Engineering Strapping Solutions to Fit Unique Requirements
Hazle Township, PA – As disruptive technologies emerge in market-after-market and business processes are forced to adapt, standard answers are often not suited to changing requirements. Recognizing the trend, EAM-Mosca has established its Engineered Solutions division to provide strapping systems that truly fit application requirements rather than trying to force standard products into ill-fitting situations.
The key to success in this endeavor, besides being open minded and creative, is to be able to draw on a strong product foundation to minimize the time and cost of product changes while still creating custom solutions. Mosca’s industry leading technology and the range of established products developed in Germany and the U.S., provide a strong product portfolio from which to draw. When combined with strong technical sales, engineering and field service forces, the company has all the tools required to develop solid solutions for customers with special packaging needs.
Here are a few examples help illustrate where the ability to customize has created the right solution for real-life applications:
Two-Staged Strapping System for Palletized Batteries
A west coast manufacturer of large batteries used in vehicles, solar installations and other applications, stacks their product on pallets, with battery terminals facing up, protected by corrugated sheets. The company was not satisfied with its existing top-seal strapping system. The bander lacked adequate control of the force of contact between the machine and top of the load, risking damage to terminals. The strapping system was also unable to apply consistent tension to secure the product adequately for shipment. As a result, operators had to regularly re-tension straps with hand tools downstream of the automatic strapping station.
A competitor to Mosca proposed a two-stage strapping system with two side-seal strapping machines. However, with some pallet configurations where the pallets extended beyond the batteries, EAM-Mosca knew that side seal machines wouldn’t provide the consistent strap tension needed to stabilize the loads during shipment.
The ultimate solution supplied by EAM-Mosca is a two stage system that includes Mosca KOV-111 and KZV-111 Sonixs top sealing systems. The KOV-111 applies two vertical straps under the pallet and the KZV-111 applies two cross straps through the pallet void. The machines are equipped with special contact bars that signal when the top platen reaches the load, preventing over-compressing, and floating strapping heads that equalize strap tension around the load which has effectively eliminated the re-tensioning operation. Finally, plastic insulating surfaces were mounted to the underside of the machine platens to eliminate the possibility of the steel platen contacting the battery terminals, causing a potentially damaging and dangerous electrical short circuit. Both machines apply a 750-pound break strength polyester strapping. After nearly two years in operation, both the system performance and load security continue to completely meet or exceed customer expectations.
High-Speed System for Small Specialty Boxes and Envelopes
An innovative Canada-based integrator wanted a bundling system to strap small retail ready boxes as the boxes are manufactured. Bundles may be formed from a shingled stream by an operator or via an automatic stacking system. The EAM-Mosca solution is a TR6-Pro-Sonixs, with roller conveyor, backstop, side conditioners and press to assure tight, square bundles. Again the Evolution Sonixs sealer enables precise tension control to provide secure bundles with no product marking. The Sonixs sealer self-calibrates prior to each cycle for consistent seals and the enclosed track offers very high cycle efficiency. The Pro model includes full data transfer and communication capable controls for tracking product movement through the system. In this case, the integrator’s customer was located in France making Mosca’s worldwide service footprint an important part of the solution.
Palletized Retail-Ready Displays
A logistics/distribution operation that fills store ready displays with cosmetic and drugstore products, needed a system to secure the finished displays for shipment to retailers. The strapping system is a piece of a larger material handling system installed by an integrator. In this case the first solution offered was not satisfactory. The strapping machine proposed by EAM-Mosca, using a high tension unitizing head, was too aggressive for the esthetically sensitive displays and the lightweight strap needed to strap them without marking. The original machine was replaced with a new Mosca model, the ROMS-KRZV-Sonixs side seal strapper with indexing strapping head and pallet lance. This unit, made for high efficiency with lighter straps and lower tensions, turned out to be the right solution. The Evolution Sonixs sealer head provides consistent tension in the right range for the product, providing a high efficiency process and secure package while protecting the esthetic appearance of the displays.
Furniture Manufacturer with Divergent Strap Requirements
A German integrator which had worked with Mosca GmbH in Europe, contacted EAM-Mosca’s Product Manager about a project with a U.S. knocked-down furniture manufacturer. The integrator was looking for a bottom-seal strapper to fit into a packing line. Neither of Mosca’s standard bottom-seal machines was a solution. The ROMP-6 offset seal was not a fit because the products were always centered on the conveyor line. The center seal ROMC-6 table was too deep to fit in the available conveyor gap. Fortunately, Mosca’s compact Evolution machine series is built around a sealing head and track system that is compact and adaptable. So much so, the company was able to design the MK-61, a shallow depth machine that fit well in the integrator’s footprint. A final requirement was that some of the furniture maker’s customers required polypropylene strapping and others specified polyester strapping on their packages. Mosca’s Sonixs ultra-sonic sealing system is uniquely able to seal both strap types. EAM-Mosca added an option to the machine that enables the user to change between PP and PET sealing parameters with the flip of a switch.
Good for EAM-Mosca, Good for Strap Users
EAM-Mosca’s goal for its Engineered Solutions division is to leverage its technology and developed products, along with its technical sales and design organization to devise solutions that broaden its market base. The timing seems good as the team is finding market requirements that aren’t well served by yesterday’s solutions. By harnessing the power of strong base technology, the ability to modify proven equipment to fit special situations and using customized controls and data transfer to manage product flow, either independently or by working with integrators, EAM-Mosca believes it has found a market need that it can fill to benefit its customers and help meet its own strategic objectives.
If a standard product doesn’t fit your application, there is no need to compromise efficiency or effectiveness. EAM-Mosca’s Engineered Systems Division can provide a superior solution to many difficult-to-solve packaging problems. Give us a call to initiate a no-charge survey!
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. The company combines innovative equipment with strapping materials manufactured to maximize machine performance, and customer support programs that help customers meet their performance and productivity goals.
To learn more about any of EAM-Mosca’s productivity enhancing strapping systems, please call 800-456-3420, or email info@www.eammosca.com. You can also connect with EAM-Mosca on YouTube (www.youtube.com/EAMMoscaCorp), Twitter (www.twitter.com/EAMMoscaCorp) or LinkedIn and FaceBook via the links above.