Bobst

MEX, Switzerland , Nov. 10, 2020 (Press Release) -BOBST’s latest digital solution – TooLink - is drastically reducing changeover times by connecting tooling, machinery and processes, helping converters who are under pressure to deliver smaller runs with a quicker turnaround time.

Reflecting BOBST’s vision to shape the future of the packaging world, tools connecting with die-cutters sets a new standard for efficient and agile box converting. Thanks to the utilization of digitalization and connectivity, converters have the means to become more productive.

TooLink simplifies the change-over by automating the recipe management, which saves time for the operator and removes the risk of human errors.

“In our discussions with customers, we hear that the downtime from one job to another is still taking too long, which is reducing valuable production time,” says Alex Volery, Head of the Tooling division at BOBST. “We saw the opportunity to develop a digital and automated solution to help overcome this issue, hence we have developed TooLink.”

A secured data chip is built into the die and creates a unique ID for every tool. When the tool is inserted in the machine the chip is read and the production-ready recipe with correct alignment and settings is automatically transferred to the machine. All it takes for the operator is two clicks on the die-cutter’s HMI, allowing a significant saving of changeover time on repetitive jobs, as well as potential operator mistake when inserting the recipe.

TooLink-prepared tools are manufactured by a BOBST Certified Die-maker, ensuring that both the quality of the tool and the compatibility with the die-cutter is maximized.

“This is the first phase in our development of the TooLink technology”, continues Alex Volery. “We are hard at work developing future added-value services and solutions related to tooling connectivity. The various stakeholders will be connected, tooling and recipe management will be done remotely and access to tooling data will leverage insights. These digital solutions will empower better decision-making and deliver increased control, automation, and efficiency.”

All new BOBST 106 format die-cutters are TooLink ready and in combination with Matic Plus the saving of repetitive job changeover time is estimated to an average of 15 minutes. It provides converters with valuable additional production time and flexibility.

BARCELONA, Oct. 13, 2020 (Press Release) -On Saturday, October the third, SAICA PACK el Prat established a new world record for a casemaker line in an 8 hour shift.

The previous record, established at 160.000 boxes, was broken on a Martin FFG 924 NT RS, with 7 printing units and Alliance prefeeder and palletiser. The new world record, certified by Bobst, manufacturer of the machine, has been established at 188.540 boxes (+18%).

The working shift, from 06.00h to 14.00h registered 7h 51 minutes of effective run time, at an average speed of 24.380 boxes per hour, with peaks of 32.000 boxes per hour, achieved on the final stretch of the day. With a total surface of 87.372m2 in the shift and an average of 11.298 net m2/hour.

The line, installed in September 2017 as part of SAICA’s massive Renove Investment Plan (250 Million euros), can produce two or three boxes per feed, thanks to Bobst’s “Multifold” system.

SAICA PACK el Prat has specialized in the production of Packaging for Fast Moving Consumer Goods in Barcelona’s area of influence. The site is equipped with the latest technology, quality controls based of Artificial Intelligence checking 100% of boxes regarding print, gap and gluing. The plant is the local leader in Packaging for Food and Drinks and E-commerce. 

A speaker for SAICA PACK El Prat commented “Thanks to these tremendous productivities, we can deliver the best service available to our customers, with the best quality standards. We are really proud to hold this world record.”

About Saica Group

Saica is one of the largest European players in the development and production of recycled paper for corrugated board, with a production of 3,2 million tons of paper. With more than 10,000 employees across Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, UK, Ireland, Turkey, Luxembourg and The Netherlands,

Saica Group has four business areas: production of recycled paper for corrugated board (Saica Paper), waste management and environmental services (Saica Natur), production of corrugated packaging (Saica Pack) and flexible packaging (Saica Flex). The consolidated turnover of the multinational is nearly 3.832 million Euros (aggregate sales, 31.12.19).

MEX, Switzerland , Sept. 18, 2020 (Press Release) -It’s 20 years since BOBST launched its POWER REGISTER system to the packaging market. The ‘no contact’ sheet feeding system was an industry-first and remains unique in its capabilities today. Designed to enable accurate positioning of printed sheets before being die-cut, it was an integral part of the SPRINTERA 106 PER that delivered the ultimate cut-to-print register for supreme product quality.

By reducing setting times and eliminating feed related stops, POWER REGISTER was developed to significantly boost productivity and throughput for customers.

Its original features, including lateral correction of the pile, lateral and longitudinal correction of processed sheets for registration, double sheet sensing and automatic synchronisation of the sheet arrival, have been continually innovated and new technologies incorporated into the POWER REGISTER system over the past two decades.

Bodo Junge, Product Marketing Director Folding Carton at BOBST said: “Our commitment to customers has always been to support them in achieving operational excellence in terms of productivity, efficiency and waste reduction. BOBST was ahead of the curve when we first launched POWER REGISTER 20 years ago and to this day, thanks to that commitment, it remains an unrivalled technology that provides our customers with outstanding competitive advantage.”

When POWER REGISTER II was launched in 2012, not only did it have an easier set-up program, it was able to handle a wider variety of substrates, including transparent, black, metalized or varnished, too. It also offered greater flexibility in job layouts by allowing sheets to be registered using the sheet edge, specially printed front and side marks, or the print itself.

Its innovative bottom print registration feature enables operators to convert litho-laminated microflute jobs with superb quality and accuracy. Creasing sheets from the reverse not only improves the blank itself but also assists downstream processing, such as folding and gluing, for greater line efficiency.

At Drupa 2016, BOBST unveiled its third generation POWER REGISTER on the MASTERCUT 106 PER flatbed die-cutter. With greater automation and the ability to handle all materials at full speed perfectly, it delivers outstanding accuracy and performance for the industry. This latest version has a 65% larger correction range at the front edge of the sheet, reducing production stops by 80%, and guarantees 100% no-sheet-edge contact.

All POWER REGISTER systems are today equipped with the auto teach-in function that automatically calibrates its cameras according to the print on the sheet, eliminating possible human errors and enabling faster set-up while making job changeover easier for the operator. Like its predecessor, it has the optional bottom reading feature for improved litho-lamination sheet processing.

POWER REGISTER is available on a range of BOBST die-cutters, including MASTERCUT 106/145 PER, EXPERTCUT 106/145 PER and VISIONCUT 106 PE/145 PER, as well as the hot foil stamper, MASTERFOIL 106 PR.

Bodo Junge added: “Bringing undisputed value to production lines around the world, POWER REGISTER has continued to be an innovation highlight for BOBST and retains its industry game-changer status. A sophisticated and intelligent system, it gives operators never-before-seen quality and precision at highest performance levels.”