Cold storage is the worst environment for bottom sealing on a case erector, and most facilities only find out after the first winter of jams. At 0-5 °C and 80%+ relative humidity, hot-melt glue behaves differently than it does in a 25 °C packaging hall, and tape behaves differently too. We have built both bottom-tape and bottom-glue machines for cold-chain customers across Russia, the EU, and the CIS, and this article lays out the engineering trade-off in numbers: bond time, humidity tolerance, consumable cost, and the failure modes you will actually see on the PLC screen.

What Cold Storage Does to Bottom Sealing

The physics is simple to state and expensive to ignore.

• Glue cools too fast. Hot-melt adhesive leaves the nozzle at 150-170 °C. In a 3 °C warehouse, the molten bead loses heat to the board and to the air in under a second. Below roughly 90-100 °C the adhesive becomes too viscous to wet the board surface, and the bond strength collapses.
• Condensation breaks the bond. Warm, humid air hits a cold blank and condenses on the liner surface. An invisible water film between the glue and the board is a guaranteed cold seam. The box looks sealed for 30 minutes, then the bottom pops open on the conveyor.
• Tape goes stiff and loses tack. BOPP/OPP tape below 5 °C loses a measurable amount of tack, and the adhesive layer hardens. On the roll, edges can stick together as humidity and cold cycle.
• Fiber picks up moisture. At 80%+ RH, recycled and even virgin corrugated liners gain moisture, which lowers surface strength. A tape seam needs surface fiber to peel from; a wet liner delaminates instead of tearing clean.

So the question is not “which technology is better.” The question is which failure mode your operation can tolerate and how you design the machine around it.

Bottom-Glue in Cold Storage: What to Engineer For

A glue-erector can work reliably in cold storage, but only if the machine is specified for it.

Heated and insulated glue system. The glue tank, hose, and nozzle need to hold 150-170 °C with a closed-loop PID and an insulated hose. If the hose loses heat, you get cold slugs at the nozzle and intermittent leaks. We spec a heated hose with temperature sensors at both ends, not one sensor at the tank.

Low-temperature adhesive grade. Standard EVA hot-melt is marginal below 5 °C. For cold storage we recommend a low-temperature EVA or a PUR-reactive grade, depending on your case volume and whether you can justify the higher cost per kilogram. In trials, low-temp EVA holds a bottom seam on C-flute board at 3 °C in about 4-6 seconds of compression, against 10+ seconds for standard EVA.

Dwell time in the compression section. This is the number people miss. At 5-15 CPM you can give the bottom flaps a longer compression hold. Our glue-configuration machines extend the compression platen travel so the bottom seam gets 3-6 seconds of firm contact while the adhesive sets. You trade a little footprint for a reliable seam.

Condensation control. The hopper and forming area need a controlled airflow path so humid air does not condense onto blanks. A heated blank magazine and a light airflow over the forming zone drop the failure rate measurably.

Bottom-Tape in Cold Storage: What to Engineer For

Tape has a real advantage in the cold: it does not need heat to bond, and it cures instantly at any warehouse temperature.

Cold-grade tape is a different product. Standard OPP tape rated for +5 °C and above will fail on a 0 °C line. Cold-grade BOPP tape with synthetic rubber adhesive is formulated to keep tack down to -5 °C. Check the manufacturer’s minimum application temperature before you buy, not after.

Tape tension and applicator heat. At low temperature the tape adhesive layer stiffens and the roll becomes harder to pull. The applicator needs adjustable brake tension and a heated tape guide in extreme cases. A cold-storage tape head should also use a firm wipe-down roller, because the seam needs mechanical force to set the adhesive, not just contact.

Condensation under the tape. The same water film that kills glue also reduces tape adhesion. The blank surface needs to be dry at the point of application. A small air knife just before the tape head removes surface condensation without slowing the line.

Bottom-Tape vs Bottom-Glue: Direct Comparison

For a 2-3 shift cold chain line running 5-15 CPM, the honest recommendation is: if your downstream process tolerates zero rework, tape gives you the most predictable seam in the cold. If consumable cost dominates and you can hold a compression section, glue saves you money per case. ZRAY builds both heads on the same frame, and you can swap the bottom-sealing module at changeover.

Technical Specifications: ZRAY Cold-Storage Case Erector

PLC Alarms and Troubleshooting in Cold Storage

Cold storage changes which alarms you see. Here is how to read them.

AL-07 Glue Temp Low

1. Check the glue tank setpoint in the PLC: it must be 150-170 °C for standard EVA, and for low-temperature EVA follow the adhesive datasheet.
2. Confirm the hose heater is on and the hose sensor reads within tolerance of the tank sensor; a cold hose produces cold slugs.
3. If the temperature reads correct but bonding is weak, the problem is the board surface (condensation), not the glue. Add the air knife before forming.
4. On long stops, run a purge cycle so the nozzle does not plug with cooled adhesive.

AL-09 Tape Not Sealed

1. Inspect the seam: a loose edge means tape tension is too low or the wipe-down roller is not pressing firmly on a stiff cold tape.
2. Check the tape roll for edge sticking caused by humidity cycling; store cold-grade tape in a dry, conditioned area.
3. Confirm the board surface is dry at the tape head; add air-knife flow if condensation returns.
4. Check applicator brake tension; stiff cold tape needs more pull force than at room temperature.

AL-01 Air Pressure Low (same root cause as any installation, but check the cold side)

1. Verify 0.5-0.7 MPa at the machine inlet; cold warehouses commonly suffer from undersized dryers.
2. Drain the water separator more frequently; cold ambient air means more condensate in the air system.
3. If the gauge drops under load, check for frozen or partially blocked air lines running through unheated zones.

Maintenance Schedule for Cold-Storage Duty

Cold and humidity age a machine faster than a warm dry hall. Use this schedule.

Which Machine for Your Cold Chain Line

For single-piece corrugated cases in a 0-5 °C warehouse, start from the Single-Piece Case Erector, which carries both bottom-sealing heads on one frame. If your distribution case is a heavy reinforced double-wall box built for palletized cold storage, the Three-Piece Case Erector gives you the frame strength for BC-flute blanks. Either way, tell us your warehouse temperature, RH, board grade, and CPM target, and we will specify the sealing head rather than guess.

Get a Cold-Storage Configuration Quote

Send your box dimensions, board grade, warehouse temperature and humidity, and target speed. We will confirm the correct tape or glue head, a 45-day delivery schedule, and a price that includes CE/EAC compliance and the cold-storage options above.

• Email: [email protected]
• WhatsApp: +86 13681839278
• Inquiry form: https://www.cartonerecting.com/en/contact/

Our sales engineers reply within 24 working hours, usually with a technical datasheet attached.