Heidelberg unveils new folding carton kit

This included the Promatrix 106 CS die-cutting machine, and the Diana Smart 55 and Diana Smart 80 folding carton gluing machines.

Heidelberg said Packaging Days 2014 was aimed at folding carton producers requiring optimum quality and reliability for short to medium runs.

Promatrix 106 CS, shown in conjunction with the new Speedmaster CD 102 at the event, performs die-cutting and embossing at a speed of 8,000sph. It is intended for manufacturers of folding cartons in short to medium runs, and also for commercial print shops that occasionally produce packaging.

It offers short make-ready times and can handle a wide range of materials – 90-2,000gsm – and also processes corrugated board up to 4mm (0.16in) thick.

Heidelberg said the 760 x 1,060mm (29.92 x 41.73in) format of the Promatrix 106 CS makes it the ideal post-press counterpart for the Speedmaster XL 106.

The Diana Smart 55 and Diana Smart 80 join the Diana X 80 and Diana X 115 in Heidelberg’s portfolio of Diana branded machines, of which more than 5,000 have already been installed worldwide.

The Diana Smart 55 and Diana Smart 80 can respectively handle cartons 55cm (21.7in) and 80cm (31.5in) wide.

On show at Packaging Days was a Diana Smart 80, which is intended for folding carton manufacturers that produce cartons in short and medium runs. It can be used to produce straightline and lockbottom cartons. At the event the machine was equipped with the Diana Inspection Control and Braille modules, and produced pharmaceutical cartons.

The Diana Smart 55 replaces the Diana 45 and is suitable for folding carton manufacturers that produce small cartons for the pharmaceuticals or cosmetics sector in short and medium runs. The Diana Smart 55 now also optionally offers the latest technologies for this small working width in the shape of the Diana Braille and Diana Inspection Control modules.

Promatrix and Diana Smart are the result of the partnership agreement between Heidelberg and Chinese manufacturer Masterwork Machinery. They will be sold exclusively by Heidelberg, who said Masterwork Machinery will work on further advances in die-cutting and folding carton gluing technologies, plus products developed by Heidelberg in recent years, and incorporate these in new products in the future.

Harald Weimer, member of the German equipment manufacturer’s management board responsible for sales and Heidelberg Services, said: ‘Our sales staff will work closely with Masterwork Machinery’s product management team to ensure that new products meet our customers’ technical and economic requirements.

‘The product portfolio will continue to evolve in the medium term, so that we can offer the right machines and solutions to meet all our customers’ needs for effective folding carton production, including the appropriate service activities. Our customers will have the same Heidelberg contacts as before and will still have access to our global sales and service network.’