At this year's drupa (from May 3 to 16 in Düsseldorf, Germany), Gallus Stanz- und Druckmaschinen GmbH from Weiden, Germany, will be putting the spotlight on the enormous productivity potential in producing folding cartons in an inline process. Visitors to the trade fair will be able to clue up on a number of production solutions for liquid packaging offered by the Folding Carton division of the Gallus Group, as well as on the unique process flexibility of Gallus' systems for manufacturing high-quality folding cartons. Live demos of the successful Gallus ICS 670 machine system focus on a host of technological innovations and reveal the key advantages of inline production with respect to flexibility, productivity and quality.
Evolution of the Gallus ICS 670
The Gallus ICS 670 is an inline machine system that has been tailored specifically to the needs of state-of-the-art folding carton production. Following up from the successful launch of this system, drupa 2012 will serve as the platform for a series of new innovative upgrades and options. Gallus will be demonstrating a combination of its HiDef flexo printing system and a totally new gravure unit, as well as other high-quality finishing processes, such as rotary screen printing or cold foiling in a single pass. By integrating the flying imprint option (a "spare" printing unit that allows promotional images or text to be changed without interrupting production) and the new 100% quality control system with blank ejection, the Gallus ICS 670 offers even more highlights.
New-generation gravure
The new, trendsetting gravure printing unit, which can be integrated at any point in the machine system, adds a second main printing process to the Gallus ICS 670's functionality, enabling printers to use water- and solvent-based inks. It sets new standards in terms of efficiency, economy and user friendliness thanks to the easy-to-handle ink changeover trolley and toolless ink, doctor blade and impression cylinder changeover. Cylindrical gravure sleeves also help greatly reduce operating costs. An ingenious web lead with various dryer options shortens the web run considerably and helps reduce waste. What's more, the gravure unit includes a flying imprint option that enables changeover of the gravure cylinder while the web tension is automatically regulated and kept constant, without the web having to be separated.
Brilliant HiDef flexo printing
Gallus' HiDef flexo printing system shines thanks to its top-drawer print quality at all speeds, from proofing to full production speed. Temperature-controlled anilox rollers, dynamic printing pressure adjustment and perfectly matched components, such as inking systems and printing plates, open the door for extraordinarily demanding applications. Moreover, the use of ink cartridges, sleeve technology and chambered doctor blade systems can reduce setup and changeover times to an absolute minimum. HiDef flexo printing modules can be made ready outside the machine system and be incorporated into any EVA (easy value add) platform without any need for tools.
Film and foil finishing with enormous savings potentials
The new inline module for laminating and cold foiling metalized or transparent films offers maximum efficiency and a great deal of scope for value-add finishing variants. The module fits into every EVA platform and means there's no longer any need to use expensive prelaminated stocks.
Gallus FCL flat-bed die-cutter with 100% quality control
A new blank ejection option for the Gallus FCL flat-bed die-cutter is being rolled out specially to coincide with drupa 2012. A 100% inspection system detects faulty blanks, which can then be ejected on a lane-by-lane basis with no restriction on blank length. Up to eight lanes of blanks can be monitored individually. The system guarantees 100% quality control in the inline production of folding carton blanks – from the reel to the finished blank.
