Continuous Motion · Siemens Servo Control
ZH-200 High Speed Cartoning Machine — Up to 200 Cartons/Min
The ZH-200 is a continuous-motion automatic high speed cartoning machine engineered for pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food secondary packaging. Its 12-head continuous pusher, three-station double planetary carton opener and Siemens servo feeding system keep blister packs, bottles, tubes and sachets running at 80–200 cartons per minute — with automatic rejection of any carton missing a product or leaflet.
80–200cartons per minute, continuous motion
12-Headcontinuous pusher — gentle insertion at full speed
SiemensS7-200 SMART PLC + 3× servo axes + 7" HMI
4.1 kWtotal power · 3500 × 1270 × 1670 mm footprint
What is a high speed cartoning machine?
A high speed cartoning machine is a continuous-motion secondary packaging machine that erects flat carton blanks, inserts a product plus folded leaflet, and seals the carton at speeds above roughly 120 cartons per minute. The HIJ ZH-200 reaches 80–200 cartons per minute using a three-station double planetary carton opener, a 12-head continuous pusher and Siemens servo-controlled feeding, and it cartons blister packs, bottles, tubes, soft double-aluminium strips and sachet products. Base price starts from US$50,000 FOB Ningbo.
Key Takeaways
- Real output: 80–200 cartons/min — continuous motion, not intermittent, so speed is sustained rather than theoretical.
- 12-head pusher = gentle insertion. At 200 cartons/min each pusher head cycles only ~16 times per minute, protecting product and extending parts life.
- Outward-opening planetary carton erector with two-stage pre-forming handles wider carton sizes without collision and cuts jam rates.
- No product, no carton logic: missing product, missing leaflet or misplaced insertion triggers automatic stop or rejection — cartons are never wasted.
- International components: Siemens S7-200 SMART PLC, 3× Siemens servo axes, 7" Siemens HMI, SEW main motor, Becker vacuum pump, Schneider & Omron electrics.
- Transparent pricing: base machine from US$50,000; PFS/blister feed system +US$22,500; bottle feeder +US$10,000 (FOB Ningbo, 35 working days, 12-month warranty).
Why Buyers Choose the ZH-200
High Speed Should Not Mean High Waste
Many cartoners advertise big numbers, then lose them to jams, crushed cartons and rejected packs. The ZH-200 was engineered around three failure points that decide whether a "200/min" machine actually delivers 200/min on your line. If you are still comparing formats, start with our guide on how a cartoning machine works.
12-Head Continuous Pusher
At 200 cartons per minute, each of the twelve pusher heads only cycles about 16 times per minute. Insertion stays gentle at full line speed, insertion accuracy holds, and pusher components last far longer than single-head designs — directly lowering operating cost.
Outward Planetary Carton Opening
The three-station double planetary wheel opens cartons by rotating outward, so adjacent cartons never collide even at wider sizes. Two pre-forming stages plus a forced pre-opening mechanism and confetti back-blowing keep erection reliable and the carton entry rate high.
Instant Jam-Stop Clutch
An electromagnetic clutch separates the carton chain from the main drive the instant a jam is detected. Without this, motor inertia typically destroys five or more cartons per jam event. On the ZH-200 the jammed carton lifts out in seconds and production resumes — no torn boxes, no cascade damage.
Video Demonstration
See the High Speed Cartoning Machine in Action
Real factory footage — watch the continuous-motion cartoner pick, open, fill and seal cartons at production speed, with the rotary vacuum erector and leaflet folder running in sync.
Play
What You'll See
- Rotary vacuum erector picking and pre-opening cartons at full speed
- Blister packs inserted by the 12-head dual pusher — leaflet first, product second
- Automatic leaflet folding (1–4 folds) and precise placement
- Optoelectronic no-product-no-carton checks running live
- Tongue-lock sealing and embossed batch coding at the outlet
Inside the Machine
Anatomy of the ZH-200 — Station by Station
Every photo below is the actual ZH-200 production machine, not a render. Follow the carton's journey from flat blank to sealed, batch-coded pack.
Station 01
Servo Carton Magazine
The carton magazine conveys blanks under servo motor control — feed timing, quantity and belt travel are all set on the HMI. A low-stock sensor alarms the operator before the magazine runs dry, avoiding unplanned stops.
Station 02
Feed Chute Buffer & Level Sensing
Carton conveying speed is automatically regulated so the stack never arranges too loosely — the root cause of inaccurate vacuum pick-up. Density stays constant from the first carton to the last.
Station 03
Rotary Vacuum Erector
A three-head continuous rotary picker pulls each blank by vacuum and the double planetary mechanism opens it outward with two pre-forming stages — fast pick-up, accurate opening angle and strong adaptability across carton stocks of 250–300 g/m².
Station 04
Product Conveyor Chain
Blister packs arrive from the blister machine on a servo-counted conveyor — stack count is set on the touch screen. Chain width adjusts to your format, and over/under/no-board detection recycles good product instead of scrapping it.
