Cartoning machines erect a flat carton blank, insert the primary pack and patient leaflet, and close the carton to complete a pharmaceutical product's secondary packaging. Pharmaceutical manufacturers and contract packaging organisations rely on this equipment to protect the primary pack, present the product correctly, and apply the serialisation and batch information regulators require, all at a speed matched to the rest of the packaging line. Browse new and used cartoning equipment from verified sellers on Machinery Masters.

What Is Cartoning Equipment?

Cartoning equipment takes a flat carton blank, erects it into a three-dimensional box, loads it with the primary pack and any accompanying leaflet, and seals it closed, and the right machine for the job depends heavily on how the primary pack needs to go in. End-load cartoners push product lengthwise through the open end of the carton, a good fit for rigid or semi-rigid items and stacked blister packs that can be pushed straight in without shifting.

Side-load and top-load cartoners instead drop or push product in through the side or top of the carton, which suits flow-wrapped items, irregular shapes, fragile products such as vials or pre-filled syringes, or bundles of multiple items that an end-load motion would risk damaging or misaligning.

How the carton moves through the machine matters just as much as how the product enters it. Intermittent-motion cartoners stop briefly at each stage, forming, loading, and sealing one carton before advancing to the next, which keeps mould and tooling costs down and suits smaller or more varied production runs. Continuous-motion cartoners instead keep cartons moving without stopping, reaching considerably higher speeds at the cost of more complex tooling, making them the standard choice for high-volume, single-product commercial lines. A leaflet folder-inserter often works alongside either format, folding a patient information leaflet to a precise size and inserting it into the carton at exactly the right point in the cycle.

Cartoning Brands

Uhlmann, known for its PTC series of continuous-motion cartoners alongside its blister packaging machines
R.A Jones, known for its end-load cartoning machines for pharmaceutical, food, and consumer goods
Econocorp, known for its horizontal end-load cartoners and case packers
Bradman Lake, known for its cartoning and secondary packaging equipment for pharmaceutical and healthcare products
Dividella (a Körber Group company), known for its NeoTRAY cartoning systems
Marchesini Group, known for its pharmaceutical cartoning lines
IMA Group, known for its pharmaceutical cartoning machinery

Please verify this brand list against current Machinery Masters marketplace inventory before publishing, as available stock changes over time.

Cartoning Product Types

Cartoning equipment divides into a handful of formats depending on how the product enters the carton and how the carton moves through the machine.

End-Load Cartoners

End-load cartoners push product lengthwise through the open end of the carton, suiting rigid or semi-rigid items and stacked blister packs that can be pushed straight in without shifting out of position.

Side-Load and Top-Load Cartoners

Side-load and top-load cartoners drop or push product in through the side or top of the carton rather than the end, a better fit for flow-wrapped items, irregular shapes, fragile products such as vials or pre-filled syringes, and bundles of multiple items.

Carton Erectors

Carton erectors form a flat carton blank into its finished three-dimensional shape, either as a standalone machine feeding into a separate loading station or as an integrated first stage within a full cartoning line.

Leaflet Folder-Inserters

Leaflet folder inserters fold a patient information leaflet to a precise size and insert it into the carton alongside the primary pack, either as a standalone unit or built directly into a cartoning machine's cycle.

Intermittent-Motion and Continuous-Motion Cartoners

Intermittent-motion cartoners stop briefly at each stage of forming, loading, and sealing, keeping tooling costs down and suiting smaller or more varied production runs, while continuous-motion cartoners keep cartons moving without stopping to reach considerably higher speeds, the standard choice for high-volume, single-product commercial lines.

Cartoning Applications and Uses

Cartoning equipment supports secondary packaging across solid oral dosage, injectable, and over-the-counter pharmaceutical production.

Solid Oral Dosage Secondary Packaging

End-load cartoners package blister packs and bottled tablets or capsules into their final retail or hospital-ready carton, inserting the patient leaflet alongside the primary pack in the same cycle.

Injectable and Vial Cartoning

Side-load and top-load cartoners handle vials, pre-filled syringes, and other fragile injectable primary packs that an end-load motion would risk damaging, a common requirement across sterile injectable production.

Over-the-Counter and Consumer Cartoning

Over-the-counter pharmaceutical products often use the same cartoning formats as prescription products, though typically at higher volumes that favour continuous-motion cartoners over intermittent-motion equipment.

Serialisation and Track-and-Trace Carton Marking

Cartoning lines integrate serialisation printing and vision inspection to apply the unique serial numbers, batch data, and expiry information that track-and-trace regulations require on the secondary pack.

Clinical Trial and Small-Batch Cartoning

Intermittent-motion cartoners support clinical trial supply packaging, where frequent product and dose-strength changeovers matter more than the raw throughput a continuous-motion machine offers.

How to Choose a Cartoning Machine

A handful of practical factors determine which cartoning machine suits a packaging operation.

Match loading direction to your primary pack, choosing end-load for rigid or stacked packs and side-load or top-load for fragile, irregular, or multi-item bundles.
Choose intermittent or continuous motion based on production volume and changeover frequency, favouring intermittent motion for smaller, more varied runs and continuous motion for sustained high-volume output.
Confirm leaflet insertion requirements, since a standalone folder inserter or an integrated version needs matching to your carton and leaflet size.
Check serialisation and vision inspection integration if your product requires track-and-trace marking at the carton level.
For used equipment, request full qualification history; confirm format parts and tooling for your specific carton sizes are included or available; and verify leaflet-insertion accuracy on a test run before relying on the equipment for production.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an end-load and a side-load cartoner?

An end-load cartoner pushes product lengthwise through the open end of the carton, suiting rigid or semi-rigid items and stacked blister packs, while a side-load or top-load cartoner drops or pushes product in through the side or top, better suited to fragile, irregular, or multi-item bundles that an end-load motion might damage or misalign. The choice depends almost entirely on the primary pack's shape and fragility.

What does a leaflet folder-inserter do?

A leaflet folder-inserter folds a patient information leaflet to a precise size and inserts it into the carton alongside the primary pack, either as a standalone machine or integrated directly into a cartoning machine's cycle. Getting the fold and timing right matters, since a misfolded or missing leaflet is a packaging defect regulators take seriously.

What is the difference between intermittent-motion and continuous-motion cartoners?

Intermittent-motion cartoners stop briefly at each stage of forming, loading, and sealing before advancing, keeping tooling costs down and suiting smaller or more varied production runs, while continuous-motion cartoners keep cartons moving without stopping to reach considerably higher speeds. High-volume, single-product commercial lines generally favour continuous-motion equipment despite its more complex tooling.

What is the difference between new and used cartoning equipment?

New cartoning equipment comes with a manufacturer warranty and current documentation, while used equipment offers meaningful cost savings and suits organisations that can confirm qualification history and check that format parts and tooling for their specific carton sizes remain available. It is worth running a leaflet-insertion and carton-sealing test before relying on used equipment for regulated production.

How can I find cartoning equipment on Machinery Masters?

Browse the Machinery Masters marketplace for new and used cartoning equipment from verified sellers, and use the filters to narrow results by brand, format, and throughput. Contact a seller directly to confirm specifications, service history, and pricing before you buy.

Form-Fill-Seal Machines

Laboratory Form-Fill-Seal Machines