Posted 30 Nov by

The MUL20 is An American Designed and European made Sealless steel strapping tool. The MUL20 Tensions steel strapping with a standard ratchet mechanism then crimps it together without a seal with a second lever push. The end result is the steel crimped together as pictured below

See more on our range of steel strapping

We have some additional info below. The product page is here:

https://www.melbpack.com.au/product/mul20-sealless-steel-strapping-tool/

Manufacturer and Brand.
The MUL brand has been in Australia for over 20 years, manufactured in Europe by Teknika and distributed via Teknika USA to Melbpack in Australia. The MUL20 has one of the lowest cost of ownership among other sealless tool with its long life and reversable parts.

Strap TypeRegular Duty/High Tensile Steel
Strap WidthAdjustable 13, 16, or 19 mm
Strap ThicknessUp to 0.64 mm
Joint TypeSealless
Weight4.1 kg
FootprintL: 112mm; W: 55mm

Benefits of the MUL20

One of the main benefits over the MUL20 is its price point, its priced somewhat cheaper than other USA made or European made sealless tools. But with no loss to quality, MUL20’s even in the roughest environments still last over a decade. In fact there is even original MUL15’s still operational by customers that were imported and sold by MPS over 15 years ago. The MUL20 is an upgraded version of the original MUL15.

One of the other benefits of the MUL20 is its easy to adjust by a user or technician, and doesn’t require parts or a timely rebuild to adjust simple things. For example, below is a picture of the cutting depth gauge, simple adjust this gauge by removing one screw and adjusting the plate and you change the cutting depth of the tool. This is useful for when changing straps or when the cutter blade becomes more worn, most other tools cannot adjust the cutting depth this easily or accurately, some have fixed positions or they require you to fully dismantle the tool and add or remove shims.

Teknika go further in-depth on how to adjust the blade:

1.2 ADJUSTING THE MUL-20 FOR STRAP THICKNESS THICKNESS The MUL-20 can be used with regular duty strapping from .015” to .027” thick; and high tensile strapping up to .025” thick. The tool can be easily adjusted for strap thickness by loosening Screw 53 and rotating the Adjustment Plate 11 on the side of the tool. Rotating the Adjustment Plate 11 will change the depth of the cutter. The Adjustment Plate 11 serves as a wrench to turn a hex-end shaft running through the tool. The opposite end of the shaft is round and has a line scribed on it, as shown below. When the line points straight up, the cutter is at its shallowest position; when the line points straight down the cutter is deepest. The usual setting is about half way between these extremes. If the Adjustment Plate 11 is at the end of its travel, remove Screw 53 and reposition Adjustment Plate 11 so that it is within the desired adjustment range. Replace Screw 53 and repeat the above steps until the desired cutting depth is reached. NOTE: The tool is set up properly if, after interlocking the strap, the upper strap is cut off cleanly and there is a slight mark on the lower strap.

 


Another simple adjust is the width, the MUL20 has reversable strapping guides, The tool will come with either 12/6mm guides or 16/19mm Strap guides and it can quickly be adjusted to support either strap. Tekina go into further detail on how to do it:

The TEKNIKA MUL-20 can be adjusted for strapping with widths of 1/2″, 5/8″ or 3/4″. The tool is equipped with one of two sets of reversible strap guides. With parts number 23, 47, and 50 the tool can be set for use with either 1/2″ or 5/8″ strapping. With parts number 60, 62 and 64 the tool can be set for use with 5/8″ or 3/4″strapping. Guide sets are stamped “13” for 1/2″, “16” for 5/8″ and “19” for 3/4″. To change strap width, the three strap guides must be reversed, as follows: a) Remove Screws 39 from the front and rear of the tool. Turn Front and Rear Guides around and replace the screws. Make sure that the same stamped numbers are exposed on each Guide: “13” for 1/2″ strap, “16” for 5/8″ strap, and “19” for 3/4″ strap. b) Unscrew 53 and remove Cover 52 and the Strap Guide. Remove Pin 51 and insert it into the same hole on the opposite side of the Strap Guide. Reverse the Strap Guide and replace it in the tool so that the free end of Pin 51 enters the hole in the Arm 54. Put the guide on the Pin 49. Replace Cover 52 and tighten the Screw 53. The exposed stamped number on the Strap Guide should match the numbers on the Front and Rear Guides.

