Today, Bobst is branching out. The world's most famous die-cutter manufacturer is spreading its customer base in an attempt to protect itself from difficult market conditions faced by its traditional customers. Trade finishers are struggling in general: a few that have gone under in the last two years is evidence of that.
Venugopal Menon, vice president folding carton Indian subcontinent at Bobst India, says, "The general and specialty packaging market is Bobst's chosen target and, it's a market that can benefit hugely from die-cutting; not only does a platen bring the possibility of cutting, it also offers embossing, scoring, kiss-cutting and perforating."
Parksons Packaging located in Daman, Pune and now Rudrapur houses three Bobst Novacuts for their die-cutting requirements. The company is mainly engaged in specialty packaging.
R Srikanth, vice president operations at Parksons Packaging, says: "We adhere to the highest standards of quality and continuously invest in the latest technology. Being a packaging company, finishing is the most crucial part of the post-press activity and for us Bobst equipment gives the desired result."
Shrikanth adds: "Having an in-house die-cutting facility is like opening a door to a whole new market. Today, we can produce any kind of non-square print. We die-cut printed sheets and produce cartons after which the cartons are glued. We operate the die-cutter at the speed of 8,500 sheets per hour," he points out, and mentions product application of folding cartons.
In addition, the Novacut can die-cut various jobs like folders, wallets, 3D direct mail, greetings cards, menus, mouse mats, envelopes, DVD and CD jackets, tags, bags, and loads more.
Novacut 106 which was launched in Drupa 2008 replaced the earlier Speria 106 which came in Drupa 2004.
These machines are the third generation die-cutters from Bobst with unique features like new double cam sector drive, bottom grippers with re-opener, Cube with highway remote assistance, centreline system with quick lock chase and micrometric centrings and running upto 8,000 sheets per hour. All these features ensure perfect registration year on year, quick changeover and remote assistance on machine.
The manufacturer has some work to do in the general commercial market: it's perceived as a supplier to the folding carton market, with all its connotations of speciality and heavy industrial machinery. Nonetheless, it seems general commercial printers are more than ready to consider the non-square print. Bobst has sold 80% Novacut 106s, to folding carton producers and 20% to commercial printers diversifying into packaging.
Market misconceptions
Bobst's main problem is that the market thinks die-cutters can't handle lighter stocks and/or smaller sheet sizes. Bobst has addressed this on the 106, incorporating extra handling devices for untroubled running. The kit carries the Bobst special paper handling devices as a standard and can handle stocks from 80gsm upto 2,000gsm.
These are effectively a raft of air-blowers throughout the machine that let lighter stocks run faster without losing registration. The air-blowers are particularly important at the infeed and just before the cutting impression, giving a timed blast of air that keeps the sheet flat, helping its dimensional stability.
The Bobst "small-sized-sheet" kit, also normally optional on all the machines through its range, comes with the 106 as standard, and it allows the machine to handle sheets as small as 300x350mm.
The small-sized-sheet kit comprises an attachment on the front gate of the feeder that drives the sheets positively into the front and side lays. "You lose a lot of control as the sheet gets smaller. Couple that with the lighter stocks this machine will typically put through and it means we've had to address these two combined factors with good, robust counter-devices," says Menon.
One feature that's been specially designed for the 106 is the dynamic opening of the delivery grippers. Traditionally, Bobst kit has opened its delivery gripper bars once the sheet has stopped, but on the 106, the addition of air blowers in the delivery means the lighter-weight sheets, which would normally float down into the delivery stack, are driven positively down.
Novacut 106 has unique features resulting as very productive machine and also flexible to handle substrates from 80 gsm paper to 2,000 gsm board and E/F flute upto four mm thick.
Bobst third generation feeder, inline manual feeder pile correction, contoured SS plates at feed table inlet improving sheet feeding and minimises stoppages, Automatic Gripper re-opener device for ensuring perfect registered sheet enters the platen, bottom gripper and improved double cam sector drive, ensuring flat and smooth sheet transport with less nicks on blanks, Cube third generation colour touch screen 32 bit computer for all trouble shooting and machine control, braking brush and delivery rear joggers independent settings and last but not the least sheets are delivered on the fly, thus ensuring no breaking of blanks and nice stack at delivery.
