News

Kmec and Blumer have demonstrated to the label world that two companies can work together to provide a complete solution for their customers. The two companies combined forces recently to demonstrate an innovative automated line for the production of die cut labels directly from a printed roll. The resulting advantages are significant in cost savings, time, labour and equipment, as well as reductions in waste.

Both companies are recognized as world leaders in the supply of quality and innovative equipment. Blumer AG in the design and manufacture of equipment for the die-cutting and banding of labels and cards etc. and Kmec (Kontrelmec SL), for the design and manufacture of equipment for paper converting and flexible packaging, printing, label, coating and laminating sectors, as well as the paper mill.

This solution was presented to the international market at the OPEN HOUSE KMEC-BLUMER ’07, which was held recently at Kmec’s premises in Girona (Spain) and attracted some of the major international label manufacturers from countries such as the United States, Germany, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Turkey, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Portugal and Spain, with three orders already having been placed.

The solution demonstrated included a Label CS small format sheeter from Kmec (Kontrelmec SL) fully integrated with an Atlas 1110 supplied by Blumer AG.

Visitors to the Open House were able to witness the finished die cut and banded labels being produced in one process, as opposed to the traditional 3, 4 and often 5 step process that is typical of the traditional large sheeter, guillotine and die cut systems.

Examples of the production of labels from a wide range of materials were shown including metalized papers, BOPP, polyethylene, shrinkable films, tobacco complexes, and ink jet photo paper.

After being sheeted on the Label CS, pre-counted label strip stacks were presented to the Atlas 1110 on a delivery system that includes cardboard placement stations, a pressure and turning unit as well as a rotating conveyor section that can be programmed to deliver the stacks to the Atlas, for alternative processing or as a quality control facility.

Like the Atlas machines, the Label CS has already been widely sold throughout the world to converters and printers that produce paper or plastic labels, photo papers or cards. With a cutting capacity of up to 2,000 cuts per minute and a size range of 50mm to 300mm in length, 1000mm wide, it offers in its own right significant improvements in efficiency and productivity. In addition to label work, 10cm X 15 cm ink jet photo paper can be produced in finished stacks of 25, 50 or 100, for example, and delivered directly into the retail display carton. Moreover, its modular design presents the opportunity to include optional units initially or as your business grows, such as for embossing or perforating.

The two machines are both already regarded as state-of-the-art pieces of equipment and by putting them together; they now provide a completely automated line from the printed roll to the finished shaped and banded label stack. As Joan Carbó, Kmec’s Business Manager explains: “The line requires just 2 people (one for each machine) to control the operation, which compares very favourably with the traditional methods that can need four operators to undertake the unwinding, reaming, guillotining and punching processes.”

Examples of the hourly production potential include, metalized paper beer labels (76mm x 76mm) at up to 1 million labels and Bopp soft drink labels (300mm x 52mm) at 752,000.

CONTACTS
Kmec:
Joan Carbó, Business Manager,
tel. +34 972 010 500
www.kmec.es
Bob Preddy, Kmec USA,
tel. +1 865 671 0403
www.kmecusa.com

It has been published in several specialized magazines with international representation, articles about our automatic production line of labels composed of Label-CS from Kmec inline with Atlas from Blumer that was presented last March in our premises. Articles has been published in: Converting Today. UK based magazine with worldwide distribution. Etiketten-Labels. German based magazine with European distribution Labels and Labeling. UK based magazine with worldwide distribution. Packaging News. UK based magazine with worldwide distribution Printlink Int. UK based magazine distributed in the Middle East and North Africa Flexo & Gravure Int’l. German based magazine with worldwide distribution Narrowebtech. German based magazine with worldwide distribution Matbaa Teknik. Turkish magazine Conversion. US based magazine with Central and South American distribution.