TOOLING MATTERS! Status report on the cooperation between two world market leaders

April 2021 marks the first anniversary of the partnership between the Swiss BOBST and the German mid-sized company CITO. Despite the difficult year, what has been achieved?

Initially, the focus was on cutting dies for the folding carton sector – a logical consequence of BOBST’s already commenced certification programme precisely in this field. The concept of High Performance Tooling (HPT) was jointly launched to provide standards for diemakers and the processing industry as well. The goal is to provide a tool classification to clarify “what you get for your money”. Until now, manufacturers could only choose between tools from various suppliers

TOOLING MATTERS!

The BOBST certification programme set out to make this choice easier. Customers who choose tools from a certified company can be sure that the quality and performance in connection with BOBST diecutters are continuously monitored. In order to obtain such a certificate, tool manufacturers have to meet the requirements of BOBST, with sample tools being subjected to a performance test. The certificate is thus a quality seal for the company, which also undergoes regular audits by BOBST. Of course, the test tools are produced strictly according to BOBST’s specifications, including the material used. Only components and materials that guarantee optimal machine performance are used. This applies likewise to the tools that are delivered with new machines.

The opportunities and the challenges to cardboard and paper processing have grown steadily in recent years. The increasing online trade requires a great variety of smaller packaging units. For this reason – and in the interests of sustainability – efforts are being made to avoid plastic as much as possible, with a high proportion of recycled material being used in the cut material. At the same time, an even better service performance is offered on the part of the machines. Until now, the tool technology has been unable to keep pace. If 11,000 sheets instead of 7,000 are to be cut per hour, the logical consequence is that the requirements increase correspondingly – especially for the tools.

The correct elastomer

At the same time, tool manufacturers were under considerable price pressure. In the last 10 years, prices for cutting dies in Europe have fallen by almost 50 %. Yet this effect has been somewhat obscured by the complexity of the tools. Today, a tool set generally comprises a diecutting tool, a stripping tool and a blanking tool. In this scenario, diemakers were forced to invest in rationalisation measures; this is certainly a useful effect, but one can rationalise production only so far.

TOOLING MATTERS!

Another option, i.e. using cheaper materials, did not necessarily lead to an improvement in tool performance. Often materials were used that are produced in large quantities for other industries. However, these materials have not been developed for the diecutting process and usually do not have the require physical properties. As an example, the elastomers used can be mentioned. When cutting with flatbed dies, their task is to lock the material into position on the cutting plate and to support the springback process of the cut material. In the rotary diecutting process, the tasks of the elastomers in the cutting die are even more complex and varied.

For financial reasons, today elastomers from such industries as automotive, mechanical engineering or even construction are used in very many cutting dies. These were developed as sealants or to act as dampers or against moisture. All these requirements are completely irrelevant in our industry. Moreover, these materials are also not UV resistant and lose their mechanical properties when in storage. The consequences of this development are too long set-up times, inconsistent production flow, reduced mileage of the machinery, shortened service life and not least waste of resources due to waste. It is therefore recommend that only elastomers are used that have been specially developed for the diecutting process in the cardboard and paper industry. For such a material, a possible use in the production of food packaging is, of course, also taken into account.

Seals provide information

Various quality labels have been created to enable tool users to check which materials have been used. We have already mentioned the topic of BOBST certification. The other seals indicate that only special elastomers with an ISEGA certificate have been used in the process. This approval for food packaging covers not only the material but also the adhesive technology used to attach the elastomers to the cutting die. This system, called EasyFix, guarantees that the adhesives do not contain any chemicals that might be harmful to health. In addition, this system prevents cutting rules from becoming glued to the countermaterial – which would otherwise result in a considerable additional expenditure in the machine set-up times.

The HPT seal states that a tool meets all BOBST requirements for a high-performance tool and may therefore carry the label High Performance Tooling. This, of course, also includes elastomers with an ISEGA certificate, CITO EasyFix and a functionality over the entire life of the tool. With HPT tools, customers are always on the safe side and well prepared for all challenges of the diecutting process.

The appropriate technology saves costs

Finally, let us return to the cost-benefit aspect: As already mentioned, the prices for tools are at an absolute low. Whether it makes sense to try to beat down purchase prices even further is something everyone must decide for himself. However, it can be assumed that everyone is aware that quality tools have their price. It is common knowledge: You always get what you pay for. So it is your choice whether to use a standard tool for your tasks or an HPT tool. Production performance also plays a decisive role in cost considerations for standard tools, and suitable material should also be considered here. To facilitate the cost-benefit assessment, let us do a quick calculation example for a medium-sized folding carton factory: Assuming the local buyer succeeds in reducing the prices of his tools by 5 %, possible savings of about € 9,300.00 per year and machine could be achieved. If, however, a better tool technology were to be used in the same plant, the production speed could be brought to about 80 % of the machine performance – resulting in an additional value per year per machine of about € 280,000 cutting. The higher costs of HPT tools were taken into account for this comparison. So it’s all a matter of balance – and one thing is for sure: TOOLING MATTERS.

Jürgen Mariën
CEO CITO GROUP

April 2021

Pictures: BOBST