Anxious to provide its customers with solutions that let them achieve their productivity goals, Bobst has launched a Masterline production line redesigned as a mirror image of a standard configuration for the production of corrugated paperboard packaging.
Jonathan Abbis, responsible at Bobst for the SPO-Flexo product line -
corrugated packaging converting - says of the new line that, "In the world of
corrugated paperboard, the trend among our customers is, as far as possible,
to industrialise the manufacture and transformation of this material. They are
constantly looking for solutions which can help them achieve their objectives
of producing quality products, in increasing volumes, taking less time, and
optimizing, wherever possible, productivity from a given surface area. The solutions which we have developed answer
these needs and, in an optimal implementation, these Masterline configurations
can realise more than 5,000 square meters per hour of printed, diecut and
palletised packaging."
He adds that, "In a study of the needs of our customers, their desire to
maximise
both production per square meter and machine uptime was clear. We have met this requirement by providing
customers with the possibility of laying out a pair of Masterline as mirror
images, creating a central working area from which the operators can intervene
quickly on either machine. In other words, we can create a new solution for the
integration of production equipment into the plant, providing more flexibility and
more modularity."
For Mauro Chiari, responsible for mechanical R&D, this is an important development. "Until now, the operation of Bobst machines has always been from the same side so, to create this mirror version, we had to undertake significant modifications to the whole line. During the redesign, all of the components required considerable attention.
"For example, on the Mastercut diecutting platen we had to reverse all the controls, the sector, the double cams and the worm gear among other components. The heart of the mirror line is now on the left."
Despite having just been launched, the mirror line has already confirmed Bobst's expectations, with several sales already agreed and the first complete Masterline mirror line due to start in production at the beginning of 2008.
