How to maximize the utility of fully eliminated die-cutting?

Ma Guang Province, from offset printing, gravure printing, screen printing, die-cutting and hot stamping operators, to technical research and development personnel, to production scheduling and quality management...... In the tobacco printing industry, he has been working for 26 years. He took the initiative to create the "printing process as the main line" product costing method, helping the company win more than 70 million yuan of orders; He led the establishment of a number of QC quality management and lean research groups in the printing team, carried out 12 QC quality management activities, and put forward more than 100 rationalization suggestions. He has innovated and changed dozens of the company's large and small technical transformation projects, and obtained 1 invention patent and 4 utility model patents. He is good at summarizing and communicating, publishing more than 60 articles in his spare time, organizing and compiling training materials to carry out process technology training within the company, and actively playing a role in helping and leading.

As we all know, the fierce competition, high quality requirements, and delivery pressure in the cigarette pack printing market are the most in the printing industry. At the same time, in recent years, tobacco pack printing enterprises have faced various difficulties such as rising prices of raw and auxiliary materials, rising labor costs and difficulties in recruitment, and increasing environmental protection costs and safety investment. Under many unfavorable factors, in order to reduce production costs, ensure reasonable profitability, and maintain the healthy and orderly development of enterprises, cigarette pack printing enterprises have carried out technological transformation, increased equipment investment, eliminated old equipment with low efficiency and high energy consumption, and replaced it with new equipment with high efficiency and low energy consumption.

At present, our company has 2 sets of full waste die-cutting machines, 1 was purchased in 2010, which is the first generation of Evergreen company's full waste die-cutting machine MK1060ER; One unit was purchased in 2015 and is the second generation of Evergreen's complete waste die-cutting machine MK1060ERSL.

There are problems with the full waste die-cutting machine

1. The collection and stacking of boxes are not neat

The phenomenon of unneat collection and stacking of box pieces mainly occurs in the MK1060ER of the first full waste die-cutting machine. In the process of using the first full waste die-cutting machine, due to the lack of experience in use, and the first equipment was the first generation of Evergreen products, the uneven box collection became the focus of the equipment.

At that time, in order to ensure that the equipment could be put into production smoothly, it was equipped with Marbach's die-cut version, waste plate and carton subdivision system, and after a period of debugging, the problem of uneven box collection was not fundamentally solved.

In order to solve the problem as soon as possible, the company's technicians and equipment manufacturer engineers worked together to tackle key problems, and asked Yue Hexing to remake the knife template and a full set of waste removal system, and repeated on-machine tests failed to effectively solve the problem.

Later, through repeated observation of the box collection process, it was found that the uneven box collection phenomenon mainly occurred when the sub-paper collection device first came out of the fork, and with the continuous increase of the stacking height of the box pieces, the problem of uneven box collection became lighter and less and less. Therefore, it is determined that the distance between the sub-paper take-up platform (fork) and the folder divider is too high, which is the main reason for the uneven box collection.

However, if you want to adjust the distance between the sub-take-up platform (fork) and the box divider to basically solve the problem, it is necessary to modify the mechanical structure of the equipment, which may cause a series of uncertainties, which may not affect the accuracy of the equipment, so we try to solve the problem from how to improve the stability of the box falling process.

Through repeated trials, we installed a timed blowing system on the upper box divider, so that the upper box divider moved downwards to press down the box pieces, and the timed air blowing system began to blow downward, so that the process of falling the box along the lower box divider changed from the original free fall type to the blowing down type, which not only increased the stability of the box falling but also shortened the falling time, greatly improving the phenomenon of uneven box collection.

MK1060ERSL the new equipment purchased in 2015, Evergreen has adjusted the mechanical structure to shorten the distance between the carton divider and the secondary paper collection platform, and fundamentally solve the problem of uneven box collection and stacking.

