The cutting machine manufacturer Polar, together with its subsidiary Dienst, has presented a system that cuts, punches, bundles and packs labels - without the need for an operator to intervene.
"Fully automated from sheet to tray" - this is how Polar describes the key feature of the new DC-12 Rapid, which was presented at the Innovation Week of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG in Wiesloch. This is a joint development by the Hofheim-based cutting press manufacturer and its subsidiary Dienst Verpackungstechnik, which specialises in packaging solutions for the food and non-food industries. In this case, the name RAPID stands for Robotics for Autonomous Processing of Industrial Die-Cut Labels - meaning a fully automatic, unattended process: from the cutting layer to the shipping package.
The system consists of the autonomously operating components:
- Air board lift / angular board with gripper machine - loading of prepared layers
- Autotrim-M with aligning station - cutting layers into strips
- Pusher for cut strips
- Loading table LT-S
- AC Autocut 25 PLUS - cutting strips into bundles
- Die-Cutter DC PLUS – die-cutting of labels
- Bundler BD - bundling labels
- Packing station with robot - bundle packing
Cutting machine manufacturer Polar, together with its subsidiary Dienst, has introduced a system that cuts, punches, bundles and packs labels - without the need for an operator to intervene. The new development was based on the new Polar LabelSystem DC-12 Plus, which, with an output of 1,440 bundles per hour, is said to be the fastest system on the market. Further automation components help the system for processing die-cut labels to achieve new best performances. These components consist of a system for automatic feeding of cutting layers, an automatic cutter for fully automatic cutting of strips and, at the end of the workflow, a sorting and packing station that picks up individual bundles by robot, turns them and places them sorted in the station. In the LabelSystem DC-12 Rapid, the robot takes over the otherwise usually manual assembly of 24 label bundles per minute.
Job changeover at the touch of a button
In addition to the efficiency aspect, this also eliminates the physical strain of manual packing. In general, the high degree of automation of the system is intended to ensure the best possible ergonomics, since manual interventions during production are eliminated.
The new components are operated via an HMI that complies with the latest industry standards, according to the manufacturer. Inputs and format settings are intuitive and easy to handle. Set-up times are minimised to a maximum. Job management is available for repeat jobs. A format change takes only 15 minutes thanks to the menu-guided job change, the format memory and Polar OptiChange - the patented change frame system. OptiChange reduces makeready times by allowing large parts of the job change to be prepared outside the press.
Future-proof control technology
The future-proof new industrial control system enables remote service for further improved machine availability and integration into the digital workflow. The press is also prepared for predictive maintenance.
Source: Deutscher Drucker | No. 13 | 21.10.2021 | print.de
Author: Martina Reinhardt
