World

Flatbed die-cutter can handle corrugated, carton and litho-laminated board without compromising productivity and quality

Bobst has announced that its flagship flatbed die-cutter, ‘Mastercut 1.65’, is now commercially available to folding carton and corrugated box manufacturers around the world.

Bringing together the very best in Bobst technology and innovation, ‘Mastercut 1.65’ is completely unique as it is the only machine on the market that has been specially designed for litho-laminated converting and can handle the strong corrugated board and carton equally well – making it one machine for all jobs. Importantly, tooling compatibility and an exceptional level of automation guarantee minimal downtime when switching from one material to another.

Marco Lideo, Product Line director for Die-cutters, Hot foil stampers, Flexo post printers and Litho-laminating at Bobst said, "The development of this machine is the result of great engagement with some of the most experienced professionals in the packaging world. When we asked what they were looking for in a flatbed die-cutter, the feedback we received was for a unique machine that had the capability to handle multiple substrates, while still offering a high level of productivity and unrivalled production quality.

"The ‘Mastercut 1.65’ delivers on all these fronts. It can process both robust and delicate materials, ranging from 300g solid board to 7mm BC double wall litho-laminated at speeds of up to 7,000 sheets per hour, and its high-cutting force enables extremely precise and exceptional die-cutting quality, even for complex box designs."

Lideo added, "With the Bobst ‘Mastercut 1.65’, we have brought together a combination of tools and technologies that reflect and support our vision for the future of the packaging industry, in terms of automation, connectivity and sustainability. It has been built to serve as a long-term asset for converters."

The Bobst ‘Mastercut 1.65’ combines the best-corrugated board and folding carton machines. It has been designed to be versatile, robust and equipped for Industry 4.0 and can be combined with a range of downstream peripherals to create a full production line. Outstanding precision and ergonomic quality control features guarantee minimal waste, saving resources and reducing cost.

With a re-designed top feeding system, Smart Feeder 3, ensures a smooth start to operations. Built-in suction units ensure friction-free feeding for all substrates. Meanwhile, a feeding table with a dedicated pressing device has been tailored for careful processing of warped materials. With delicate and precise feeding, production stoppages are reduced to a minimum and blank quality is assured.

A bespoke ‘Power Register’ offers contactless sheet registration and preserves perfect sheet integrity. The optical register can read printing marks from top/bottom and lateral/lead edge, allowing flexibility in lay-outs and substrate choice. Perfectly registered sheets pass into locked gripper bars for exact die-cutting – ‘Mastercut 1.65’ provides folding-carton print-to-cut precision for the corrugated and litho-laminated boards.

The die-cutter is also the only solution in the market for corrugated and litho-laminated board blanking in size VII and offers a cutting force of up to 5.5 MN for perfect cutting of solid substrates, while low pressure on the sheet ensures delicate materials remain undamaged. The unique blanking system incorporates a dynamic waste ejection feature and automatic cutting force adjustment increases tool longevity. Single cut, double cut or full sheet delivery – all options are available on this machine.

To enable short job changeovers, the intuitive Bobst HMI Sphere allows for quick navigation and the storing of up to 5,000 job tickets. This is supported by the Bobst Matic system which supports a vast number of automatic settings. These two features combine exceptional ergonomics, accessibility and a maximum level of automation for fast and easy handling, guaranteeing optimum productivity. With HMI Sphere, the machine is also ready to join the Bobst Connect platform, opening up the possibility to interlink and optimize the whole converting process in the future.

"To further support our vision for a connected packaging supply chain, ‘Mastercut 1.65’ is available with TooLink," said Lideo. "TooLink is a platform that connects the die-cutter with tooling to bring together the entire converting process and retrieve job data in a matter of seconds. Ultimately, it simplifies job changeover by automating the recipe management, saving time and eliminating the risk of human error. Operators have access to a higher level of production data and insight, and benefit from increased control, automation and efficiency!

"We are delighted to be able to bring this machine to the market and enable converters to see for themselves the value it can bring to their operations, not only today but well into the future too."

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