2. There is no non-stop sampling function, which cannot realize the instant sampling inspection of die-cut samples, and it is easy to have quality problems due to missed detection

The first generation of full waste die-cutting machine has a non-stop sampling function, and the machine must be stopped for instant sampling inspection. The first generation of full waste die-cutting machine is equipped with a sampling button in the middle of the fuselage (waste cleaning station), after pressing the sampling button during sampling, the sample completes the indentation die-cutting action from the die-cutting station, and then slows down to the waste removal power position. This method of stopping sampling is done at the expense of production efficiency, and operators often artificially reduce the sampling frequency in order to catch up with the schedule, resulting in untimely sampling and easy to cause quality risks.

In addition to retaining the original shutdown sampling function, the second-generation full-cleaning die-cutting machine adds a non-stop sampling function, which is realized through the sampling button at the end of the machine. The second-generation complete waste die-cutting machine is equipped with a sample receiving tray at the tail waste outlet edge, and a sampling button is provided on the frame operation surface at the tail; If the operator wants to complete the non-stop sampling, he only needs to press the sampling button at the end of the machine, then the sample will pass the waste cleaning station at full speed after completing the indentation die-cutting action from the die-cutting station without stopping the machine and slowing down, and after the waste edge of the sample is removed in the middle of the sample and the dragging part of the waste cleaning station, it will reach the finished product station at full speed. The non-stop sampling function is convenient for operators to inspect finished products in time, which solves the problem of improving production efficiency and quality control.

3. Other problems

(1) The scattering of boxes at the die-cutting station is generally caused by the connection point being too small or the connection point position is improperly arranged, or the local die-cutting pressure is too large, and it can be slightly adjusted according to different reasons; This problem also often occurs on ordinary die-cutting machines.

(2) The phenomenon of the waste removal needle scratching the sample at the waste cleaning station is generally caused by the improper installation position of the waste cleaning needle, and the waste cleaning needle can be adjusted according to the position of the waste edge of the box; This problem is also often encountered in semi-clean die-cutting machines.

(3) There is a problem of scratching the side of the box at the finished product station, which has been professionally discussed by many professionals, and will not be repeated here.

Products suitable for production with a full waste die-cutting machine

The reason why the full waste die-cutting machine is favored by tobacco pack printing companies is because it has advantages that ordinary die-cutting machines cannot compare with in the realization of die-cutting process.

1. It is especially suitable for producing products for high-speed cigarette packaging machines

At present, the speed of the high-speed cigarette packaging machine of the tobacco factory is generally 800~1000 packs/min, such a high packaging speed for the quality of the box (cigarette pack box) is particularly high, among which the two most important technical indicators that affect the suitability of the cigarette pack box on the machine are the flatness of the box and the crease stiffness, which requires the box to be very flat without obvious deformation, and the crease stiffness value is about 10g lower than that of ordinary products (the crease stiffness of the box for the high-speed cigarette packaging machine is 50~65g, and the box for the ordinary cigarette packaging machine <70g) and the range of fluctuations is as small as possible.

The high-precision requirements of high-speed cigarette packaging machines for cigarette packets are difficult to achieve with ordinary die-cutting machines. If it is produced by an ordinary die-cutting machine, because the die-cut version itself has low accuracy, the die-cutting pressure of the equipment itself is difficult to ensure consistency in the horizontal position, and the long manual waste removal cycle may lead to the deformation of the box and other factors. The die-cutting plate used in the full waste die-cutting machine is a sandwich steel template, the pressure is uniform and consistent, and the die-cutting and waste cleaning is completed at one time, and the finished product is produced at one time, which reduces the exposure time of the finished product in the external environment, the deformation of the box is small, the flatness is high, and the crease stiffness is uniform and consistent, so as to ensure the applicability of cigarette pack small box on the high-speed cigarette packaging machine.

2. It is especially suitable for the production of products that are easy to cause the color of the die-cutting knife edge to be cleared by hand

For the substrate is laser paper, transfer paper and other special materials such as cigarette packs, especially the ink layer at the die-cutting knife edge, or there are special processes such as screen printing, if the die-cutting machine is used to complete the die-cutting process, there will often be a phenomenon of color explosion at the die-cutting knife edge caused by scratching when removing the waste edge when the waste is removed by hand. At this time, if the die-cutting process is realized by a complete waste die-cutting machine, the force level of waste cleaning and cleaning of the finished product will be downward and uniform, which will largely avoid the problem of color explosion at the die-cutting knife edge.

