Battery Strapping Tools

Choosing between a hand-held battery-powered strapping tool and an automatic strapping machine depends on your operational needs. A hand-held battery-powered strapping tool offers portability and flexibility, making it ideal for smaller operations. On the other hand, an automatic strapping machine is designed for high-volume work, but the improved efficiency requires a larger investment and more space. For lower-volume needs, a battery-operated strapping machine can already be a good strapping solution.

Just like any other work tool, it’s important to wear the right personal protective equipment as you handle a battery operated strapping machine. Wearing gloves will protect you hands from any cuts and abrasions you may have while handling the battery strapping tool while keeping some safety glasses on can protect your eyes from any debris that you may come into contact with. Additionally, do know that every FROMM tool comes with a safety operations manual so make sure to read its contents before you start using one.

Battery strapping tools are designed to work with two primary strapping materials: polypropylene (PP) and polyester (PET). Polypropylene is known for its lightweight, flexible, and cost-efficient qualities, making it well-suited for standard packaging and less demanding tasks. Polyester, however, provides greater strength and resilience, making it the better choice for heavy-duty applications and securing heavier loads.

There are three strapping materials, Steel, Polyester (PET) and PP (Polypropylene)

Steel strapping has been the benchmark strapping/unitizing globally for many years.

In the last 10 years PET strapping has taken the market by storm, replacing steel in probably all but the heaviest or hardest applications. It is safer, easier, strong, and meets the acceptable operational standards of all major Australian industry sectors.

Steel is still used in very small products such as pipes and tubes, because the PET strapping tool technologies cannot strap very small bundles. In addition, it is still used in hot environments where the strapping is in contact with hot products.

Beyond these critical applications polyester strap, purchased from reputable manufacturers, using quality strapping tools or machines will deliver excellent results.

PP strapping is normally used in light applications such as closing of small boxes, empty cartons, small light mixed pallets. It has a tendency to stretch beyond 22% of its original state, so is not suitable for compressing and holding heavy or large products.

A strapping tool is a battery or pneumatic hand held device which requires an operator to apply the strapping around the product and using the machine tighten strapping, apply tension and seal. 

A strapping machine is bespoke technology which is usually used as part of a process or manufacturing line. Strapping is fed around the product automatically by the machine, and applied with correct tension and sealing for an optimized product.

Automated strapping machines have a lot of "plug in" technologies such as bearer inserters, top and or bottom corners, top, and or side compression to square the load.

A strapping tool is a method used to apply plastic or steel strap to a range of products, items or pallet to combine and stabilize the load.

FROMM is a global manufacturer of Plastic Strapping with four plants around the world. FROMM Plastic Strapping is manufactured in our production centres using up to 98% recycled polyester bottle material on state-of-the-art extrusion lines. The majority of this recycled raw material is produced, amongst others, in FROMM‘s own plastic recycling plant Texplast GmbH in Wolfen. FROMM Plastic Strap is a sustainable packaging solution. 

Click here view the manufacturing process in video format 

Used PET strapping can be recycled. Recyclers will usually ask for clean uncontaminated material chopped and placed into a sack. FROMM offers a strap recycling machine which can turn used PET strapping into a recyclable asset, reducing customer waste costs and assisting in meeting social and environmental obligations. These strap choppers can be rented or purchased. Click here for more information. 

FROMM has PET manufacturing capabilities around the world in 4 strategic locations.

In each facility, we manufacture using 100% recycled and 100% recyclable PET flakes (RPET)

In Europe we even collect our own raw material and process it in our own facility, reducing landfill and created a closed-loop market.

Fundamentally you have a manual, semi manual or automated process.

Manual involves using hand tools such as tensioning devices and sealing devices ( sold separately) and a buckle or a clip to create the seal. Really only useful if you strap occasionally.

The rise of battery operated strapping tools has simplified the application of strapping with the material tensioned and sealed within the tool. Modern batteries mean up to 400 plus cycles per charge and these light weight ergonomic devices are very popular.

Automated processes are found in manufacturing and processing facilities such as timber mills, steel and aluminium smelters where cargo is not or do not fit onto a pallet. Growing in popularity is the rise of logistics and distribution where the application of strapping adds to the stability and also security of the cargo.

The strapping material starts in a plastic "state". Once tension is applied to it, it becomes elastic and can hold the load intact while providing some shock absorption. Apply too much tension, and it will lose the ability to absorb shock, putting the load at risk.  As a general rule of thumb, more than 35% of the total breaking strain of the material is needed to create the elastic "state". Past the limit of 80%, the strapping material’s ability to absorb shock will be hindered.

A strapping machine will be able to consistently apply the right level of tension in the strapping material, making it easier and faster to pack items without worrying about their integrity.