Created on 09.14

How to Evaluate Safety Features When Selecting Case Packer Equipment

The consideration for safety must come before a case packer system even gets to the factory floor. Manufacturers who are evaluating automation systems typically consider speed, capacity, size, and cost savings. All of these considerations have merit, but it is important that none of these factors jeopardize operator safety.

The right case packer system will keep your operators safe whether it's during regular operation, maintenance, changeovers, or unplanned stops. The right safety features can also make the equipment easier to operate and maintain over its service life.

Instead of treating safety as a final inspection step, manufacturers should evaluate it during the equipment selection process. In this document, the major safety considerations are discussed in terms of selecting appropriate case packer equipment for an automated production line.

Techflowbot TCR-20 case packing robot with safety enclosure on an automated packaging line

Why Are Safety Considerations Important While Selecting Case Packers?

A case packer comprises conveyors, mechanical systems, sensors, controls, and robotic/mechanical units in a limited space. In their operation, both products and cases are moving all the time; at the same time, packing mechanisms have repeated fast movements.

The following hazards must be considered:

Moving parts
Pinch points
Automation of cases
Infeed and outfeed zones
Access points for the operator
Access points for maintenance or changeovers
Unplanned machine movements

The proper safety design should minimize these hazards without making the equipment too complicated to use.

For a manufacturer, installing some more guards and stop buttons is not the aim of the selection process. The aim is to choose a case packer equipment system that takes into account safety requirements along with machine operation.

1. Check the Guarding Around Moving Components

Physical guarding is one of the first features to evaluate. Buyers should also consider established machine safeguarding practices when assessing how the equipment protects operators from moving parts, pinch points, and other mechanical hazards.

A case packing machine may contain moving belts, actuators, robotic arms, grippers, and other mechanisms. When evaluating case packer equipment, buyers should also examine how the supplier integrates physical guarding and other safety features into the machine design. Operators should not be able to accidentally reach hazardous moving areas during normal operation.

In evaluating the equipment, determine whether any guards have been installed in the location where there could be accidental contact.

These issues include:

Is the movement area properly enclosed?
Is the moving part of the equipment accessible to the operator?
Are access panels and doors securely fastened?
Is it possible to remove guards without approval?
Is the maintenance access point clearly marked?

Proper guard placement will ensure protection yet allow access to the equipment for maintenance.

In addition, the design must take into consideration the work process itself. The installation of a guard that is functional yet difficult to access for maintenance purposes will only lead to noncompliance with the rule.

2. Assessing Accessibility to the Emergency Stop

Another critical aspect of choosing case packer equipment is the emergency stop.

An emergency stop should be easy to locate and reach when an operator needs to stop the machine quickly. The number and location of emergency stops should reflect the layout of the complete system rather than the position of a single machine component.

For example, a long case packing line may have several operator access points. If an emergency occurs at one end of the line, the operator should not need to move through a hazardous area to reach a control button.

During equipment evaluation, consider:

Where are the emergency stop buttons located?
Can operators reach them from normal working positions?
Are they clearly visible?
Does activating an emergency stop bring the relevant equipment to a safe state?
Can the system be safely reset after an emergency stop?

This is especially relevant when there is an integrated packaging line where the case packer operates with other machines like conveyor belts.

3. Check Access Door and Interlock Design

Sometimes it becomes necessary for the operators and maintenance staff to open up the access doors for inspection, cleaning, adjustments, or for troubleshooting purposes.

Access doors should work together with the machine's control system so that opening a protected area does not create an unexpected hazard.

When comparing systems, ask whether:

Access doors are clearly identified
Hazardous movement is stopped when protected areas are opened
Operators can easily understand the access status
The machine prevents unintended restart after access
Maintenance personnel can safely perform necessary tasks

A well-designed access system should support normal operation instead of encouraging operators to bypass safety functions.

4. Think about Safety for Product Infeed and Case Discharge

Safety is not confined only to the principal mechanism of packaging.

The infeed and discharge of cases can present risks too. The product can feed in constantly, the case may move at great velocity, and the operator will have to interact with the system during the operation.

When analyzing the case packer equipment system, look into the whole picture of material flow.

Look out for:

Points of transferring products
Conveyor interfaces
Case loading points
Case discharge points
Any pinch points
Points from where the operators unload completed cases

The best system design takes into account interaction of people with the system, not the movement of the machine alone.

