Editorial Technical Reference

Furniture assembly line for panel cabinets: case clamp and packing stations

Panel furniture final assembly · case clamp pressing of cabinet carcasses, throughfeed versus stationary, carton folding and sealing for flat-pack

A furniture assembly line for panel cabinets is the conveyor-linked final stage of a panel furniture factory: machined and edged panels are either joined into cabinet carcasses and pressed square in a case clamp, or packed flat into cartons for self-assembly. Ask three things first: what carcass sizes and press forces the case clamp covers, whether carcasses are pressed in a stationary clamp or a throughfeed clamp linked to conveyors, and how fast the packing station folds and seals cartons for your largest panel.

Final assembly and packing stations for panel (case-good) furniture: stationary and throughfeed case clamps for cabinet carcasses, their infeed and outfeed conveyors, and carton folding and sealing lines for flat-pack panels. Panel cutting, edge banding and CNC drilling lines upstream, upholstered and solid-wood chair assembly, and robotic or O-ring assembly cells for other products (see the Automatic O-ring assembly page) are outside this page.

CNFX editorial research · Sources checked October 12, 2026 · 4 sources

Size the case clamp Balance the packing station

Panel furniture line with a robot arm placing a panel beside roller conveyors that carry wood-grain panels and open cabinet carcasses towards a white tunnel station, with a control console and panel stacks in racking behind — Panels and cabinet carcasses moving along a furniture assembly line

Start with your task

Size the case clampCarcass and force. Balance the packing stationCartons per minute.

Size the case clamp for your carcasses: stationary or throughfeed

HOMAG's case clamp brochure states that the pressing force is conveyed to the cabinet according to the material properties so that cabinets are tightly pressed and square. Its stationary CABTEQ S-200 and S-250 clamps take carcasses 150–2,500 mm long (3,000 mm option on the S-250) and 150–1,400 mm high, apply up to 12–18 kN vertically and horizontally, close at 50 mm/s rapid and 25 mm/s slow, and weigh about 2.2 t. [1]

The throughfeed CABTEQ T-250 is built for a linked line: HOMAG's product page lists carcasses 250–2,500 mm long, 120–800 mm deep and 220–1,320 mm high, up to 30 kN vertical and 15 kN horizontal pressure, transport at 12–40 m/min, 500 mm working height, 6 bar operating pressure and a weight of 6.0 t. [2] Sensors scan carcass length and height on entry to position the top and side pressure elements, and a 4-axis nailing unit fixes the rear panel from a magazine of 10,000 staples that reloads while carcasses move. [1]

HOMAG quotes a bathroom furniture maker using the T-250 for rear panels of 3 mm and 16 mm and for pressing tall and base cabinets on one line. [1] Editorial calculation: at 12 m/min a 2,500 mm carcass needs 2.5 ÷ 12 × 60 = 12.5 s to travel its own length; at 40 m/min it needs 3.75 s. Pressing and stapling time come on top; ask the supplier for a timed cycle on your largest cabinet.

Give the supplier carcass length, depth and height ranges, panel material and thickness, rear-panel thickness and fixing (staples, screws, glue), joint type (dowels, fittings), daily output, stationary or throughfeed operation, conveyor heights at entry and exit, and the packing method downstream.

Balance the packing station against the line output

For flat-pack furniture the assembly stage ends at a carton line. Fortran's automatic box folding machine forms cartons 400–2,800 mm long, 320–900 mm wide and 40–250 mm high at 5–7 boxes a minute from 2.5–6 mm corrugated board, with a 9,760 × 3,550 × 2,500 mm footprint, about 3,700 kg weight and 4.5 kW excluding the gluing unit. [3]

Its automatic box closing machine seals cartons 300–2,900 mm long and 200–1,200 mm wide at 4–8 cycles a minute; the carton bottom is glued first, panels and padding are placed in, and the machine measures the width and height of each carton before hot-melt sealing the long side and both short sides, reaching up to 8 packages a minute in batch mode. [4]

Editorial calculation: 5–7 folded cartons a minute is 300–420 an hour, and 8 sealed packages a minute is 480 an hour, so on these two published rates the folding station sets the pace of the carton line. Check both rates against your upstream output in parts per carton, and ask whether one packing line can serve the panel mix you produce.

