O or fieldbus to palletisers, wrappers and weigh/check; optional data exchange to WMS/MES for case counts, faults and traceability.
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