Automatic Strapping Machine Suppliers

There are three primary types of box strapping machine – handheld strapping machines, semi-automatic strapping machines and fully-automatic strapping machines. While there are a wide range of makes and models within each of these categories, each offers specific features to suit a business’s requirements and budget.

• Handheld strapping machines are battery-powered, lightweight and portable machines for smaller commercial operations with relatively light strapping needs and a lack of space for a larger machine. They still do an excellent job as the desired tension can be preset before strapping is wrapped around the box or parcel and placed in the machine. The machine then tightens and seals the strap automatically.
• Semi-automatic strapping machines require less operator input than handheld units, but strapping still needs to be fed in manually. The machine then tightens the strapping to a preset tension, seals it and cuts it.
• Automatic strapping machines are faster and easier to use in comparison to handheld or semi-auto units after a little initial tension setup as they perform the strapping process automatically.

Unlike a carton sealing machine with tape which offers little in the way of added resistance against crushing or tampering, box strapping machines use sturdy plastic strapping bands, steel straps or wire.

• How many boxes do you currently deliver per day?
• Is that output likely to increase in the foreseeable future?
• What’s the budget?
• Does current capacity call for a slower, cheaper manual strapping machine or a faster, more automated unit capable of readying a much larger number of packages for delivery per day
• Is space an issue?

A basic box strapping machine for smaller operations can cost less than $1,400, but machine prices average out at around $5,000 for a good one and $11,000 for a great one.

Box strapping machines are essentially designed for strapping cardboard boxes of goods to strengthen and secure them for safe delivery. These are not to be confused with pallet strapping machines designed for securing cartons and drums to a pallet. Or strapping machines designed to strap multiple cartons or containers together.

The more common problems tend to be with automatic strapping machines as there are more moving parts and therefore more things that can go wrong.

For example:

• An automatic box strapping machine won’t cut the tape after tightening because the belt is too tight or the tightness is adjusted too taut.
• The tape doesn’t bond due to either poor viscosity or an incorrectly set temperature.
• The machine is incorrectly threaded
• The belt feeder roller is blocked by a foreign object.

Most of the more involved maintenance requirements tend to be for automated machines, though handheld box strapping machines should also be kept clean and free from obstructions.

Automatic machines and semi-automatic machines should always be maintained by a trained operator as they are fairly complicated machines. Things can go wrong without a regular maintenance regime.

Here are a few tips:

• Clean the machine daily
• Remove unused strapping at the end of each day and put it back on the reel
• Lubricate all specified components before and after use – see the operation manual as it varies from model to model
• If recommended, vacuum the inside of the machine after the manufacturer’s specified number of straps – somewhere around 15,000
• Check and clean heating elements
• Check clutch gaps and blades