There is a point in every growing operation where packaging stops being a task and becomes a process. It rarely arrives with a single decision. First one bench, then two. First a few boxes a day, then a pallet. First a machine that runs when someone needs it, then a machine that runs because the line cannot stop. At some point the desktop unit that worked fine for two years is the thing slowing everything down.
Aircosan's heavy-duty range is built for that stage, and it covers six models rather than a simple ladder of increasing size.
The P50 is the standard industrial unit. Cutting width 550mm, maximum thickness 15mm, adjustable speed 0 to 18 metres per minute, power 110V, 220V, or 380V at 1500W. Net weight around 140kg, dimensions roughly 740 x 461 x 850mm. Suitable material is listed as 3 to 7 layers. It produces a single stream of mesh. For a high-volume single-sheet operation, it is the fastest model in the range and the obvious starting point.
The P50-3 shares almost identical specifications with the P50 — same 550mm width, same 15mm thickness, same 0 to 18 metres per minute, same 1500W, same 140kg, same footprint. The difference is what happens after the sheet enters. The P50-3 divides one sheet into three equal output streams. Picture a distribution centre with three benches running in parallel. The conventional answer is three machines: three purchases, three maintenance schedules, three power points, three sets of training. Or one machine and a lot of walking, with someone moving material from a central point to each bench all shift. The P50-3 sits in the middle and each bench draws from its own stream. The walking stops, and that labour goes back into packing. There is a second use case that buyers often miss: a single high-volume bench can use the P50-3 as a throughput multiplier, with three streams feeding one station so material never runs short during a busy window.
The P50-X produces both mesh and strips from the same unit, with the output type selected by the operator. Cutting width 550mm, maximum thickness 15mm, speed 0 to 12 metres per minute, power 2200W, net weight around 212kg. It uses two sets of cutter shafts. Mesh covers fragile items and irregular shapes; strips cover wrapping, separating, and lining. A station handling both types of packaging no longer needs two machines side by side, which frees floor space and removes a second maintenance schedule. The trade-offs are worth stating: maximum thickness is lower than the P50 and P50-3 at 15mm, and speed tops out at 12 metres per minute rather than 18. For operations where packaging content varies through the week, that flexibility is usually worth the small compromises. For operations that only ever need one output type, a dedicated machine is simpler and slightly cheaper.
The P80 exists for cardboard that fights back. Cutting width 550mm, maximum thickness 20mm, adjustable speed 0 to 15 metres per minute, power 2200W, net weight around 205kg, dimensions roughly 767 x 590 x 971mm. Suitable material is listed as 3 to 7 layers, a broader range than the mid-range units. Its headline number is thickness, and that matters more than people expect. Most buyers compare cutting width, because that determines whether a sheet fits. Thickness determines whether the machine keeps running. A unit that jams twice a shift costs more in lost time than the price difference between models. Thick board is common in furniture packaging, industrial component shipping, building materials, and anywhere a supplier is protecting something heavy. If your incoming board is consistently double or triple-wall, the P80 is the model that will not need the material cut down first. One notable advantage: two sheets of cardboard do not need to be separated into single sheets and can be fed directly, which makes work faster.
The P90 and P120 are the wide-format models. P90 cutting width 900mm, P120 cutting width 1200mm — the widest Aircosan manufactures. Both take cardboard up to 20mm thick, run at adjustable 0 to 12 metres per minute, and use a 5500W motor. Both are 380V three-phase only, with no single-phase option. Weights are substantial: around 504kg for the P90 with dimensions of roughly 1276 x 705 x 1048mm, and around 715kg for the P120 at about 1524 x 734 x 1116mm. Neither is a machine you reposition casually. Both need dedicated floor space, clearance at both ends for feeding long sheets, and confirmed three-phase supply before delivery.
The difference between the two is 300mm, and whether it matters depends entirely on what arrives at your dock. A 900mm width covers most mid-size boxes and a good share of larger ones. A 1200mm width is for operations that regularly receive genuinely large sheets — furniture, flat panels, building materials, oversized display packaging — and would otherwise be cutting them down every day. If a meaningful share of your incoming cardboard exceeds 900mm, the P120 removes a step that would otherwise be permanent. If it does not, you are paying more, moving more weight, and giving up floor space for a capability that sits idle.
Power is the first thing to check across the whole range, before anything else. The P50, P50-3, P50-X, and P80 support single-phase 110V or 220V, and three-phase 380V. The P90 and P120 are 380V three-phase only. A facility on 220V single-phase can install a P50 series or P80 without electrical work, which keeps the project simple. Moving to a P90 or P120 means confirming three-phase supply first, and if it is not already available, the cost and lead time of that work becomes part of the decision. Checking this early avoids a situation where the machine arrives before the power does.
Underneath all six models sits the same engineering approach. Aircosan cutter shafts are large one-piece units rather than thin blades, machined from 40Cr steel rather than the more common 45#. Both materials need quenching and hardening, but 40Cr has lower brittleness and stronger impact resistance, and machining time is more than double. The shafts go through lathe work, high-frequency treatment, quenching, and blackening, and are designed for a service life beyond five years. At the same 550mm cutting width, Aircosan shafts are larger and thicker than peers, with about 30% more material cost. The most intuitive way to judge this is overall machine weight — a heavier machine at the same width almost always means a more substantial shaft.
The wider the shaft, the more complex the forces and the easier it deforms. Above 500mm is itself a technical barrier, and reaching 1200mm is a comprehensive test of machining precision, material performance, and process control. That Aircosan produces units at that width is direct evidence of manufacturing capability rather than a marketing claim.
Output feeds straight into packing. Mesh goes into voids and around fragile items. Strips wrap and separate. Both are produced on demand at line speed, which removes the storage and reordering cycle that comes with bought-in consumables. For operations running multiple shifts, that is the difference between material supply that keeps up and material supply that has to be planned days ahead.
Aircosan builds these units in its own factory, which matters once a machine sits at the centre of daily output. Parts, blades, and technical input all depend on the manufacturer being reachable when something stops working. For operations where packaging volume has become predictable and continuous, this is the tier that matches the workload.