Another feature particularly geared for the commercial market is the ability to register the sheet to either side of the die-cutter. Bobst machines have normally had only one set of side lays, which register the pattern to the edge of the sheet. Acknowledging that commercial printers may produce sheets that call for registration on the both sides, Bobst has given the 106 the ability to vary the register side lay on a job-by-job basis.
"A folding carton firm or general packaging printer has experience with the nicks or tags that hold a die-cut job into the sheet until it's taken off the delivery, but a commercial printer is less accustomed to it," says Menon. But through clever engineering, Bobst has ensured the 106 can minimise the nicks on the tags, giving commercial printers a more cosmetically attractive finished sheet.
Menon explains: "A die-cut sheet needs nicks or tags to hold the cut blank in place while the sheet goes through the final stages of delivery and jogging – it gets speeded up and slowed down from its inert position on the platen, and that can pull the sheet and damage the cut blank. But on the 106, we've designed in much easier running due to a double cam design that gives smooth acceleration and de-acceleration to the gripper bars."
The effect of this is that the tags designed into a tool can be fewer and less substantial than on a typical tool, giving what Menon calls "a more commercially acceptable sheet."
SPECIFICATIONS
Max sheet size: 1,060 x 740mm
Min sheet size: 400 x 350mm
Stock thickness range: paper min 80 gsm, carton or solid board up to 2000 gsm or corrugated board up to 4mm
Max speed: 8000 sheets per hour
Contact: K Venugopal Menon, Bobst India,
+91 20 3987 8000 / 3987 8081
+91 98225 04359
venugopal.menon@bobstgroup.com
THE ALTERNATIVE
YOCO NIKKO JY-106E
Yoco automatic die-cutter with stripping had it’s entry in the Indian market with their first installation in June 2005. Since then, Suba Solutions has installed 33 machines all over India including some of the prestigious packaging companies in India.
Maximum Sheet Size 1060 x 750mm
Minimum Sheet Size 380 x 450mm
Stock thickness range 80gsm to 5mm B flute corrugated paper
Maximum speed 7500 sheets / hour
Contact Suba Solutions
V Vaidy +91 9382867972
C Naresh +91 9380515024
YAWA MW1050YA
This was introduced by Yawa about five years ago and has met with very good success in the Chinese market. Yawa has exported these machines in good numbers to USA, Brazil and South East Asian markets. MW1050YA is rated highly for being good value for money.
Max sheet size 1050X750mm
Min sheet size 390X370mm
Stock thickness range 0.2-1.5 mm E/B flute corrugated board
Max Speed 6300 (cardboard), 45OO corrugated board), 5500 (with stripping) sheets / hour
Contact S L Kulkarni Cyril Graphics
+91 22 26865801
Heidelberg Dymatrix 105
Heidelberg’s Dymatrix range first appeared at Drupa 2000, and has had modest commercial success since then. The 105 has a good size and is fast (even its smallest sheet size is large). Additional plus is, its stock thickness range is suitable for a commercial environment.
Max sheet size 1,050x740mm
Min sheet size 400x350mm
Stock thickness range 0.08–2mm
Max speed 9,000 sheets per hour
Contact Heidelberg India +91 22 28224343
CAD-1050SS
Redlands Machinery’s CAD 1050SS has a four-suction, four-feed powerful mechanism which enables quick delivery via stable and smooth paper feeding and of which the height and angle of the suction nozzle can be adjusted accordingly.
Maximum Sheet Size 1050 × 750 mm
Minimum Sheet Size 400 × 360 mm
Stock thickness range 80 to 1200gsm paperboard, thickness for corrugated paperboard is 4mm
Maximum speed 7500 sheets per hour
Contact Redlands Machinery, Marshal Francis,
+91 487 3290309
+91 9321894365
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