The Case Taper handles the final and most important sealing step in any case packing operation — closing the filled box and securing it for transit. A filled case enters the machine from one end with its top flaps open. The machine closes the flaps, applies tape across the top seam, and discharges a sealed box at the other end — in a single continuous pass that takes only a few seconds per box.
This diagram showcases the essential stages of the case taper’s operation.
Filled cases arrive at the infeed of the Case Taper from the upstream conveyor — with the top flaps open and the box upright on the conveyor. The first thing the machine does is align the incoming case — a pair of side guide rails on the infeed section centres the box on the conveyor belt, ensuring it enters the flap closing section in exactly the right lateral position regardless of any slight offset it may have accumulated on the upstream conveyor. Correct lateral alignment at this stage is critical.
As the case moves forward into the flap closing section, the two minor top flaps — the shorter flaps on the two narrow sides of the box — are folded inward and downward by folding ploughs mounted.
The two top flaps are folded inward by angled metal guides as the box moves forward. As the box advances, the flaps make contact with the curved surface of the guide, which smoothly directs them inward and downward into the closed position.
With the top flaps closed and held flat by the compression section of the conveyor, the box passes under the tape head — the core sealing component of the Case Taper. The tape head is mounted above the conveyor and positioned precisely over the centre seam of the box top. As the box moves forward under the tape head, a strip of pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is pulled from the tape roll and pressed onto the top surface of the box along the centre seam.
On machines configured for top-bottom-and-side sealing additional tape heads mounted on the sides of the machine apply tape along the vertical corner seams of the box as it passes through. Side seam taping reinforces the box structure at the corners, preventing the side walls from bowing outward under the weight of heavy contents.
