By Chris Raney, vice president of product management, postpress commercial and packaging division, Heidelberg USA
Heidelberg, with US location in Kennesaw, Georgia, recently announced the addition of a new folder-gluer, Diana Go 85. It was developed on the basis of Heidelberg’s market requirements by the MK development team based in Neuss, Germany. It has a small footprint, but commercial and packaging printers will find it cost effective, flexible and productive.
The commercial print market seeks constant innovation as many of the products it manufactures are marketing driven, and the need for differentiation is high. Coupling this with the constant price pressure means that printers and finishers constantly are seeking new ways to improve their efficiency and to add new capabilities. The Diana Go offers a bridge between the more traditional table-type folding machines that predominantly use plough folding and a folding carton folder-gluer.
Of particular importance is the robust construction and stable carrier design. This ensures that a makeready, once complete, remains set for the duration of the production run with no fine tuning required. This stability of setup, along with belt folding and longer machine sections, means that production speeds can be higher for greater output.
The aligning section immediately after the feeder is a critical element to guarantee the best quality as it ensures that every item is registered before it enters the first folding section. Throughout the machine, the folding belt design ensures that all folds are made in a controlled way for the greatest accuracy. The open construction allows for the mounting of tipping units, bump and turn units and pocket folder devices, offering a wide range of capabilities. The compression section also allows the use of cold glue when appropriate. Cold glue is cheaper and easier to handle than hot melt and further improves the flexibility of job design.
The Diana Go will enable a commercial printer or folding carton producer to improve the production output of most traditional products and offer a competitive production platform for short-run folding carton applications. Bridging that gap into folding cartons enables a commercial printer or packaging provider to expand its production capabilities and bring more business into the operation.
The stable and robust design of the Diana Go provides a production platform that is unrivalled in this product class. Many machines of lighter construction require regular fine tuning to ensure initial settings are maintained. This leads to a variation in quality that is not a concern on a stable platform where nothing moves once set in position. In addition, the carrier design is simple and rigid for fast setup and easy handling for the operator. The belt speed, up to 1,000 ft/min., offers a production output that can improve competitiveness and allows growth into the folding carton market. Overall, the quality of the finished product will be consistent and at the highest level due to precise folding using belts throughout the machine.
The interest in the Diana Go has been very positive. Customers appreciate the build quality and the wide range of capabilities the machine brings to the production floor. Operators have found the access to the different elements of the machine, due to the cutouts in the side frames, greatly enhances their ability to accurately set up the machine. The machine also carries the GS certificate of product safety, which is an independent certification of compliance.
Technical details
Maximum speed is 250 m/min with the option to make it 300 m/min. The minimum carton width is 75 mm (option of 45 mm) and the maximum is 850 mm. The maximum machine length is 9,840 mm with an optional alignment module. It weighs 4.3 tons.