Station 05
Leaflet Folder (1–4 Folds)
The integrated folder inhales, separates, blows and rolls each instruction sheet through adjustable folding rollers — 1 to 4 folds, timing-belt driven with no oil lubrication. Learn more about leaflet folding and insertion.
Station 06
Leaflet Detection Logic
No leaflet output detected? The PLC halts carton suction so blanks are never wasted. At the pusher, insertion of the leaflet is confirmed at the moment of entry — any pack missing its leaflet is automatically eliminated.
Station 07
12-Head Dual Pusher
Each station carries a double pusher — leaflet first, product second — so the leaflet never resists the pack. On overload, a photoelectric trigger retracts the moving rail by cylinder and stops instantly, protecting both product and mechanism.
Station 08
Carton Verification Sensors
Carton-feed and carton-placement detection confirm every blank is correctly opened and seated. A barcode reader and inductive proximity sensors guard against wrong or misfed cartons — misplacement triggers an automatic alarm stop.
Station 09
Main Drive & Overload Clutch
The SEW main motor drives through an electromagnetic clutch with sharp-angle tooth engagement for high torque and precise timing. Any transmission fault disconnects the drive instantly so no component is damaged by overload.
Station 10
Scaled Changeover Stations
Forming, tongue-bending and lock-box stations are modular, each with a graduated scale and handwheel — format change is visual and repeatable. See our cartoning machine changeover guide for SMED tips.
Station 11
Sealing & Batch Coding
Side-tongue and main-tongue sealing run in an oil-free custom gearbox — no lubrication stops, no bevel-gear wear. The quick-release embossed batch coder prints lot, MFG and EXP dates and swaps without tools. Compare closure options in tuck-in vs hot-melt carton sealing.
Station 12
Final Lock Inspection & Output
At the outlet, tongue-and-lock condition is verified on every carton so nothing incompletely closed reaches your case packer — protecting the downstream line's uptime as well as this machine's.
Verified Data
ZH-200 Technical Specifications
Every parameter below comes from the ZH-200 factory technical file — the same figures written into our sales contracts and confirmed at FAT.
| Production capacity | 80–200 cartons/min (continuous motion) |
|---|---|
| Carton quality | 250–300 g/m² |
| Carton size range (L×W×H) | (75–200) × (25–80) × (15–60) mm |
| Leaflet quality | 55–65 g/m² |
| Leaflet size range (L×W) | (110–260) × (100–180) mm, 1–4 folds |
| Compressed air | 0.6–0.8 MPa working pressure · 20 m³/h consumption |
| Power supply | AC 380 V · 50 Hz · 4.1 kW |
| Overall dimensions (L×W×H) | 3500 × 1270 × 1670 mm |
| Weight | 2000 kg |
| Control | Siemens S7-200 SMART (CPU ST60) + 7" Siemens SMART HMI · 3× Siemens servo axes |
Component Brand List
- PLCSiemens S7-200 SMART CPU ST60
- HMISiemens SMART 7" touch screen
- Servo drives / motorsSiemens SINAMICS ×3
- InverterSiemens 2.2 kW
- Main motorSEW (Germany)
- Vacuum pumpBecker (Germany)
- Contactors / breakersSchneider Electric
- Encoders / power supplyOmron
- TerminalsWeidmüller
Indicative pricing (FOB Ningbo): base machine from US$50,000 · PFS + tablet blister feed system +US$22,500 · bottle feeder +US$10,000. Delivery 35 working days after advance payment; 12-month warranty with lifetime maintenance support. For the full market picture read our cartoning machine price guide.
One Machine, Many Formats
What the ZH-200 Cartons — and How It Joins Your Line
The ZH-200 handles aluminium-plastic blister plates, bottles, tubes, soft double-aluminium strips and bag-type products, and connects directly to upstream equipment through a hinged-keel climbing/turning conveyor.
Pharmaceutical
Tablet and capsule blister packs straight off the blister line, plus bottles and pre-filled syringes with the optional feed systems. Built and documented to support your cGMP secondary packaging requirements — see cGMP requirements for cartoning machines.
Cosmetics & Personal Care
Tubes, sachets and soft packs at retail-ready speed. If your products are tubes or jars, compare the format logic in our horizontal cartoning machine page before you decide on speed class.
Food & Nutraceuticals
Bagged and sachet items, chocolate blisters and supplement bottles — all with food-contact compliant contact parts. Lower-volume producers can also consider our automatic cartoning machine range at 50–120 cartons/min.
Build a Complete Line: Blister → Carton → Case
Most ZH-200 buyers connect it to a blister machine as a monoblock line — the hinged-keel conveyor turns and climbs without jamming, and stack count is servo-controlled from the HMI. Pair it with our blister packing machines, or let us engineer the whole flow as a turnkey packaging solution including case packing.
