The new TIME700 line by Fabio Perini S.p.A. and KPL Packaging S.p.A. stems from the TIME philosophy and embodies the concepts of flexibility, reliability and efficiency, all concentrated in every single machine comprising the line.
Perini Journal
Surely efficiency, flexibility and reliability are the cornerstones of many companies present on the market, and may therefore seem like frequently used and maybe even overused terms. It is therefore interesting to rediscover these terms when they become tangible because actually applied to the genesis of machinery.
The new TIME700 line – launched on the market in March of this year by two companies who have learned to handle these concepts with ability and concrete developments – is a perfect example of this.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACING TISSUE PRODUCERS TODAY?
The difficult economic context, the rise in private label products together with increasing competition in the field, have led companies to search for a new identity for branded products and a new handling of the marketing mix by placing the emphasis on the product itself. For machine manufacturers, all this translates into a strive for technological solutions capable of satisfying market requests. The new, revolutionary TIME line combines converting and packaging in a modular and innovative design.
The heart of the line is the new rewinder TIME700 by Fabio Perini S.p.A, while KPL Packaging S.p.A. proposes the wrapper model A5T in-line with the bundler Casmatic model S35. The production cycle has been totally redesigned. Starting with the unwinder up to the wrapped and bundled product, the new line offers concrete answers to improve the production performance of converting.
EFFICIENCY. Conceived and designed according to the “non-stop” concept, the new automatic unwinder model 375C allows automatic reel change without interrupting the production process. While the machine is running, a new reel is always located in the unwind position, ready to be started up before the first reel is spent, thus guaranteeing continuous feeding to the rewinder without manual intervention. An important innovation that eliminates machine downtime and makes the production process more fluent. In the past, reel change with a manual unwinder caused a 5-minute machine downtime. This time was shortened to one and a half minutes with the introduction of trolley unwinds; but it was not yet sufficient to guarantee a continuous production cycle. The time saving obtainable with the model 375C also translates into an increase in productivity.
FLEXIBILITY AND MODULARITY. Today, diversifying products has become indispensable; therefore, machines that are all the more flexible and simple to operate are required. And so the novelties introduced in the ply embossing station represent the right answer to these needs. Quick roll change, modularity and flexibility represent the main features of the new rubber-to-steel embosser model 471C, born form the optimization of the concepts already present on the model 470C. Conceived with modularity in mind, the new embosser allows to easily and quickly adjust all the embossing parameters and to work with three separate stations. Prearranged for the addition of a color embossing station, the 471C is designed for quick roll change (20 minutes per roll versus 3-8 hours in the past), allowing for maximum flexibility in pattern change.
The second embossing station is comprised of a Deco-Laminator model 478B. This tool-free model allows quick sleeve change and reaches the target gluing speed of 700 mpm. A veritable revolution, capable of guaranteeing production flexibility by allowing to create products – both toilet rolls and kitchen towels – with different décors, thanks to a sleeve change made in the record time of less than 10 minutes. The new machinery represents a complete answer to the requests of many producers who want to differentiate their product portfolio on the store shelves.
From the will to confer increasing flexibility to converting lines also stems the multi-functional embosser model 477C (not included in the line on demonstration), an innovative, tool-free model, with a target gluing speed of 700 mpm for the production of Deco-Embossed, DESL, and Point-to-Point products. Roll change is quick and easy (just 20 minutes for the 2 steel-to-steel rolls change with DESL or Point-to-Point configuration, or 10 minutes for roll change in the Deco-Embossing one) and allows optimal operator accessibility.
SPEED, RELIABILITY AND PERFORMANCE. Even converting lines have a heart, and the rewinder TIME700 becomes the main organ for the functioning of this production system. Born from the TIME concept, the generation that immediately followed the consolidated Sincro winding system, this model resumes the two fundamental concepts of flexibility and efficiency: two elements characterizing all the machine’s components. The new TIME winding system (see PJL no. 24), perfect for the production of low density rolls, guarantees winding quality at high speeds (700 mpm).
Thanks to the new roll geometry and to the introduction of punzoncini, perfect control of the tissue roll at the winding phase is assured. The speed of 60 logs/min for kitchen towel products with the use of punzoncini and of 45 logs/min for toilet roll products, together with the ability to work low-density products at high speeds, allow to produce rolls having different sheet counts. The use of punzoncini ensures control of the thickness and softness of the tissue, as well as the stability of the roll at the winding phase, while the use of a carbon rider roll having combined motion favors a better quality winding and therefore of the finished product. Furthermore, the perfect application of the line of glue on the core reduces waste because the roll is usable to the last sheet! Speed, efficiency, reliability, modularity, flexibility and performance are the points that connect the line to the packaging section where the wrapper model A5T and the bundler S35 complete the production system. The new wrapper Casmatic model A5T for toilet rolls and kitchen towels, represents a new technological frontier in terms of performance for packaging. Versatile and reliable, this model guarantees optimal production performance. The main novelty of this system is the automatic format change, a device that is as simple as it is reliable, and guarantees change times inferior to 15 minutes.
To close the line comes the bundler model S35, in which high speed is the governing principle. With a maximum production speed of 35 bundles per minute, the machine combines high production performance and high levels of flexibility in terms of product configuration, since it can make both small and large bundles. This flexibility, together with extremely reduced format change times (maximum 20 minutes), make the new model by KPL Packaging S.p.A. an avant-garde machine capable of anticipating market requests in terms of format change times of the entire production line.
Versatile and modular, this new Tissue System will surely aid in finding the answers for tissue producers in order to be able to successfully face the challenges of the future! •