Heidelberg’s Diana X 135 folder gluer is receiving praise from users who have been testing out the machine for its new safety and automation concept and integrated gluing and quality control. Designed for packaging printers and postpress specialists, the machine has been tested by German company A & R Carton, who is impressed with Diana X’s adaptability when producing a wide variety of complicated packaging.
A & R plant manager Ralf Schmidt says the separate servo-drive technology in each module enables the machine to be configured flexibly and without complications to manufacture a wider range of packaging designs than had previously been possible at A & R Carton.
Some specialty cartons used to need two separate production passes but can now be produced in a single pass using the rotating module. "As a result of the Diana X 135, we are able to offer our customers an improved level of service and more efficient production," says Schmidt.
The higher reliability in production provided by add-on units such as the glue line inspector and code reader ensures higher output, with an increase of between 15 and 50 per cent over the previous gluer, depending on the type of carton. In the configuration option without a rotating module, the Diana X 135 achieves a performance of 650 metres a minute, which corresponds to an output of up to 200,000 cartons an hour. With the integrated rotating module, the machine can reach production speeds of up to 450 metres a minute.
Schmidt also praises the machine’s user-friendliness, as it can be accessed from all sides, enabling easy adjustment.
"The machine has more than surpassed our expectations," he says. "It’s just the machine we need for a bulging order book for the coming Christmas period.”
