Servo vs. cam-driven cartoners: what changed in 2026
A practical look at how the automation gap between servo and cam-driven cartoning lines has narrowed this year.
A practical look at how the automation gap between servo and cam-driven cartoning lines has narrowed this year.
For years, servo-driven cartoners commanded a steep price premium over cam-driven machines, justified mostly by changeover speed and flexibility. That gap has narrowed significantly in 2026.
New-generation cam-driven machines with modular tooling now achieve changeover times within 20% of comparable servo lines, at a fraction of the capital cost.
For high-SKU-mix operations running more than 15 changeovres a week, servo remains the clear choice — the labor savings alone justify the premium within 18-24 months.