Case Studies in Technological Upgrades of Fully Automatic Thermoforming Folding Machines

Amid the packaging industry's shift toward intelligent and high-efficiency operations, numerous packaging enterprises have revitalized their production models and enhanced market competitiveness by technologically upgrading their fully automatic thermoforming folding machines. Variations in production needs and existing equipment foundations have led companies to adopt diverse upgrade pathways, resulting in a series of replicable and scalable practical cases. This article details the technical upgrade solutions, implementation processes, and outcomes through three typical cases, providing a reference for other enterprises.

Case 1: Low-Cost Upgrade for an SME Food Packaging Manufacturer – Transition from Semi-Automatic to Basic Automation

Company Profile: A small-to-medium-sized food packaging enterprise (50 employees, annual output value of RMB 20 million) primarily producing thermoformed packaging trays for snacks like potato chips and biscuits. Prior to upgrading, the company used three semi-automatic thermoforming folding machines, requiring manual feeding, positioning, and defect sorting. This led to high labor costs (2 workers per production line, monthly labor cost of RMB 12,000), low production efficiency (daily output of 8,000 pieces), and a high defect rate (approximately 6%). Limited capital prevented investment in high-end intelligent equipment, prompting the choice of a "low-cost upgrade" to retrofit existing semi-automatic machines for basic automation.

Upgrade Solutions:

1. Added Automatic Feeding and Positioning System: Installed conveyor-belt automatic feeding devices (cost approx. RMB 15,000 per machine) at the material inlet, paired with photoelectric sensors, to achieve automatic conveying and precise positioning (±0.2mm) of semi-finished products, replacing manual feeding and reducing 1 operator per line.

2. Integrated Automatic Defect Detection Module: Mounted industrial cameras (cost approx. RMB 8,000 per machine) at the discharge outlet, combined with machine vision algorithms, to real-time identify folding accuracy (e.g., angle deviation, dimensional error) and surface defects (e.g., scratches, cracks). A rejection mechanism is automatically triggered for defective products, replacing manual sorting and further improving yield.

3. Optimized Heating System: Replaced old heating elements with energy-efficient ones (cost approx. RMB 3,000 per machine), paired with intelligent temperature controllers, enabling precise temperature control (±1°C), reducing energy consumption (power reduced from 12kW to 8kW), and minimizing defects caused by temperature fluctuations.

Implementation Process: The company collaborated with a local equipment retrofitting service provider, executing the upgrade in phases: Phase 1 (1 month) involved retrofitting one machine for trial operation and parameter adjustment (e.g., feeding speed, detection sensitivity). Phase 2 (2 months) covered the remaining two machines and operator training (covering new system operation, exception handling). The total investment was approximately RMB 80,000 (including modification, service, and training fees), without disrupting normal production (production schedules were adjusted to ensure order fulfillment during retrofitting).

Upgrade Outcomes:

• Reduced Labor Costs: Operators per line decreased from 2 to 1, reducing monthly labor cost for 3 lines from RMB 36,000 to RMB 18,000, saving RMB 216,000 annually.

• Improved Production Efficiency: Daily output increased from 8,000 to 15,000 pieces (87.5% increase), enabling larger batch orders (e.g., a 50,000-piece order originally taking 6 days now completed in 3.5 days).

• Lower Defect Rate: The defect rate dropped from 6% to 1.5%, reducing annual raw material waste cost by approximately RMB 120,000 (based on daily consumption of 0.5 tons of material, priced at RMB 12,000/ton).

• Energy Cost Savings: Reduced machine power consumption resulted in annual electricity savings of about RMB 36,000 for the three machines.

Post-upgrade, the company recouped the investment within 4 months, increased its annual output value to RMB 28 million, significantly enhanced its market competitiveness, and successfully secured long-term supply agreements with two major food manufacturers.

About Dongguan Mayue Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd.

Dongguan Mayue Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. is located in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province – a picturesque capital of Chinese manufacturing. Established in November 2014, the company has since developed three core business divisions: the Environmental Protection Equipment Division, the Custom Automation Products Division, and the Fully Automatic Thermoforming Folding Machine Division. We specialize in the R&D, production, sales, technical support, and training services for a range of equipment, primarily including Fully Automatic Thermoforming Folding Machines, custom automation equipment, and environmental protection equipment.

Source: http://www.mayuezn.com Dongguan Mayue Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd.