Working closely with partners to create collaborative solutions, BOBST leverages its local Competence Centers to drive global advancements in packaging. An Open House in April, held at the San Giorgio facility in Italy, showcased BOBST’s industry-leading portfolio for flexible packaging production, demonstrating the latest value-adding innovations in printing and converting.

The flexible packaging market is characterized by a unique set of demands and challenges that impact converters of all sizes. Applications, such as food packaging, perform a critical function keeping the content protected through the product’s lifetime, while also acting as information carrier and brand promoter. Meanwhile, brand owners demand cost-effective, quality solutions that are supplied at speed and the end consumer worries about the environmental impact of packaging.

As a result, converters need sustainable technologies that enable higher productivity with less downtime, combined with increased and consistent quality. Flexibility and speed are crucial to enable faster time to market and increasingly automated processes can eliminate unwanted operator errors causing waste. BOBST continues to lead innovation in packaging, connecting with other expert manufacturers in the field to develop holistic solutions that support converters in this complex market.

 

“Utilizing our great network of Competence Centers and well-established industry partnerships, BOBST is in a prime position to facilitate the current transition in flexible packaging, as we move towards a future of more sustainable, efficient packaging production. Through automation, digitalization, and connectivity, we help converters in this market increase productivity and deliver superb print consistency,” said Davide Garavaglia, General Manager and Head of Product Lines Gravure, Vacuum Coating & Laminating.

 

Aspects of packaging production on show

Innovation in gravure printing and associated converting processes was the focus of a recent Open House held by BOBST and partners in Italy. Taking place at the dedicated Flexible Packaging Competence Center in San Giorgio Monferrato, BOBST welcomed visitors across two days, on April 8 and 9, offering machine demonstrations, presentations and networking opportunities with senior leaders and other industry experts.

 

Live demonstrations of BOBST’s innovative smartGRAVURE solution shown on a MASTER RS 6003 press was the highlight on both days. Offering the ultimate in optimization, smartGRAVURE is an end-to-end digitalized process that allows converters to deliver exceptional and consistent quality, with very low waste of substrates and inks.

 

Showcasing BOBST’s lamination expertise, the solventless NOVALAM S 550 laminator was presented in full production mode throughout the two days. This cost-effective, compact machine impressed with its agility in processing the latest trending materials, including very thin, stretchable films and metalized films.

 

 

“BOBST smartGRAVURE is a revolutionizing solution with the ability to completely changing the way converters work, as they implement full automation and digitalization. Put it together with the compact and agile NOVALAM S 550 solventless laminator and you have a winning combination of best-in-class technologies that guarantee a profitable future in the gravure market,” stated Garavaglia. 

 

The comprehensive program also presented a group of key technology and process partners covering other aspects of flexible packaging production. They included Advanced Vision Technology (AVT) for inspection and print process control systems; Belgian packaging consultancy firm Co-ëfficiënt; Sun Chemical, manufacturer of printing inks, coatings and adhesives; lamination specialist Synaptik from Spain; and substrates and media manufacturer UPM Specialty Papers.

 

Making gravure smart again

Incorporating hardware and software solutions, smartGRAVURE is a new tool that elevates traditional gravure printing from a highly manual operation to a fully digitalized workflow. The system leverages automated process color management with BOBST oneECG (Extended Color Gamut) printing, which incorporates single-touch oneSET automatic setup using the Job recipe management system for data connectivity via the BOBST Connect cloud-based platform.

 

Reduced complexity with oneECG, supported by a new in-line and fully automated inking system, means less downtime and waste, faster job changes, and the ability to print multiple SKUs or even different jobs in the same run. Orders of any size can be produced quicker with high profitability, helping to address the market trend towards reduced run lengths.        

By increasing productivity and efficiency with smartGRAVURE, converters can enjoy improved press uptime with automatic quality monitoring and adjustments. As the only automated solution for gravure on the market, it is poised to evolve over time, bringing ever more advantages to customers and keeping the technology at the forefront of innovation.

 

 

Innovation in lamination technology

A real star at the event, the BOBST NOVALAM S 550 solventless laminator demonstrated cost-effective production of flexible packaging applications. This compact and versatile machine can handle thin film, laminates, paper, and aluminum substrates. Simple to implement with ‘plug & play’ installation, it is available in three standard web widths, with other widths available as option, and runs at a maximum lamination speed of 450 m/min; a real must-have for converters of any size. 

Because it is equipped with sleeve transfer rollers, job changeovers on the NOVALAM S 550 can be performed in minutes without the need for tools, ensuring efficiency and minimal downtime. The pneumatic opening of the metering roller allows for quick and easy adhesive disposal, while the automatic reel centering system reduces waste and start-up time. Other standard features include a patented fully integrated automatic washing system, enhancing maintenance ease. Additionally, the 3-roller laminating nip ensures superior optical quality of the coated adhesive.

 

For converters in the flexo market, the NOVALAM S 550 can as easily be integrated with the BOBST VISION CI flexo press to form the “One Complete Solution” eco system, which is orchestrated through BOBST Connect. One Complete Solution also includes BOBST’s innovative smartGPS platemounting system for offline job preparation and the DIT (Digital Inspection Table) for full quality assurance.

 

Conclusion

Commenting on the success of the event, Garavaglia said, “We are proud to have welcomed visitors, partners and industry experts to another highly informative Open House at our fantastic Competence Center in San Giorgio Monferrato. It clearly proves that here at BOBST, we have the right solutions for producing exceptional flexible packaging, allowing customers the flexibility to create the workflow that best suits their business model and their customers’ needs.”

 

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