DESPITE the full nationwide lock down in April, Alliance Machinery’s factory-trained technicians commissioned the second Eterna ECUT 1650 Elite flatbed die-cutter for corrugated board in Africa.

‘After just two weeks, it was running at high speed in full production and proving to be a hugely valuable asset within the customer’s converting hall as a replacement for a few older pieces of equipment. The major benefits are vastly reduced overheads and operating costs,’ reports MD, Bradley Bate.

The latest investment follows the December 2019 installation of the first ECUT Elite model. It proved so productive that the customer soon made a further downstream investment in an e-Break inline carton separator to reduce manual labour and cope with the rate at which the ECUT Elite delivers complete die-cut and stripped stacks of converted cartons.

With a maximum sheet size of 1 650 x 1 200mm and a feed rate of 6 000 sheets/hour, the ECUT Elite can comfortably deliver around 7 000m² of converted material in an hour. Thanks to the flatbed die-cutting process, every carton is dimensionally identical and consistent crease quality is guaranteed.

The ECUT Elite’s precision has been improved through upgrades to the short stroke platen motion, dynamic gripper bar drive, and sheet transfer system.

Further operator-friendly features include the latest lead edge suction feeder, motorised cutting force adjustment, chase loader, and integrated quick locking of tools. Additionally, all machine elements are set from the operator side. Because they don’t need to leave the control panel area to make adjustments, operators can perform job changes within minutes.

Modular and integration benefits

Eterna has designed this new-generation technology according to a plug-and-play platform so that customers can start with a stand-alone flatbed die-cutter with waste stripping. As their converting needs evolve, they can add up and downstream peripheral equipment, including flexo printing units, the e-Load pre-feeder, e-Break blank separator or e-Pal palletiser.

Bradley lists the benefits of this production platform philosophy as single source supply and responsibility; ergonomic, operator-friendly design; and very high output with minimal staffing to ensure a swift return on investment. As a member of the Bobst Group, he adds, Eterna utilises the well-proven approach of developing fully-integrated production lines to provide converters with complete peace of mind.

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