Impel’s Stelda PS500 hotmelt case sealer at ProPak

Mumbai-based Impel Services, which specialises in end-of-line packaging machines, will display Stelda PS500 preset model case sealer with hotmelt glue application at ProPak 2018 in Greater Noida.

30 Aug 2018 | By Abhishek Muralidharan

Speaking to WhatPackaging?, P Sajith, director, Impel, said “The PS500 enables tamper evidence and protects against pilferage. It helps reinforce the structural integrity of the corrugated cases and thereby minimises the damages in transit.”

The case sealer, which deploys Nordson ProBlue 4 applicator, boasts of a rated speed of 20 cases per minute.

According to Sajith, case packaging needs an enlightened approach – a scientific way of looking at the box and how well it is expected to perform. The case packaging infrastructure has to be upgraded.

“It is high time that brands look at packaging not just as a differentiator on the shelves but also consider packaging’s larger role of protecting the product and integrity of the box from shipping to the point of sale. Who is paying the price when a consumer rejects a sticky edible oil pouch or a chilli powder packet or a deflated bag of chips? What does your trade think when they consistently receive a short quantity of bearings or locks?”

Impel with its Stelda range of case sealers is attempting to address these challenges. “Our aim was to provide solutions for product security during transit. That’s what our brand Stelda stands for: Security, tamper evidence, low damages in transit.”

The Stelda range of case sealers can handle random-sized corrugated boxes and seal it with different techniques such as BOPP tapes or hotmelt adhesive or cold glue or a combination of sealing methods.

Five things to consider while designing a corrugated box

1. Unitisation of load wherever possible helps reduce the damages in transit.

2. Adopting performance-based parameters – RCT of kraft paper, ECT of corrugated board and BCT of a corrugated box – while designing a box helps in predicting optimum specifications necessary for the given application.   

3. Pallet overhang leads to BCT loss. We have observed that columnar stacking retains more BCT than the brick method of stacking. While columnar stacking can be unstable, experts recommend the use of a combination of columnar for initial layers and brick for top layers.

4. In most cases, strapping box damages the box edges and walls. In manual handling, labour tends to use these straps to lift the boxes. Therefore, select appropriate case-sealing methods for the purpose, instead of blindly going for BOPP tapes.  

5. Educating people across the supply chain and creating awareness about instructions on the box and best practices is one essential thing to reduce transportation hazards.