Best Strapping Systems for Your Wood Products Line
Looking to automate? Or replace worn equipment? EAM-Mosca Corporation has installed over 25,000 systems in the Americas and Mexico in conjunction with its German parent Mosca GmbH, and has delivered on the Company’s core value proposition of performance and reliability. The innovator in the strapping industry has compiled a list of key issues to consider when looking at banding systems for fabricated wood products such as doors, windows, cabinets and furniture. Working through these questions can help buyers select the most appropriate strapping system.
Horizontal or Vertical orientation?
Horizontal means the product supports itself when placed on a conventional conveyor to be transported through a strapping station. Vertical means the product is standing vertically, supported by mechanical guides; common in door and window plants where positioning tall products vertically makes it convenient to place hardware and packing material on the product prior to strapping.
Horizontal Packing Operations:
Will the product be conveyed down the center of the conveyor line, along a side rail or will the position vary? This impacts the location of the strap seal and machine model type:
• Bottom Sealers position the seal in the conveyor center or a fixed distance from the operator side of the machine. Bottom seals are the best solution when the product position is centered or at a variable distance from the conveyor edge. Bottom sealers have a deeper table and often require integrated conveyor to provide positive product transport through the strapping zone.
• Side Sealers at times require that the product be aligned with the conveyor rail on the sealer-side so that there is minimal gap between product and sealing head for consistently tight straps. Side sealers also have a minimum product height requirement (8” – 12”) due to the height placement of the sealer. Side sealers have convenient access for cleaning, etc., and typically require only a small gap in the conveyor to provide track clearance. New products introduced in the past year feature indexing strapping heads that can move several inches to meet an incoming load and provide tight, secure straps. In lieu of an indexing head, users can consider angled conveyor that will transport a product closer to the strapping head.
• Minimum & Maximum Package Heights? Taller packages, (60”) tend toward side seal machines while smaller cartoned, trayed products and totes can work well with bottom seal placement.
• Tension & Strapping Strength? Polypropylene (PP) strap secures a static package economically with readily available bundler type machines. Products that require restraint or structural support may be better served with a higher-tension machine and Polyester (PET) strapping.
Vertical Packing Operations:
A Side Sealer will be the best solution. Minimum and Maximum Package Heights can affect machine selection within Side Sealer product offerings due to the head location. Be sure to check minimum package heights.
• Does the Packing Line Tilt away from the operator to provide package stability as it is transported and packed? Should the strapper have the ability to match the tilt angle? Some machines are easily customizable for these types of situations.
• The Size and Weight of the product will dictate the strength and type of strap required and whether a standard side seal bundler or a high-tension strapping system is the best solution. E.g., doors and windows are often well served with side-seal bundler models and PP strapping. Larger, heavier architectural and commercial products are better secured with a high-tension system and PET strapping.
Is Palletizing Part of the Process?
If yes, a Side Sealer is best:
• Is the product positioned along the conveyor rail so that a fixed-head position is satisfactory? If not, a moving head is needed to extend to meet the side of the product and ensure tight straps.
• Define pallet strapping requirements: strap through pallet void; strap under pallet void; auto select through-or-under depending on pallet design.
• For both horizontal and vertical operations, what level of automation, if any, is required? Options include: Operator cycled systems using footswitch or palm button
• Sensor cycled systems that are triggered when operators push the product into the strapping zone and adjustable timers regulate the application of one or more straps
• Automated operation where the product is transported by powered conveyor and strap cycle is initiated by signal exchange between the conveyor controller and strapping system.
By answering these questions and working through them with their strapping system supplier, purchasers of systems for fabricated wood products can be confident of selecting the best system for their needs.
About
EAM-Mosca Corporation provides high-performance strapping system solutions to a variety of industries, including food, graphic arts, mailing, fulfillment, logistics, corrugated, wood, and other industrial or consumer goods. We combine innovative equipment with strapping materials manufactured to maximize machine performance and customer support programs that help our customers to meet their performance and productivity goals.
To learn more about any of EAM-Mosca’s other productivity enhancing strapping systems, please call us at 800-456-3420, or email us. You can also connect with EAM-Mosca on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn via the links above.