Case Set-Up (Tray) Machines

A case set-up (Tray) is designed to form a tray from a pre-scored carton blank. The erected tray is kept together using either glue or the tray??s own flaps tucked into one another. Trays are used for packaging groups of cans and other containers for shipment and distribution. Trays have solid bottoms and flaps that are folded up and fastened to form the sides. The sides are frequently but not necessarily lower than the height of the containers. Loaded trays are frequently over wrapped with a stretch or shrink film to hold the individual containers or products in place and provide protection. Trays can be received from the converter as knocked down blanks and a tray former in or near the packaging line can form the trays. A tray set-up machine or tray former forms a tray from scored paperboard, chipboard, or corrugated that is folded flat, called a blank. The tray sides are sealed either by using glue or by tucking portions of the flaps, called tucks, into other tray flaps. Tray formers form trays based on the size of the tooling that is in the machine. The male portion of the tooling pushes the flat blank through the female portion of the tooling to form the tray. Tooling needs to be changed on a tray former to accommodate different size trays. (Some newer tray formers have tooling that is adjustable for trays sizes within a set size range.) Tray formers can be used to form many different kinds of trays including hooded trays or hooded cartons, six-corner trays, and laminated corner trays.