Removing faults in packaging production is important for all industries. But for some – such as pharmaceuticals and high-end luxury packaging – it is absolutely essential.
Nortier Emballage, located near Paris, has been a major player in offset printing and the development of high-end folding carton packaging since 1905. The company specialises in the luxury sector, particularly cosmetics, perfumes and spirits.
“Because we specialise in high-end packaging, we use a lot of different processes in our packaging production lines, mainly offset or digital printing, varnishing or laminating, hot stamping, embossing, cutting and folding-gluing,” said Didier Rochas, President of Nortier. “These cumulative processes increase the risk of defects in the production line and errors in our industry can be costly.”
Because of this, the company was an early adopter of the first generation of the ACCUCHECK from BOBST. The company invested in two Accucheck devices in 2012 to identify defects in its folder-gluer lines. At the time, Accucheck was one of the first built-in zero-fault quality control devices for folder gluers.
“The high-performance and fully integrated solution, which was more intended for the pharmaceutical industry, appealed to us,” explained Didier Rochas. “The technology had an impressive detection capability on value-added surfaces without affecting our production speed. This was a tremendous competitive advantage.”
Latest Generation
After the introduction of the first generation Accucheck, Bobst has continued to innovate and has recently launched the new system, which makes zero-fault packaging a reality. The new Accucheck is an in-line solution to inspect carton blanks for defects as they enter the folder-gluer and is compatible with the latest generation of MASTERFOLD 75|110 or EXPERTFOLD 50|80|110 machines. The in-line solution is fully embedded into the line, allowing a seamless progression, with no additional quality control step in the process required. As a result, production quality processes are improved while quality check running costs are reduced.
As with the first generation, the new Accucheck carefully checks carton blanks for defects and guarantees complete quality consistency, but now at a considerably faster speed – up to 500m per min, or 140,000 boxes an hour. In addition, the system detects a wide range of defects, including spots, missing print, text errors or mis-registration. Defective boxes are then filtered and ejected automatically, guaranteeing 100% quality-controlled production.
Other new features include advanced reporting, PDF functions and the new Smart Text Inspection feature, which ensures that even the smallest defects like non-compliant words or numbers are detected. Bobst has also introduced dedicated inspections for embossed, metallised and varnished surfaces, which are useful features for producers of high-end luxury packaging such as Nortier.
The folding-gluing line is also easy to use. The new Accucheck is equipped with the HMI SPHERE, which provides several operating modes for customised setting and easy operation. This feature is becoming standard on new Bobst machines. In addition, inspection parameters can be saved and recalled, with repeat orders set within seconds. Access rights can be set for different users.
A strong partnership
“Achieving zero-fault packaging is a key goal for all our customers,” said Claude Tomà, Technology Sales Manager for Folder-gluers at Bobst. “They want to ensure perfect quality production and timely detection of any errors within the production chain. They need a system they can rely on to identify issues and eliminate sources of errors, leading to quality consistency and client satisfaction.”
As a trusted long-term partner, Nortier was selected as a beta site for the development of the new Accucheck and collaborations like this were invaluable in helping to refine the device to perfectly suit the needs of Bobst’s customers.
“We had specific needs and we wanted to work with the Bobst specialists in order to develop the technology further,” said Didier Rochas. “Our requests and exchanges with Bobst have helped to shape the new features that are present today. This result was achieved thanks to the excellent cooperation between all the teams, because the objectives we had set ourselves at the beginning were high.”
He continues, “Today, our teams have a powerful tool that allows us to deliver 100%-controlled packaging. All of this without impacting our production speed. In fact, the new Accucheck has increased our efficiency and agility.”
Tomà added, “We are grateful to Nortier for their loyalty. As business partners, we always aim to deliver the highest quality in both equipment and service.”
