Due to its growth, the British cooking box supplier Gousto has already acquired several packaging machines from Lantech. The company has also made a new investment in Lantech’s packaging technology. In order to increase production capacity for erecting and closing the shipping cartons that serve as containers for the cooking boxes, Gousto turned to Lantech’s Center of Excellence in Malden, the Netherlands, for a comprehensive solution.
The company, which is one of the exhibitors at FACHPACK 2024, recommended the C-1000 and CI-1000 carton erectors to the cooking box supplier. These can flexibly process many types of carton with high performance. A major advantage of the machines is that they always produce right-angled cartons.
For your understanding: the 90-degree angles on all sides are the prerequisite for the cartons to be optimally suited for the logistics chain and have maximum stability.
Cartons that are not at right angles can also cause machine jams and downtime. The different properties of the corrugated cardboard as well as changing temperatures and humidity pose challenges. However, the two machines could master these without any problems, explains Bob Lemmen, Marketing Manager.
From the moment it is inserted into the magazine to the output as a fully formed carton with a closed base, the cutting process is completely controlled. A special pick-up frame pulls the carton out of the magazine on two sides and forces it into an open and rectangular position. Before the carton is conveyed further, the flaps are folded, making it rigid and keeping it square. A push bar pushes the box towards spring-loaded side belts, which move inwards and outwards to compensate for width deviations and transport the box over the closing device. According to the manufacturer, the cooking box supplier can produce up to 30 boxes per minute with the box erectors, the bases of which are sealed with adhesive tape or hot glue.
Once filled, the cooking boxes are automatically closed at the end of the lines. The Lantech CS-1000 and CS-Random High-Speed systems are used here. The rectangular shape of the boxes is also maintained during this process step. Automatically adjusted feeding systems ensure the correct loading with sufficient space between the cartons, thus avoiding jams. Rollers move the cartons to the spring-loaded side conveyor belts, which can adapt to even the smallest deviations in carton width. The belts hold the carton while the flaps are folded down at the score lines in a precisely timed manner and sealed with adhesive tape. The Lantech CS-1000 Random High Speed carton sealer can even automatically adapt to changing carton formats.
A particularly high-performance adhesive is required to securely seal the cooking boxes in order to guarantee the stability of the shipping cartons and also to reduce costs in the production process.
Jowat, a long-standing partner of Lantech with extensive experience in sealing shipping cartons and also a FACHPACK exhibitor, recommended the low-temperature product adhesive Jowat-Toptherm 851.99. This adhesive not only provides the necessary adhesive strength, but also enables major energy savings as it can be processed at temperatures of up to 100 °C. The adhesive is particularly suitable for packaging temperature-sensitive foodstuffs. The sustainable adhesive solution also offers improved occupational safety due to its low flammability. The risk of system downtime is minimized as the hot melt adhesive has little tendency to form oxidative deposits that can clog the dispensing nozzles.
The packaging machine manufacturer Lantech is a global leader in stretch wrappers as well as robust and efficient carton and tray handling machines. Founded in 1972, the US-based family-owned company claims to have developed the world’s first rotary stretch wrapper and has continuously optimized this technology ever since. Lantech employs around 750 people. The European headquarters are located in Malden, Netherlands.