3. It is especially suitable for the production of thin cigarette packs and other products that are prone to pressure and impenetrable at the folded wings, and it is not easy to break the box by hand

In recent years, fine cigarettes have become the new favorite of the cigarette market and sales have risen year after year, and various Chinese tobacco companies have followed the trend and continued to launch fine cigarettes. However, the inability to press through the folded wings of cigarette packs (especially small boxes) is the most important factor affecting the applicability index of the aircraft, and the fine cigarette pack is even more so. In order to ensure the suitability of the cigarette pack box, the cigarette pack printing companies usually use the manual box breaking method to break all the 4 folded wings of the cigarette pack box, but there is still a phenomenon that cannot be broken, especially the fine cigarette pack, because the folded wing is very small, the fingers cannot be pinched, once there is a phenomenon of inability to cut and cut, it is difficult to break it with hand, and it is easy to have problems such as packaging jams caused by folding wings that are not penetrated.

In order to fundamentally solve the problem of the folding wing of the small box of fine cigarette packets, we cooperated with the die-cutting plate manufacturer, after a long period of exploration and testing, installed an automatic box breaker on the waste cleaning system of the full waste die-cutting machine, and the automatic box breaker was installed on the fixed plate of the upper waste needle and the corresponding position of the folded wing of the cigarette pack small box, and at the same time removed the corresponding position of the folded wing of the cigarette pack small box on the middle clear waste version (hollowing), and at the same time pressed down on the upper waste needle, the presser foot of the automatic box breaker was also pressed down, when the folding wing was not penetrated, The presser foot of the automatic box breaker will press open the impenetrable place, which improves the suitability of the cigarette pack on the machine, and also saves the manual box breaking link, reducing labor intensity and saving labor costs.



(1) The die cutter version of the all-waste die cutting machine has higher production accuracy and better waste cleaning quality; Its non-stop paper take-up and laying system enables accurate counting capabilities.

(2) The use of full waste die-cutting eliminates the manual waste removal link, avoids product damage or unqualification caused by human factors, and the yield is higher (about 0.03% increase).

(3) The application of the full waste die-cutting machine can save 1 waste clearance personnel per ordinary die-cutting machine, saving about 150 yuan in labor costs per shift and about 90,000 yuan in labor costs per shift; It also reduces the labor intensity of employees and improves the happiness index of employees, which is conducive to the safety and stability of the enterprise.



At present, our company has a total of 2 complete waste die-cutting machines, accounting for 1/3 of the number of all die-cutting machines, mainly used for the production of Shandong China Tobacco's Taishan (Red General) small box, Hebei China Tobacco's diamond series small box and other products, with an annual output of about 400,000 boxes (small boxes), accounting for about 36% of the total annual output. Due to the relatively high price of all waste die-cut plates, clean waste plates, and finished plates, but their print resistance is also high, the cost of distributing to each single plate is lower than that of ordinary die-cut plates, especially suitable for products with stable orders and large batches.

With the continuous integration of tobacco brands and the continuous increase in the output of a single brand, the opportunity to completely clean waste die-cutting is more and more favored by cigarette pack printing companies; And in order to continuously improve production efficiency, reduce labor costs, but also to reduce the waste edge of the product to achieve the purpose of saving paper, tobacco packaging printing enterprises and equipment manufacturers are exploring circular stamping equipment for circular die-cutting, and with the maturity of circular die-cutting technology, the continuous localization of circular die-cutting equipment, the full waste die-cutting machine (sheet-to-sheet) will gradually be replaced by the circular die-cutting machine (of course, to achieve circular die-cutting, the corresponding printing machine must be transformed, first to realize roll-to-roll printing).

The perfect application of the full waste die cutting machine makes us well aware of the truth of "if you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools", in order to improve production efficiency and product quality, manufacture exquisite products, have advanced supporting equipment and other technical forces and flexibly use them according to the actual situation, it is an indispensable prerequisite.