The other adjustment the MUL20 has is feedwheel clearance seen here, tightening or loosening this bolt increases or decreases the height of where the feedwheel sits to prevent them from grinding together. Many other tools don’t have this adjustment and the height is predetermined by the side casing of the unit. When the side casing becomes worn it needs to be replaced or you run the risk of damaging the feedwheel and gripper. This difference and the other outlines above help the MUL20 to be one of the easiest sealless tools to maintain.

Teknika go into more depth about how to adjust the feedwheel clearance:

The MUL-20 is adjusted from the factory so that there is approximately .005″ clearance between the Feedwheel 38 and the Clutch Plug 22 (Bottom Gripper). Setting them close together insures that there is enough pressure to enable the Feedwheel 38 and Clutch Plug 22 to bite into the strapping, and operate without slipping. At the same time, by maintaining a small clearance between the Feedwheel 38 and the Clutch Plug 22, they are prevented from grinding against each other if the tool is ratcheted without having strapping under the Feedwheel. This maximizes the life of those two parts. Should it become necessary to adjust the clearance between the Feedwheel 38 and Clutch Plug 22, it is easy done, as follows: a) Loosen Nut 59 to the right of the rear strap guide. This frees the Gripper Adjustment Screw 67. b) Turn the tool up on its nose, with the bottom of the tool facing you, and squeeze the Feedwheel Support Handle 68. This will lift the Feedwheel Support Handle 68 off the Gripper Adjustment Screw 67. c) Turn the Gripper Adjustment Screw 67 clockwise to decrease and counterclockwise to increase the gap between the Feedwheel 38 and the Clutch Plug 22. d) When the gap is properly adjusted, re-tighten the lock Nut 59 to keep the adjusting screw from moving while the tool is being operated. NOTE: The gap is set properly when a single piece of strapping is gripped tightly between the Feedwheel and the Bottom Gripper, but a piece of paper slides easily between the Feed Wheel 38 and Gripper 22.

 

Servicing and warranty

The MUL20 comes with a 12 month manufacturers warranty which covers all parts that are deemed faulty by poor craftmanship or faulty materials. Please ask us for our full warranty document.

Melbourne Packaging supplies has a unique servicing model for the MUL20, that is all repairs or servicing on a MUL20(Which is sold by MPS) are capped at 1 hour labour. Sealless machines are so simple to repair that a full rebuild of a MUL20, stripping it right down, cleaning and rebuilding it doesn’t take us much longer than an hour.

While other sealless machines or strapping tools are sold through a lengthy distribution chains Melbpack imports the MUL20 direct from Teknika USA and sells them straight to end users,  repairing them inhouse with our own technicians. We also stock all MUL20 parts for a quick turn around on repairs.

Melbpack can also supply loan MUL20 while your MUL20 is been serviced to limit downtime you may face while your MUL20 is been repaired.

Also for any customer wanting to service your own MUL20’s we can provide your maintenance staff training for this and supply you the tool schematic and parts lists so you can repair the tool yourself.

Operational training

When you purchase a MUL20 if you’re unfamiliar with the tool a Melbpack representative will visit you to train your staff on the operation of the tool and go over the basic maintenance and adjustments with your staff. – This is for Vic customs only, but we will do or best to get to other parts of the country.

Outside usage and life expectancy

Another advantage of the MUL20 over say a battery powered strapping tool is it can be used and left outside if needed, it also will take minimal damage if dropped by a user or if falling off a pallet or timber pack as its of solid steel construction.

While prolonged exposure to the elements will leave some parts to rust and will effect the overall lifetime of the tool, its nothing we cant fix with a quick service.  It’s a great tool for timberyards which aren’t enclosed and have tools scattered around their yards who still which to strap packs relatively fast.