While most people are familiar with these devices, not everyone can distinguish semi-automatic and automatic taping machines from one another. The Italian company Comarme explains.

Both types of taping machine have very different production processes says the company who offer a wide range of models which can be adapted depending on the customers needs and demands.

Their common ancestor is of course the taping machine, a tool designed to effectively close boxes, made up of a handle, roller, metal surfaces and the tape itself. The indisputable advantages offered by these devices, which are both cheap and easy to use, have made them indispensable for individual traders and mass industrial production.

In terms of efficiency however, there is no denying that the common taping machine’s shortcomings quickly become apparent when sealing numerous packages at once, because of the time it takes closing a single box. This is where semi-automatic and automatic tapes come in to make the process economical in more ways than one.

What is the difference between the two types of taping machine?

The difference between the two is in fact quite easy to grasp. It revolves around whether the entire packaging process can be carried out autonomously or requires the presence of an operator. Comarme’s semi-automatic and automatic sealers have intuitive controls, which guarantee the activation and deactivation of the production process at all times. A feature which makes sure both types of machine are easy to operate with maximum efficiency.

This is perfectly illustrated by the GEM 520, a semi-automatic tape machine, which seals the top and bottom of fixed format boxes. In this case, the operator must manually insert and remove the box from the machine, while adjusting the moving parts depending on the size of the object to be packed. Easy to use, the GEM 520 is capable of processing approximately one thousand boxes per hour.

The GEM F470, on the other hand, is an automatic carton sealer with manual dimensioning and flap closer. The top four flaps automatically close, sealing the top and bottom of American type fixed format boxes with sellotape tape. In this case, the process is absolutely autonomous and production is much higher compared to semi-automatic tape machines, with around 1200 sealed boxes per hour.

The GEM X520 is another great example. Like its sister machines, the GEM X670 and the GEM X820, it is an automatic sealer, capable of closing boxes of varying sizes without the intervention of an operator.

So in short, what distinguishes a semi-automatic wrapper from an automatic machine, is the direct intervention of a manager during the production process. To meet customers needs and demands, Comarme always has a wide variety of these two types of machine.