Glossary · Packaging and intralogistics
Cartoner
Also known as: Cartoning machine, Cartonator
German: Kartonierer
In packaging, a cartoner is a packaging machine that forms folding cartons from flat blanks, fills them with products such as blister packs, bottles or pouches, and closes them by tucking or gluing.
- Intralogistics
In one sentence
A cartoner forms folding cartons from flat blanks, fills them with products and closes them by tucking in flaps or gluing.
Example
The pharmaceutical cartoner inserts two blister strips and a patient leaflet into each carton and closes it at 200 cartons per minute.
How it applies
- Engineering: Cartoners work intermittently or continuously, with horizontal or vertical loading. Format parts are changed for each carton size, which makes changeover a central topic.
- Pharma and food: Cartoners often include leaflet feeders, code printers and camera checks, and in pharma they are usually integrated with Serialization and tamper-evidence equipment.
- Safety: Access to the machine's moving parts is restricted by interlocking guards. Changeover, jam clearing and cleaning are the tasks where operators most often work near hazards.
- Documentation: Write changeover as a step-by-step task with format part identification, settings and a checklist for release. Cartoners are typical candidates for the EN 415 series of packaging machine safety standards, which the builder applies in addition to ISO 12100.
Cartoner vs. case packer
A cartoner makes consumer cartons, usually Primary packaging around a product or Secondary packaging around a primary pack. A Case packer groups finished packs into shipping cases.