Compare the published stations

Item	Stationary case clamp (HOMAG S-250)	Throughfeed case clamp (HOMAG T-250)	Carton line (Fortran folding + closing)
Workpiece	Carcass 150–2,500 (3,000) mm long, 150–1,400 mm high [1]	Carcass 250–2,500 mm long, 120–800 mm deep, 220–1,320 mm high [2]	Carton up to 2,800 mm (folding) and 2,900 mm (closing) long [3] [4]
Force or rate	Max. 12–18 kN [1]	Max. 30 kN vertical, 15 kN horizontal [2]	5–7 folds/min; up to 8 seals/min [3] [4]
Transport	Operator places the cabinet in the press; working height 300 mm [1]	12–40 m/min; working height 500 mm [2]	Conveying load 50 kg (folding) [3]
Weight	About 2.2 t [1]	6.0 t [2]	About 3,700 kg (folding) [3]

Infeed, case clamp, rear-panel stapling, carton folding and carton closing

Component	Role	Fix in the order
Infeed conveyor and turner	Brings carcass sides or panels to the press. [1]	Height, width and buffer length.
Case clamp	Presses the carcass square with vertical and lateral pressure. [1]	Carcass range and press force.
Rear-panel fixing unit	Staples the rear panel from a reloading magazine. [1]	Fixing method and magazine.
Carton folding machine	Forms cartons from corrugated board. [3]	Carton range and boxes per minute.
Carton closing machine	Measures and hot-melt seals filled cartons. [4]	Carton range and seals per minute.
Controls and data	Touch operation; sizes measured by sensors. [1] [4]	Software link to order data.

Press air, transport speed, carton rate and station weights for a cabinet line

Power supply, noise level, hall temperature, humidity and ingress protection are not stated in the reviewed sources; request them together with the layout drawing for the full line.

Field	What it means and published values	Ask the supplier for
Line Length (m)	Fortran folding machine alone is 9,760 mm long. [3]	Layout drawing for the full line.
Production Rate (units/hour)	Carton folding 5–7/min; sealing up to 8/min. [3] [4]	Timed rate on your products.
Workstation Count (stations)	Five sections in each Fortran packing machine. [4]	Stations and operators.
Conveyor Width (mm)	Carton width 200–1,200 mm (closing). [4]	Width for your largest part.
Power Supply (V)	Not stated in the reviewed sources.	Voltage, phases, frequency.
Operating Pressure (MPa)	6 bar (0.6 MPa) for the HOMAG clamps. [2]	Air demand and pressure.
Positioning Accuracy (mm)	Not stated; HOMAG positions pressure elements by sensor scan. [1]	Squareness and repeatability.
Conveyor Speed (m/min)	12–40 m/min transport (T-250). [2]	Speed by section.
Noise Level (dB(A))	Not stated in the reviewed sources.	Measured level at the operator.
Operating Temperature (°C)	Not stated in the reviewed sources.	Hall conditions for glue and board.
Humidity Range (% RH)	Not stated in the reviewed sources.	Range for board and cartons.
Ingress Protection	Not stated in the reviewed sources.	Rating of panels and motors.
Frame Material	Fortran folding frame of gantry-welded pipe. [3]	Frame and guide materials.
Weight (kg)	About 2,200 (S-250), 6,000 (T-250), 3,700 (folding). [1] [2] [3]	Floor load per station.

Send the product, station and output data together

Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.

Products: [cabinet types; carcass length, depth, height; flat-pack panel sizes]
Assembly: [joints; rear-panel fixing; stationary or throughfeed clamp]
Packing: [carton sizes; board grade; padding]
Output: [cabinets or cartons per shift]
Layout: [floor space; conveyor heights; links to upstream machines]
Site: [power; compressed air]

See manufacturer records Send an enquiry through CNFX

Buyer questions

What does a case clamp do on a furniture line?

HOMAG describes case clamps as pressing assembled cabinets with force matched to the material so they are tight and square; its throughfeed T-250 also staples the rear panel. [1]

How much force does a cabinet case clamp apply?

HOMAG lists 12–18 kN for its stationary S-200 and S-250 and up to 30 kN vertical and 15 kN horizontal for the throughfeed T-250. [1] [2]

How fast can flat-pack furniture be boxed?

Fortran lists 5–7 cartons a minute for its folding machine and up to 8 packages a minute for its closing machine. [3] [4]

Sources and what still needs a direct check

Sources checked 2026-10-12. HOMAG is a maker of panel furniture machinery describing its own case clamps; Fortran is a listed supplier describing its own packing machines. Values are maker statements.

HOMAG — Case clamps CABTEQ S-200, S-250, T-200, T-250, T-500 brochure (English, PDF) ↗ Maker brochure Return to text ↑
HOMAG — Throughfeed case clamp CABTEQ T-250, technical data ↗ Maker product page Return to text ↑
Fortran Machinery — Automatic box folding machine ↗ Maker product page Return to text ↑
Fortran Machinery — Max automatic box closing machine ↗ Maker product page Return to text ↑

Still to check yourself

Check carcass size range against your cabinets.
Choose stationary or throughfeed pressing.
Balance packing rate against line output.
Get a layout with conveyor heights.
Verify the legal supplier and factory.