One of the most renowned slot creasing machines available on the market is the „Boxmaker“ from Göpfert. The company can draw on almost 70 years of experience in the field of mechanical engineering for corrugated board processing and built the first model of the Boxmaker SRE Maxi back in 1975. Since then, the system has been continuously developed and sold more than 400 times. One particularly loyal customer is Speidel Verpackungen.
Speidel packaging was founded in 1981 by Oskar Speidel in Illingen, Baden-Württemberg. The family business processes Corrugated board and heavy-duty corrugated cardboard in combination with wood and foam to create customised packaging. In 1985, Rainer Speidel, the second generation of the family, joined the company. The first computer was also ordered. Shortly afterwards, in 1988, Speidel then created a Göpfert SRE creasing and slotting machine with printing unit.
The company grew. In 1996, a second SRE Maxi as a replacement for the first machine. This was followed three years ago by the installation of a fully automated boxmaking line. In the fully equipped production line with the automatic feeder, a Boxmaker with Rotary punch, The company produces customised cardboard boxes in all batch sizes every day using a printing unit and an automatic stacker.
In addition to the two boxmakers, Speidel relies on other systems from Göpfert: a Flexo-Printer-Slotter, an automatic creasing and slitting machine, a roll die cutter and various Sealing machines.
Impressive short set-up and adjustment times
According to Göpfert, there are obvious reasons why the Boxmaker SRE Maxi is so popular at Speidel Verpackungen: „Thanks to its short set-up and adjustment times and high flexibility, the SRE Maxi is particularly suitable for small and medium-sized batches,“ explains Göpfert sales engineer Lena Bördlein. The Boxmaker SRE Maxi 250, for example, processes triple-wall corrugated cardboard sheets with material thicknesses from B flute to triple flute with a width of 2,500 millimetres to industrial packaging without any problems. Depending on the machine type, the sheets can be 6,000, 8,000 or 10,000 millimetres long.
The SRE Maxi machines complete all processing steps from the raw sheet to the finished cut: cutting, creasing, slitting, punching and printing. In just one pass, a large number of FEFCO codes, but also customised designs can be produced. Multi-groove orders can also be processed with the appropriate tooling, both in the throughfeed and transverse direction.
Electric servo drives and a modern CNC control ensure that all work steps are completed reliably and accurately. The Boxmaker is operated using a touch panel. Orders can be saved and called up again as required.
Trend towards more automation
The further development of the Boxmaker product family will certainly move in the direction of automation and Industry 4.0 go. At FachPack 2018, for example, Göpfert presented the automatic feeder „EcoFeed“ for all Boxmaker SRE Maxi models. This feeds the corrugated cardboard sheets directly from the stack to the machine. Even the depositing of the processed sheets can be automated. A complete Boxmaker line can then be operated by just one employee.
The Boxmaker SRE Maxi becomes even more flexible when used in combination with a Göpfert rotary die-cutter. If the appropriate cutting die is available, all FEFCO codes can then be produced. „Special constructions are therefore child's play,“ says Lena Bördlein, describing the advantage of this configuration.
