Although for many it may be an absolutely well-known and consolidated notion, it is not certain that everyone is perfectly aware of what distinguishes semi-automatic taping machines from automatic ones. These two types of machinery, which Comarme has numerous models for both of which can adapt to any need and request, actually presume and convey very different production processes.
The common and very ancient ancestor of this equipment category is obviously the taping machine, a tool that using the handle, roller, metal surfaces and, of course, the tape itself, makes it simple and immediate the sealing of boxes of any shape and size. The easy use and the low cost of any specimen represent the indisputable advantages of an object that is simply indispensable both for the individual dealer and for large industry with its mass production.
In terms of plain efficiency, however, it is undeniable that, especially when the packages to be sealed become many, the common taping machine shows its biggest flaw, which is the time it takes to close a single box. And here, inevitably, semi-automatic and automatic tapes come into play, capable of making the process inexpensive in more ways than one.
But what is the difference between these two types of machinery?
Actually, the discriminant is quite easy to understand and identify and revolves around the possibility, or not, of carrying out the entire packaging sealing process in total autonomy or by means of the presence of an operator in charge of the task. Comarme’ s semi-automatic and automatic taping machines both have a few intuitive controls, in order to guarantee the activation and deactivation of the production process at any time, a feature that accords the two types of machinery around the concept of easy use and maximum efficiency.
Our GEM 520, which seals, with adhesive tape, the top and bottom of fixed format boxes, exemplifies and perfectly embodies the concept of a semi-automatic taping machine. In this case, the operator must manually insert and remove the box from the machinery and personally adapt the moving parts of the same, based on the size of the object to be packed. Thanks to its ease of use, GEM 520 is able to handle about a thousand boxes per hour.
For its part, however, GEM F470 is an automatic taping machine with manual sizing with flap closing which, therefore, automatically closes the four upper flaps and seals the top and bottom of American-type fixed-format boxes with adhesive tape. In this case the process is absolutely autonomous with a much higher production, compared to a semiautomatic taping machine, which is around 1200 sealed boxes per hour.
GEM X520, in this sense, is also an excellent example. Like its sisters, GEM X670 and GEM X820, it is an automatic self-sizing taping machine, that is able to seal boxes of variable size without the intervention of any operator.
All things considered, in order to distinguish a semi-automatic taping machine from an automatic one is the direct intervention of a person in charge during the production process. For both types of machinery, Comarme still has a wide variety of models in order to supply to any customer need and requirement.