Get Free Turnkey Quote- ZH-200 base machineUS$50,000
- PFS + tablet blister feed system+US$22,500
- Bottle feeder system+US$10,000
- TermsFOB Ningbo · 35 working days
Honest Positioning
Continuous vs Intermittent — and Where the ZH-200 Sits
Speed class should follow your product and budget, not the other way around. Here is how the ZH-200 compares with the alternatives most buyers shortlist. Not sure about machine orientation? Read horizontal vs vertical cartoning first.
| Criteria | ZH-200 (Continuous) | Intermittent Cartoner | European High-Speed Cartoner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real output | 80–200 cartons/min sustained | Typically 30–120 cartons/min | 200–450+ cartons/min |
| Pusher design | 12-head continuous, dual pusher (leaflet first) | Single reciprocating pusher | Multi-head continuous |
| Typical investment | From US$50,000 FOB | US$15,000–45,000 | Commonly US$250,000–600,000+ |
| Lead time | 35 working days | 30–45 working days | Often 6–12 months |
| Control platform | Siemens PLC + servo, English HMI | Varies by maker | Siemens / B&R / Rockwell |
| Best fit | Growing pharma, cosmetics & food plants scaling past 100/min | Small batches, frequent changeovers | Very high volume, single-SKU lines |
Forester's Insight
In more than twenty years of walking pharmaceutical packaging floors, the mistake I see most often is buying speed the line cannot feed. A cartoner only runs as fast as the blister machine, the leaflet folder and the operators upstream of it. An honest 160 cartons per minute that runs all shift beats a theoretical 300 that jams every twenty minutes — and the ZH-200's 12-head pusher and jam-stop clutch exist precisely because of that arithmetic.
My advice before you sign any purchase order: ask the supplier what happens in the three failure moments — no product, no leaflet, carton jam. If the answer involves an operator with a knife clearing torn cartons, keep looking. Machines should protect your materials, not consume them.
— Forester Xiang, Founder & Chief Engineer, HIJ Machinery · 100+ pharma facility audits across 30+ countries
FAQ
High Speed Cartoning Machine — Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers from our engineering team. Ask anything else through the quote form — we reply within 24 hours.
How fast is the ZH-200 high speed cartoning machine?
The ZH-200 runs at 80–200 cartons per minute in continuous motion. Because it uses a 12-head continuous pusher, each pusher head cycles only about 16 times per minute at full speed, so insertion stays gentle and accuracy is maintained even at maximum output.
What products can the ZH-200 carton?
The ZH-200 automatically cartons aluminium-plastic blister packs, bottles, tubes, soft double-aluminium strips and bag or sachet type products. With the optional feed systems it also handles pre-filled syringes and tablet blister stacks fed directly from an upstream blister packing machine.
How much does a high speed cartoning machine cost?
The ZH-200 base machine starts from US$50,000 FOB Ningbo. The pre-filled syringe and tablet blister feed system adds US$22,500 and the bottle feeder system adds US$10,000, bringing a fully equipped configuration to US$82,500. European high-speed cartoners with comparable output typically cost several times more.
Is the ZH-200 suitable for pharmaceutical cGMP environments?
Yes. The ZH-200 is cGMP-ready and CE-marked, manufactured under ISO 9001 standards with stainless steel construction, no-product-no-carton logic and automatic rejection of incomplete packs. We supply the FAT records and technical documentation your team needs to execute its own DQ, IQ, OQ and PQ qualification — your validation process, supported by our documents.
Which brand components does the ZH-200 use?
The control system is a Siemens S7-200 SMART PLC (CPU ST60) with a 7-inch Siemens SMART touch screen and three Siemens servo axes. The main motor is German SEW, the vacuum pump is German Becker, and the electrical cabinet uses Schneider Electric breakers and contactors, Omron encoders and power supply, and Weidmüller terminals.
What are the delivery time and warranty terms?
Delivery is 35 working days after the advance payment, with a factory acceptance test before shipment. The machine carries a 12-month warranty covering free replacement of quality-related spare parts, followed by lifetime maintenance support. Installation and commissioning by our technicians is available on site.
About HIJ Machinery — Entity Reference
HIJ Machinery (legal name: Wenzhou Trustar Machinery Technology Co., Ltd) is a pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food packaging machinery manufacturer founded in 2004 in Rui'an, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China. The company designs and builds blister packing machines, cartoning machines, capsule filling machines, pre-filled syringe filling machines and turnkey packaging lines, exported to more than 30 countries.
The ZH-200 high speed cartoning machine described on this page is a continuous-motion automatic cartoner producing 80–200 cartons per minute, controlled by a Siemens S7-200 SMART PLC with three Siemens servo axes, priced from US$50,000 FOB Ningbo. All technical content on this page is authored and reviewed by Forester Xiang, founder and chief engineer of HIJ Machinery, with 20+ years of packaging machinery engineering experience and 100+ pharmaceutical facility audits across 30+ countries. Equipment is cGMP-ready, CE-marked and manufactured under ISO 9001 standards; qualification (DQ/IQ/OQ/PQ) is executed by the customer with documentation support from HIJ.
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