Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the carton you use. Single-piece erectors handle one-piece slotted cartons (RSC) up to about 30 cartons per minute. Three-piece Bliss and HSC cartons need a three-piece erector, which folds the body blank and the two end panels separately. Send us a flat carton sample and we confirm the machine type and the achievable speed.

The standard range is 200–600 mm length, 150–400 mm width and 150–450 mm height. Cartons outside this range are handled by a forming head built to your dimensions — there is no extra tooling charge for the first set.

Single-wall B, C and E flute from 3 mm, double-wall BC from 6 mm, and micro-flute for retail packaging. The vacuum system and the forming head are tuned to the board stiffness you actually use, so please send the board grade with your enquiry.

They describe the same machine. 'Case former' is the North American term and 'carton erector' the European one; both take a flat, knocked-down carton from the magazine, open it and fold the bottom flaps. ZRAY uses the two terms interchangeably, so a quotation for a case former covers exactly the same equipment as a quotation for a carton erector.

Rated speed is cartons per minute measured at the discharge with a full magazine and an uninterrupted carton supply. Real output drops when the size changes often, when the board is very light or very stiff, or when operators stop the line to clear a jam downstream. For line sizing we apply 75–85% of the rated figure to get the achievable shift output.

Yes. Machines are supplied with a multi-size quick-change kit. Changeover is toolless on the guides and the forming head and takes about 10–15 minutes for a typical step between two sizes. We record the settings for each size on a card, so the next change is repeatable instead of being re-invented.

Tape is faster to set up, needs no warm-up and suits mixed board grades and short runs. Hot melt gives a stronger, self-sealing bottom seam, lowers consumable cost at high volume and produces a cleaner carton. Many customers start with a tape head and add a glue system later, because the frame accepts both.

Standard machines ship 45–60 days after the deposit and drawing approval. A custom forming head adds 15–20 working days. We confirm the date in the contract and send weekly production photos.

Yes. Before shipment the machine runs your cartons for at least two hours at the agreed speed, and we record the output and rejection rate. You can attend the test at our plant, or accept it by video against a checklist we send in advance.

Machines are packed seaworthy with a moisture barrier and a container loading plan. We issue the commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin and CE documentation. Clearance can be handled by your forwarder or by ours.

Yes. Send 20–30 flat cartons of each size and a board sample to our plant. We run them, record a video showing the output and the rejection rate, and return the cartons with the test report. A trial run is free of charge and normally takes five working days including shipping time.

Machines are fixed on a steel base, wrapped in a moisture barrier with desiccant and then crated. A standard single-head erector with its conveyor loads into one 20 ft container; a double-head machine with a tape sealer usually needs a 40 ft. A container loading plan is issued before shipment.

Yes. After the enquiry we issue a 2D layout drawing showing the machine footprint, the conveyor route, the operator positions and the service clearances, in DWG and PDF. Please confirm the drawing before production starts and tell us about columns, drains or low doorways on the route into the building.

In most regions a reference visit can be arranged with the consent of the customer concerned. If a visit is not practical, we provide a video walkthrough of a line in production and a written reference from an existing user in your industry.

A level concrete floor rated at least 500 kg per square metre, a three-phase supply of 380 V 50 Hz or 220 V 60 Hz, clean dry compressed air at 6 bar, and 800–1000 mm clearance around the machine for maintenance.

Installation and commissioning by a ZRAY engineer are included for 3–5 working days. We arrange visas, flights and accommodation; the customer provides local transport, a translator if needed, and access to the line.

Operators are trained on changeover, cleaning, daily checks and first-line fault handling. Maintenance staff get additional sessions on servo parameters, PLC alarm reading and the lubrication schedule. Training can be repeated remotely after staff changes.

The machine placed on its marked position, power and compressed air brought to within 3 m of the control cabinet, and one operator plus one maintenance technician available for the whole commissioning period. The visa invitation should be confirmed two weeks in advance.

Yes. Machines are built for 380 V 50 Hz or 220 V 60 Hz, and for export markets we fit UL-listed or CSA-certified components, a fused disconnect and English labelling. Please state the requirement on the enquiry, because it changes the electrical specification and slightly affects the lead time.

A standard erector needs clean, dry compressed air at 6 bar, about 150–250 litres per minute at the peak of the forming cycle. Fit a refrigerated dryer and a filter at the machine inlet: moisture is the most common cause of valve and cylinder failure in hot, humid climates.

