Products are becoming more diverse, batches smaller, formats change more often. Packaging has to keep up – without losing process reliability. That is why vertical cartoning machines are established in many industries. What is behind them?
What makes a vertical cartoning machine
A vertical cartoning machine erects folding cartons, fills them from above and closes them. The product drops vertically into the open carton, guided mainly by gravity.
The principle is simple – and it is precisely this simplicity that makes the process stable, controlled and mechanically efficient.
The process step by step
- Erecting: The flat folding carton is taken from the magazine and opened.
- Positioning: The carton holder – at Kappler the NOVA star – holds the carton upright.
- Filling: The product is inserted from above, by hand or automatically.
- Adding: Optionally, a leaflet is inserted, LOT and date are applied and codes are checked.
- Closing: With tuck-in flap, Euro hang tab or hotmelt.
Where vertical cartoning machines are used
The process is suitable for products that need to be positioned securely: vials, bottles, jars, tubes and blisters.
- Pharma: precise, reproducible handling, often with leaflet and code inspection
- Cosmetics: many formats and designs, frequent changes
- Food: gentle, even placement
- Contract packaging: changing orders on one line
Vertical or horizontal?
The key difference lies in the insertion direction: with a vertical cartoning machine the product comes from above, with a horizontal one it is pushed sideways into the lying carton. Vertical machines are usually more compact and more flexible with many formats; horizontal ones play to their strengths with very high output of a single format. [A detailed comparison will follow in a separate article]
Which vertical cartoning machine suits your product is shown in our model comparison.
