In storing and transporting goods, strapping and strapping machines play a crucial role. Strapping is useful to secure nearly every type of load including fragile and cumbersome products. Cardboard boxes are commonly used for products that can be strapped for onward movement. When it comes to strapping machines, generally there are three variants, semi-automatic, automatic and manual. Automatic strapping machine is ideal for high volumes and everyday deployment. Semi-automatic strapping machines are suitable for intermittent use irrespective of volumes. Manual machines, as the term suggests is best suited for low volume applications. For commercial applications, the automatic and semi-automatic strapping machines are often chosen because of several benefits they offer. Different structures like arc and tabletop are also offered in the automatic variant of strapping machines.
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How the strapping machines are used
Irrespective of the type of strapping machine you choose, the main application of the machine is for joining several parcels together or pallet strapping. Strapping is generally helpful in a wide array of settings and you can secure nearly anything by strapping including bulk packing and fragile items. When the level of packing activity is low, handheld machines are considered ideal while the automatic and semi-automatic variants are chosen by customers who have high volume regular packing activities. The automatic and semi-automatic machines are electrically operated and can take on most of the hard work saving you energy, materials, and time when compared to traditional packing methods. These machines also do not need strapping aids like cutters and tensioners since they are built into the machines and the operator can simply use the desired settings gaining full control across the process.
How these machines work
Working on the 3 different types of strapping machines is also different. Therefore, it is necessary to understand these machines closely so that you choose the machine that suits your needs best. However, these differences are just marginal between the 3 types and you can learn more from the following explanation.
Handheld machines
This type of machines is very convenient when you need to move the machine to where the parcels to be strapped are available. Understandably, the manual effort required to use this machine is more compared to the other two variants. However, the handheld machines give you the flexibility to put the straps vertically or horizontally according to the size and your needs. The plastic strapping is manually looped and the polypropylene or PET strapping is ideal for use with this machine. The two ends of the strap should be looped and fed into the machine and a convenient trigger helps with tensioning and tightening. Obviously, this machine does not need any electrical energy to operate.
Semi-automatic machines
The semi-automatic strapping machines are the choice for low volume irregular loads. These machines are capable of applying 24 straps per minute. Similar to fully automatic machines, these machines can also complete the whole process in a singular mention. The only exception is that you would be feeding the straps manually consuming labour and time. An operator will have to be present until the job is finished for the day. However, tightening and tensioning would be done automatically.
Fully automatic machines
These machines are the best when you have a large volume of packages needing strapping throughout the day and every day. These upright machines are provided with a flat surface for working. The strapping is fed through a slot provided at the bottom of the machine or on its side depending on the position of the strapping reel and the manner in which it gets fed into the machine. As the term indicates, the entire process of strapping, tensioning and tightening is done automatically and physical involvement from your workforce is minimal.
Choosing between fully automatic and semi-automatic strapping machines
The major difference between these two variants has already been discussed and now we will explore how a fully automatic strapping machine can benefit you.
When you choose a fully automatic strapping machine, it can automatically detect packages arriving through the conveyor and start strapping them without any human interference. Further, they are also significantly efficient strapping one unit every second subject to your correctly calculating the dimensions and fed into the machine. This superior performance comes at a price and you should be willing to pay top dollars. However, the payback period will depend on the amount of work that you can extract from the machine over a period of time.
Conclusion
Most vendors will also be happy to give you a live demo of the type of strapping machine you intend buying and also answer all your questions. This will also give you an opportunity to understand the minutest detail before making a buying decision.