At the COMPETENCE 14 Open House, held at the end of November in Mex, Switzerland, BOBST premiered a brand new folder-gluer for corrugated and litho-laminated box making.
Available in two sizes - EXPERTFOLD 145 and EXPERTFOLD 165 - and in several variants, the machine has been designed with the needs of both sheet plant and integrated manufacturers of fluted boxes in mind. This new EXPERTFOLD offers true control of the folding and gluing process thanks to a large number of new design features and technology innovations.
Emilio Corti, Head of Sales BU Sheet-fed, said, "We conceived the EXPERTFOLD 145 and 165 to reflect what customers told us they need from a folder-gluer. One feature they asked for was flexibility in the type and dimensions of the substrates that could be run. They also wanted good control of the blank as it goes through the machine in order to achieve high performance with excellent box quality. That control is particularly important these days with so much production being shelf-ready packaging or destined for auto packing lines."
The design elements of the new EXPERTFOLD which deliver these features include: ACCUFEED blank alignment that ensures precise folding; a high accuracy pre-breaker which ensure excellent performance on machine-erect lines; and a folding process that minimizes fishtailing and gap. The latter is aided by an extra long folding section which creates smoother folding. Along with revolutionary creasing units at the entry, this ensures the high folding quality that manufacturers need today.
Able to fold and glue substrates from N-flute to A-flute, including double wall and litho-laminates, the EXPERTFOLD 145 and 165 can handle blanks of up to 1'700 x 1'100mm in size and up to 25mm thick when folded. The flexibility of the models means that they can also process blanks as small as 296 x 60mm.
Jacques Reymond, Head of Product Marketing BU Sheet-fed, added, "We've designed these new EXPERTFOLD models to be very robust, which means high levels of uptime along with superb control of the blank. At the same time we've made them truly user friendly. For example they have open side frames for ease of access, but they also have light barriers to protect the operators. Video monitoring helps the operators see what's going on, while ACCUEJECT and other BOBST quality assurance systems mean that they can keep on top of quality throughout the run. As you'd expect, these machines are also modular in design, so they can grow with the customer's business."
The range of configurations and options available includes crash-lock capabilities, a 25'000 boxes per hour 4/6 corner unit and motorized/automatic setting versions. The high, 250 meters per minute, running speed of the new EXPERTFOLD means that end of line handling can become a bottleneck without automatic packing. This is why BOBST offers Impack solutions for straight-line, crash-lock and 4/6 corner carton packing which allow users to maximize the performance of the EXPERTFOLD.
Also making its debut appearance at COMPETENCE 14 was ACCUCHECK XL, the world's first in-line, zero-fault, quality checking device for corrugated folder-gluers. Shown as a concept version, in-line with the EXPERTFOLD 165, ACCUCHECK XL uses a high speed camera and the latest image processing software to inspect every box in the run for color variations or other defects. Working with the new ACCUEJECT box rejection device on the EXPERTFOLD, this new concept creates a quality assurance system that allows manufacturers to meet today's demand for faultless packaging, while still delivering the high speed production they need. Well received by visitors to the event, ACCUCHECK XL is a development which further reinforces BOBST as a leader in the provision of equipment which can deliver 'zero fault' packaging.
COMPETENCE 14 was attended by over 150 companies from around the world, with positive feedback being received on the new EXPERTFOLD models, as well as on the other equipment and services on display. These included a MASTERCUT 2.1 with POWER REGISTER, MASTERFOLD 230 with GYROBOX XL and LOGIPACK, FS POLYJOINER 400 and the wide range of BOBST services solutions.
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