For example, if the operators will often have to free minor jams of the infeed area, it should be designed in such a way as to be easily accessible and not force the worker to get into the working mechanism.

5. Evaluate Control Systems and Safety Functions

Modern case packers use various kinds of sensors, controllers, and other control systems to synchronize the movement of machinery.

It is essential to treat the safety-related control systems as integral elements of the machinery as a whole. The manufacturer must know how the machine works when a sensor detects some sort of problem or when any safety device is engaged.

Ask the manufacturer:

What safety functions are incorporated into the control system?
How does the machinery react to a detected failure?
What happens when power is lost?
How does the machine restart after a safety stoppage?
Are safety functions checked at the commissioning stage?

The purpose is to make the machinery behave as predictably as possible in the case of any emergency.

This is especially important for automatic lines where many pieces of machinery communicate with one another. A case packer cannot be evaluated separately if it is part of a larger end-of-line automation system.

6. Maintenance and Changeover Safety

Equipment may function in a safe manner during production but at the same time pose dangers during maintenance or changeovers of products.

That is why it is necessary to make sure whether it is easy for maintenance workers to work with the machine while avoiding unexpected movements.

When you purchase case packer equipment, it is recommended to think about the following questions:

How can maintenance zones be accessed?
How can energy supplies be safely disconnected?
How are adjustment zones accessible?
Is it possible for operators to conduct changeovers without entering dangerous zones?
Are there any instructions provided concerning maintenance?

Special attention should be paid to frequent changeovers.

In case operators have to make frequent adjustments to guides, tooling, or products, it should be made convenient and safe for them to do so.

7. Think about Operator Training and Documentation

A case packing system that is designed properly will not work unless operated properly.

Manufacturers should assess the documentation and training materials that accompany the equipment. It is important that operators know how the machine operates normally, how to stop the machine in an emergency, how faults are handled, and how to react to faults.

It may also be necessary for maintenance personnel to have more extensive documentation, including:

Inspection
Maintenance
Safety device tests
Troubleshooting
Adjustments
Starting

Prior to selecting your supplier, find out what training and documentation come with your case packer equipment.

Documentation can help facilitate the development of good operating procedures in the factory.

8. Utilize a Safety Checklist in Your Equipment Selection Process

A checklist can simplify your process of comparing different options for case packing machines.

Safety Area	What to Evaluate
Guarding	Protection around moving components and hazardous areas
Emergency Stops	Accessibility, visibility, and machine response
Access Control	Doors, panels, and safety interlocks
Infeed & Discharge	Pinch points and operator interaction areas
Controls	Safety functions, fault response, and restart behavior
Maintenance	Safe access and energy isolation procedures
Changeover	Safe adjustment and setup procedures
Training	Operator and maintenance documentation

Standardizing on one checklist per supplier can assist manufacturing companies in detecting certain discrepancies in terms of which may not be visible from technical data such as machine speeds or capacities.

9. Assess Safety in the Context of Your Entire Automation System

A case packing machine is hardly ever a machine that can operate in isolation. When evaluating an end-of-line automation solution, manufacturers should consider how the case packer interacts with conveyors, product handling equipment, vision systems, palletizers, and other connected equipment. Often, it is a part of a larger chain including conveyors, product handling equipment, vision systems, palletizers, and other end-of-the-line automation equipment.

Thus, it makes sense to assess the safety of a case packing machine in the context of the whole process.

For instance, installing a case packing machine into an already existing automated line can change transfer points and accessibility of this line.

In such a case, while a machine in itself can be safe, it can pose a risk when installed into another machine.

Integrated robotic case packing and end-of-line automation system with conveyors

Include Safety in Your Case Packer Equipment Selection Process

The case packer equipment selection process is more than just looking for a system that delivers greater throughput. It must deliver practical and safe conditions for the operation and maintenance of the system.

Before making any purchase decisions, analyze the machine's safeguarding, emergency stops, access control, safety functions, maintenance, and operator training capabilities. The most important aspect of the evaluation is the interaction of the machine within the automation system.

Including safety in the selection process of the equipment allows manufacturers to eliminate the need for redesigning and build a solid foundation for automation.

When it comes to customized case packing and end-of-line automation needs, manufacturers need to partner with an automation expert to analyze the application, configuration of the equipment, and the whole automation system.