Medica Packaging, part of the Benson Group, is the first plant in the UK to install BOBST's ACCUBRAILLE system for the Braille embossing of pharma cartons.
      Mark Kerridge, Managing Director of Benson Group, of which Medica is a part, said, "The main benefits to us of the ACCUBRAILLE unit are that it will further shorten the supply time to get cartons to our customers, and it will make it easier to maintain the quality of our Braille embossing".
      Conventional Braille embossing is applied using a diecutter, either at the same time as cutting & creasing or as a separate process. One embossing die is required for each carton on the sheet.
      The ACCUBRAILLE unit, which can be fitted onto BOBST mid- to high-range carton folder-gluers, alleviates a number of known difficulties in Braille embossing using a die-cutter. These include:- the difficulty of setting and maintaining good Braille dot embossing on a diecutter, the diecutter's restriction on embossing no closer than 5 mm to a cut or crease line, and the problems caused at the folder-gluer feeder when feeding Braille embossed blanks.
      Lee Alton, Product Manager - Folder-Gluers, for Bobst Group (UK & Ireland) Ltd said, "ACCUBRAILLE is a revolution in applying Braille embossing to cartons. Makeready is quick compared to a 'diecut & emboss' makeready, or to the two makereadies needed if embossing as a separate run. The rotary process is low impact, so tools last much longer. Lower ACCUBRAILLE tools are universal, which reduces external toolmaker costs. Only one embossing tool is required per job, instead of one per blank station, which cuts tooling costs even further, and extra 'male' tools can be made-ready 'off machine' while the previous job runs, cutting makeready times".
      With all pharmaceutical packaging destined for EU use required to have information in Braille by 2010, ACCUBRAILLE represents a quick and easy route to compliance. A team from Medica attended the launch of ACCUBRAILLE at an Open House event in Lausanne, Switzerland, last spring, and followed this by trials at the end of last year.
      "There has been lots of interest from our customers in the ACCUBRAILLE system and we are certainly leading the way on this. We're actively working through change procedures with key customers to bring it on stream for them," said Mark Kerridge.
      For Medica, the availability of ACCUBRAILLE confirmed its decision to choose a BOBST ALPINA II folder-gluer line to release latent capacity in the plant.
      When Benson Group purchased Medica Packaging, they asked Bobst Group (UK & Ireland) Ltd, to carry out an analysis of their folder-gluer department. This analysis looked at their existing machinery, their internal processes, and their work mix. Having completed the project, the analysis team determined that the plant needed a flexible, high-speed, folder-gluer, capable of producing straight-line and crashlock cartons, and that they needed some form of packer.
      "The launch of our ACCUBRAILLE, which no other supplier can offer, was the icing on the cake, and made it clear the Alpina II line, with ACCUBRAILLE, and HANDYPACK GT packer, would be the ideal purchase for Medica to achieve their goals,"said Lee Alton.
      The BOBST ALPINA II 110, version A2, is a 500 meter/minute machine for folding and gluing straight-line and crashlock cartons up to 1'100 mm x 800 mm in size, or down to 76 mm x 60 mm (35 mm folded).

Wed Aug 13 12:55:00 CDT 2008