Cama Group leading technology and innovation for coffee

Since 1981, Cama is an international leading company whose core business is the engineering and the production of complete high technology secondary packaging lines for major multinational groups both in the food and non-food markets.

Its outstanding packaging knowledge, combined with a unique machine range (Packaging Division) and robotic loading units (Robotic Division), represent Cama capability to propose complete lines starting from the handling of primary packages such as flow-wraps, bags, trays...up to the supply of final carton/corrugated packaging ready for palletising.

In the crowded scenario of the end-of-line and secondary packaging systems in the Coffee sector, Cama stands out for its technological innovation and high added value in terms of accessibility, ergonomic design, performance and functionality of its packaging lines. Cama lines include a comprehensive range of packaging machines and robotic systems often unique in this sector.

Cama’s wide range of packaging systems can handle coffee capsules, stick-packs, pods, bags and cans, presented mainly in trays, cartons, RSC cases and Shelf Ready Packages.

Additional value is provided by Cama’s 30 years’ experience and technological know-how in robotic systems, in conjunction with easy and safe accessibility, clean system design with low product retention, advanced user friendly controls and market implemented electronic components.

Cama’s long success story in Coffee applications is represented by the latest examples of its innovative solutions, among which Cama has recently supplied various high speed lines for capsules and stick-packs.

One of the latest successful applications has been a line to pack 500 cups/minute into corrugated board cartons, which are then collated and packed into RSC cases. The line is composed of a monoblock system (forming unit, closing unit and top loading robot integrated into one frame) and has proven to be extremely flexible. The cups are loaded in a specific configuration so as to obtain optimal carton dimensions into various formats from 8 to 48 count.

1400 coffee capsules/minute are packed in another Cama packaging line into cartons, and then case packed in a wrap-around case. The line is composed of a special infeed system for the manipulation and collation of products at high speed into a limited space, with gentle handling to ensure maximum integrity of the coffee cups. The line does also include a special vision system for product quality control. The success of this application during the years is mainly due to the continuous drive by Cama towards innovative packaging systems. The customer’s stringent specification and Cama’s ability to develop a suitable solution based on these requirements made Cama an “ideal partner” with whom their continuous growth in the market is shared.

Cama is one of a few secondary packaging system manufacturers that could design a line with such a high-tech/reliability ratio as this other one, considering the innovation of the system and the products soft manipulation requirements. An original hexagonal carton has been designed for this Customer. 400 coffee cups, arriving in four lines, are packed in a collation of 15 cups per carton into the hexagonal carton. The cups, individually handled, are accumulated and placed into a multiple-pocket conveyor ready to be picked up by the Cama triple-axis robot.

The addition of rotating third axis allows the insertion of groups of cups into the electronic cartoning machine infeed pockets with intermittent motion. Then the product is carefully end loaded into hexagonal cartons.

A well crafted knowledge has allowed Cama to offer the latest and most reliable technical solution also for this line for packaging of stick-packs. Designed for a leading coffee company, this line is composed of two special hopper loaders that automatically load stick-packs from the processing machines into the infeed of a Cama electronic cartoning machine. Stick packs arriving at 960 ppm are collated and loaded into end load cartons. Various collations can be configured.

The Cama Group staff (170 people), is composed of a selected group of experienced and highly skilled engineers and technicians all committed to the company philosophy of "total quality process system". Cama has made a name for itself on the International market as Europe’s leading company specialised in secondary coffee packaging technology. 5% of turnover is dedicated to permanent research and development, leading to ever more successful market oriented products for a competitive technical advantage, reducing costs and maintaining high quality systems. The adopted motto speaks for itself: “more technology, less cost”.