Commissioning takes 3–5 working days. In most cases the machine runs at rated speed on the first day; the remaining time goes on changeover drills, cleaning and fault-handling training for both shifts. Handover includes a commissioning report signed by both sides.

Daily: clean the suction cups and check air pressure. Monthly: lubricate the guides and check belt tension. Quarterly: inspect forming head wear and clean the cabinet filter. Yearly: replace wear parts per the list and re-tune the forming head.

Suction cups and suction belts wear fastest — typically 12–18 months in two-shift operation. A spare set is included with every machine. Forming head liners are the next item, usually at 24 months.

A standard erector draws 3.5–7.5 kW depending on speed; the hot-melt glue system adds about 2 kW. In one-shift operation, expect roughly 12–18 kWh per eight-hour shift.

Carton not picked up: worn suction cups, low vacuum or a warped blank. Carton opened but bottom flaps not folded: forming head out of adjustment or a damp board. Glue not sticking: nozzle temperature too low or a coated board. Machine stops mid-cycle: a jam downstream or the safety gate open. Most stops clear within two minutes once the alarm code is read on the HMI.

The standard control is a Siemens S7-1200 class PLC with a 7-inch colour HMI; other brands are available on request. The machine supports Modbus TCP and OPC UA and can export cycle counts, alarm history and run time, so OEE data can be written straight into your MES or WMS.

Yes. Every machine ships with a first-line kit: suction cups, fuses, a suction belt, proximity sensors, cylinder seals and one set of glue nozzles. It covers the items that normally fail in the first year, so a minor fault does not stop the line while a courier is on the way.

No certification is required. An operator who can read the HMI and use hand tools is ready after one day of training. The machine is guarded with interlocked doors and an emergency stop circuit that meets CE requirements, so it can be operated without specialist qualifications.

24 months on the complete machine and 36 months on core components, counted from commissioning or 30 days after arrival at the destination port, whichever comes first. Wear parts and damage from incorrect operation are excluded.

Factory-stock items ship within 24–48 hours. Non-stock items take 15–25 days by air, or we book emergency air freight with export documents issued the same day. Every parts request is answered with availability and a lead time.

Service hours are 24/7 for machine-down cases. For other issues we respond within 2 hours on working days and issue a written plan within 24 hours. Send the alarm code and a photo of the HMI screen to speed this up.

Yes. On-site visits are quoted per job: travel, hotel and a daily engineering rate, with the number of days agreed in advance. Many customers prefer a paid annual service visit combined with refresher training for operators; ask for the terms of the service contract.

Wear parts and control components are stocked for at least ten years after the last machine of a series ships. Where a component has been discontinued by its maker, we supply the approved replacement or a retrofit kit and issue a note for your maintenance file.

For machine-down cases the service line answers around the clock, including weekends and public holidays, and remote diagnosis starts within 30 minutes. A written action plan follows within 4 hours, and if a part is required, factory-stock items are dispatched the same day.

We ship directly to the end user. A spare parts enquiry is answered the same working day with availability and lead time. Consumables and wear items can be put on a scheduled delivery plan so that they arrive before the maintenance window rather than after a breakdown.

30% deposit with the order and 70% before shipment is standard. We also accept an irrevocable letter of credit at sight from a bank acceptable to both sides.

No. One machine is enough — every machine is built to order, so there is no minimum order quantity and no stock configuration to accept.

Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, CE declaration of conformity, and the operation and maintenance manuals. Manuals are issued in English as standard; Russian manuals are available on request.

FOB Shanghai or Ningbo is standard; CIF, CFR, DAP and DDP are available on request. For a first order most customers choose FOB and use their own forwarder. DDP makes sense where you have a customs broker and the duty rate has been confirmed in advance.

Quotations are valid for 30 days from the date of issue and are normally issued in US dollars, with EUR and CNY available on request. An expired quotation is reissued rather than held open, because steel and freight prices move.

Yes. Inspections by SGS, BV, TÜV and Intertek are all accepted. We book the slot and present the machine ready for inspection together with a full production test report. Third-party inspection is a normal condition of a letter of credit and does not change the delivery date.

Yes, and that is the usual sequence. The first machine is ordered on its own and runs for a season; later orders use the same control platform and spare part set, so the maintenance team keeps a single stock. Repeat orders also carry better pricing and a shorter lead time.