By Olivia Cahoon
Part 2 of 2
Digital folding carton finishing solutions handle necessary finishing functions like coating, die cutting, folding, and gluing. In recent years, the output speed and quality of digital solutions has created shorter run lengths with fewer processes and greater efficiency. Print providers and packaging manufacturers seek the newest and most popular folding carton finishing solutions to offer faster turnarounds and personalized products.
In part two of this series, we highlight solutions for finishing folding cartons.
Brandtjen & Kluge
The Brandtjen & Kluge OmniFold 3000 automatic folding and gluing system is a fully modular converting system for commercial printers and packaging manufacturers. It handles a maximum sheet size of 30×32 inches and produces up to 450 feet per minute.
The control console and docking station includes touchscreen controls and multi-sheet detector (MSD). MSD reduces damaged stock, waste, and downtime caused by jams using sensors to detect when more than one sheet tries to pass through. When multiple sheets are detected the machine shuts off.
Chris Pett, engineering manager, Brandtjen & Kluge, says braille inspection, glue detection, mix prevention, and pharmacode reading are common in folding carton finishing. The OmniFold 3000 creates small and narrow boxes and carts including cosmetic and pharmaceutical. The system has been documented running 40,000 pages per hour.
Duplo USA
Duplo’s UD-300 Rotary Die Cutter features a magnetic cylinder that utilizes a steel plate and handles middle to large production sizes.
The UD-300 is designed for use with flexible dies. It performs kiss cuts, multiple cuts, perforations, slits, slit-scores, and window punches for paper stock up to 14×20 inches at 3,000 sheets per hour (sph).
Kevin Chen, product manager, Duplo, says it’s able to create many customized shapes and produces a variety of digital print and packaging products like direct mailers, folded boxes, labels, retail packages, and stationary.
The system processes over 6,000 cycles per hour. The UD-300 is $85,000 standard with a receiving conveyor to remove waste. Its photo-eye sensor ensures finished pieces are neatly stacked on the conveyor.
Highcon
The Highcon Euclid Series is a digital cutting and creasing solution for the packaging market. The Euclid III handles B1 42-inch substrates at speeds up to 2,000 sph. It has a maximum production size of 30×42 inches.
“The Highcon Euclid III, third generation product addresses today’s operational challenges and answers tomorrow’s growth needs by enabling a range of applications from packaging and commercial print applications to customization with variable data cutting, web-to-pack, and even 3D modeling,” says Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, VP marketing, Highcon.
The Euclid III handles a range of substrates including carton-board, label stock, and microflute. It is compatible with existing workflows.
Its creasing capabilities are based on Highcon’s patented Digital Adhesive Rule Technology (DART) where digital rules are written onto a DART foil on the machine. Setup is 15 minutes and production starts once DART is written.
Ben-Shitrit believes the Highcon Euclid III’s versatility enables converters, printers, trade finishers, and 3D service bureaus to keep up with the innovation and differentiation their clients seek.
KAMA
The KAMA DC 76 Foil ASB is intended for short-run folding carton production. It handles a maximum sheet size of 30×24 inches and handles materials like cardboard, paper, and plastics.
Its functions include braille, creasing, die cutting, embossing, hot foil stamping, and perforating. The DC 76 embellishes with hot foil or a combination of foil and embossing.
The DC 76 has a changeover of ten minutes due to KAMA’s principle of removable heating plates. It features a motor-driven pressure control system and a timed air blast system to facilitate foil detachment.
Marcus Tralau, CEO, KAMA GmbH, says, “it’s a versatile die cutting and finishing solution with fast changeover from die cutting to foil stamping and reverse, inline stripping, and blanking without the need for tools.
KAMA also offers the FF 52i, launched at Drupa 2016, for folding, gluing, and inspection. It is an automated solution with a five-minute job change due to automatic calculation and adjust. According to Tralau, “it’s the world’s first folder gluer for digitally printed folding cartons and short runs and inline plasma treatment to glue UV-coated and metalized surfaces.
MBO America
MBO America offers the BSR 550 Servo Rotary Die Cutter. It handles 21×29-inch sheets and 80 to 375 gsm. The BSR 550 Servo features nick-less production, integrated waste removal, and is compatible with additional finishing processes. It finishes at a maximum of 12,000 sph with five-minute die changeovers. It is intended for short-run environments.
“The machine is a workhorse that handles a variety of demands and produces excellent results every time,” says Ryan Manieri, marketing manager, MBO America.
It features a modular rotary die cutter with inline waste removal that eliminates the need for subsequent processes to remove imperfections. “As a result, there are no nicks in the product edges so products have a perfect, clean cut for the best shelf-face presence,” explains Manieri.
The BSR 550 Servo punches, cuts, kiss cuts, perforates, scores, and debosses. It is available with pallet feeder, pile feeder, or as an inline unit.
The die cutter requires a low operator skill level with minimal training before operation. Manieri says that because trained operators are far more productive, MBO also offers training on the BSR 550 Servo and all its machines. The device must be paired with a folder and gluer to make it a complete folding carton system.
Rollem
Rollem’s Insignia Series Die Cutters features die cut, emboss, kiss cut, perforate, score, tri-crease, and optional inline folding and gluing capabilities. The series has three models to serve a range of production sizes—the IS5 for 20×15-inch sheets, the IS6 for 20×20-inch sheets, and the IS7 for 30×24-inch sheets. The Insignia series cuts substrates up to 30 points in thickness.
Kevin Corwin, product manager, Insignia Die Cutting, Rollem, says that the Insignia Series includes a choice of three configurations. The first is a single magnetic setup utilizing a single flexible die cutting against a lower anvil cylinder. The second, a dual magnetic setup that houses a magnetic upper and lower cylinder, designed to accept paired die tools. Last is a non-bearer configuration that allows the operator to adjust the gap between cylinders to perform kiss cutting.
The series offers two delivery systems—a waste stripping unit to remove the skeleton and deliver individual cut pieces onto a conveyor or a high capacity receding stacker designed to accept full cut sheets.
Optional folder and gluer units can be ordered for inline or near-line operation with the unit. “Insignia is designed for true production with a top suction air feeder and a guide and grip register system,” says Corwin. The Insignia Series begins pricing at $125,000.
Folding Carton Converters
Folding carton converters must stand out from the competition and adapt to market demands like flexibility and short runs. To do this, converters seek finishing solutions with personalization capabilities and quick turnarounds. Currently, there is a great selection of digital folding carton finishing solutions in the market.
Click here to read part one of this exclusive online series, Essential Finishing
August2017, DPS Magazine
