“We have totally redefined straight-line box gluing in collaboration with packaging and adhesives manufacturers. The side seam gluing solution guarantees perfect gluing, with millimetre accuracy, right to the edge of the glue flap. It is very easy to operate and configure, putting the work of machine operators on a new level. The new system can also significantly reduce glue consumption in the production of straight-line boxes thanks to our intelligent Xact up controller, our high-performance PX 1000 application head, and our DPP double-piston pump for high-accuracy pressure regulation. What is more, the new solution eliminates machine downtime for changing glue discs or wheels, and reduces the time and effort for cleaning to a minimum. These improvements take a lot of the burden of operators,” Ralf Scharf, folding carton business development manager at Baumer said.’

One of the unique features of the solution is its auto mode. Baumer integrated a light barrier immediately upstream of the PX 1000 application head that reliably detects the length of the glue flap on a straight-line box. As a result, the distance to be maintained between glue application and the leading and trailing edges of the glue flap only needs to be entered once in the Xact up controller. After that, the side seam gluing solution automatically adheres to the specified values for all jobs.

Conventional glue wheel units take a lot of time to clean. The wheels and scrapers require regular maintenance and cleaning. This new solution eliminates these steps and reduces cleaning time to a minimum. In addition, the wheels no longer need to be switched out for major changeovers in box format.

“We calculated the time saved by eliminating just the cleaning step, which is one of a machine operator’s basic tasks when using glue discs: Assuming 25-min/shift for cleaning and two-shift operation over a period of 250 working days, we arrived at an annual availability increase of about 200 hours per folder-gluer. Depending on the situation, the machines can produce more than 20 million folding cartons in that amount of time,” Scharf explained.

He added that the solution boosts the sustainability of straight-line box production in two other ways as well: At least 30 litres of warm water are used each time to clean conventional glue wheel units, which is unacceptable today from an ecological standpoint. Secondly, the adhesive application system from Baumer boasts high energy efficiency.

Another advantage of non-contact gluing is the continuous supply of adhesive in a closed system. The electronically controlled DPP double-piston pump delivers the right adhesive pressure at every production speed, so that the specified quantity of glue is dispensed onto the glue flap every time – and that guarantees consistent quality in folding carton production.

The solution can be used and retrofitted on any folder-gluer. For quality control, packaging manufacturers can use the same sensor systems they have been using all along with their glue wheels.