HF-5040 all-in-one machine vs a modular rigid box line

HF-5040 vs the four-machine semi-automatic set: the numbers

The all-in-one rigid box machine against the four machines of the semi-automatic set.

Parameter	HF-5040	HF-1200	HF-500	HF-850A	HF-450
Speed	18–25 pcs/min	25–50 m/min	30–55 pcs/min	Servo version: 7–45 pcs/min · Standard version: 7–40 pcs/min	15–20 pcs/min
Largest box	500 × 400 × 120 mm	—	480 × 450 × 150 mm	—	480 × 400 × 120 mm
Smallest box	65 × 65 × 20 mm	—	45 × 45 × 10 mm	—	45 × 45 × 15 mm
Board thickness	1–3 mm	0.8–4 mm	0.8–4 mm	—	0.8–4 mm
Paper weight	80–300 g/m²	—	—	80–250 g/m²	—
Motor or heating power	15 kW / 380 V, 3-phase	2.2 kW / 220 V	2.5 kW / 220 V	8 kW	2.5 kW / 220 V
Footprint (L × W × H)	8200 × 4200 × 2150 mm	2100 × 1430 × 1500 mm	1750 × 1160 × 1920 mm	HF-850A: 6990 × 1620 × 995 mm · HF-650A: 6990 × 1420 × 995 mm	1400 × 1100 × 2050 mm

What is inside the HF-5040

1. 01

   Paper feeder and gluing unit

   A servo feeder with rear suction and front push takes sheets from a 500 mm stack and prevents two entering together. The glue roller runs against a copper scraper.

2. 02

   Board feeder and corner taping

   Grooved board up to 700 × 600 mm is taken from a 1000 mm stack, folded into a shell and its corners are taped.

3. 03

   Camera positioning

   A Yamaha positioning system reads the glued sheet and a robot arm clamps the shell and places it, to ±0.1 mm.

4. 04

   Wrapping unit

   A servo and pneumatic unit wraps all four sides, folds ears of 10–100 mm and turns the paper in 10–80 mm. Its size is set from the screen.

Three routes, not two

Between the semi-automatic set and the all-in-one machine there is a third route: keep the separate machines and replace the HF-850A gluing machine with an HF-1050, which glues the paper and positions the shell by camera. The table sets the three side by side. Where several machines are involved, the figure is the limit of the line as a whole.

What the HF-5040 does that the modular line does not

• Positions every shell by camera and robot arm to ±0.1 mm. On the modular line an operator positions by hand, unless the HF-850A is replaced by an HF-1050, which glues and positions.
• Has one control system that sets the box size for every step, where the modular line is set machine by machine.
• Carries a 1000 mm stack of board and a 500 mm stack of paper, so it is refilled less often.
• Takes the largest box of the three routes, 500 × 400 × 120 mm.

What the modular rigid box line does better

• Smaller boxes: the HF-450 forms down to 45 × 45 × 15 mm, against 65 × 65 × 20 mm on the HF-5040.
• Thicker board: 0.8–4 mm, against 1–3 mm.
• Staged investment: each machine works on its own, so the line can be built over time.
• Standard power: the HF-500 and HF-450 run on 220 V.
• Other products: the gluing machine or the HF-1050 also feeds an HF-900 four-side wrapping machine to make hardcover cases.

Speed: how much faster is the HF-5040?

The HF-5040 is rated at 18–25 pieces per minute and the HF-450 at 15–20. At the top of both ranges that is 25 against 20, a quarter more. A lid-and-base box is two pieces, so the HF-5040 finishes 9 to 12 boxes per minute against 7 to 10.

A modular line has another way to grow. Its corner pasting machine runs 30–55 pieces per minute and its gluing machine up to 45, so both can supply a second forming machine without being replaced.

Floor space, power and air

The HF-5040 stands on 8.2 × 4.2 m, about 34 m², and is 2.15 m high. The three machines it replaces cover about 15 m² between them, but they are three separate stations with an operator working between gluing and forming, so the working area is larger than the footprint suggests.

The HF-5040 needs 380 V three-phase, with a 15 kW motor and 6 kW of heating, and 30 L/min of air at 0.8 MPa. In the modular set the HF-500 and HF-450 are 2.5 kW each on 220 V, and the HF-850A needs 380 V with 8 kW of heating.

How to decide

• Long runs of printed boxes within 65 × 65 × 20 mm to 500 × 400 × 120 mm, with 380 V and 34 m² available: the HF-5040.
• Many sizes, small boxes, board over 3 mm, or a first line built in stages: the semi-automatic set.
• An existing semi-automatic line where registration is the problem: add the HF-1050 and keep the rest.

Machines in this guide

HF-5040Automatic Rigid Box Making Machine18–25 pcs/min

HF-1200Automatic V Grooving Machine25–50 m/min

HF-500Automatic Rigid Box Corner Pasting Machine30–55 pcs/min

HF-850AAutomatic Paper Gluing Machine7–45 pcs/min

HF-1050Automatic Visual Positioning Machine for Rigid Box and Hardcover15–30 sheets/min

HF-450Automatic Rigid Box Forming Machine15–20 pcs/min