Craemer C5C Non-Stop Pallet

has seven year track record in print Specifically designed for the requirements of the Heidelberger printing presses.

Logistics efficiency plays an important role in most industries including the print and packaging sector. The C5C Non-Stop pallet from leading international specialist plastic pallet manufacturer Craemer was specifically designed for the requirements of the printing presses made by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. This special pallet has already been employed and in use for seven years at Masterpack Crimmitschau Gmbh for feeding paperboard sheets to the company's packaging-printing machine, the 'Speedmaster 102 CD'.

New printing presses resulted in new logistics. As a leading print house and producer of folding boxes for the food and confectionery industries, the folding box division switched over their production operations in 1999 to 'Packaging on Demand'. The adoption of this new philosophy by Masterpack, part of the Saxon Mugler Group, was accompanied by major investment in what was then claimed to be one of the longest packaging-printing machine in Germany at 18metres in length. This was “Speed Master 102 CD” from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen GmbH.

Production efficiency is critical to those at Masterpack. “Switching over to the Speedmaster meant that we also had to realign our material logistics to ensure a continuous production run,” commented Jens Pöhlmann, head of the printing department. “In selecting the most suitable pallet, Masterpack was able to benefit from the expertise of pallet manufacturer Craemer, whose special C5C Non-Stop pallet is specifically designed for working with Heidelberg printing presses.” Creating the pre-requisites for automatic processing

Based on the design of the C5C pallet, the Craemer Non-Stop pallet provides an
efficient logistical solution for the printing industry. Since it can be used to carry all conventional sheet sizes, the pallet is suitable for closed-loop systems. The structure of the pallet's thermo-formed top layer ensures smooth processing in continuous non-stop printing. At the same time, a convenient solution for “raking” the sheets to and from the pallet is provided. Furthermore, the characteristic features of the pallet materials create the pre-requisites for seamless production processes.

Fast feed of print sheets
At Masterpack the print sheets arrive on wooden pallets and have to be transferred to the Craemer C5C Non-Stop pallet by a pile turning machine. The pile turner can also be used to improve the shape of the pile, re-aligning untidy piles or to create one higher pile from several lower piles.

Once the print sheets are precisely positioned on the Craemer C5C Non-Stop pallet, the pile is safely transported on a roller conveyor at a controlled speed to feed the printing press. The contour of the pallet is scanned by infrared means to determine the height of the paperboard pile and then the rake is inserted into the pallet recesses, which takes over the pile during the production run and the empty pallet is lowered. A fresh pallet carrying a new main pile can now travel up to the rake, which is also used for combining the auxiliary machine feed pile with the new main pile. The auxiliary feed pile of boxboard or corrugated paperboard on the rake is placed onto the new main pile and after transferring, the rake returns to its resting position so that automatic replenishment is continuously ensured.

Printing stock consists exclusively of boxboard and corrugated paperboard in thicknesses of 0.2 to 2mm. and with over 40 million sheets ( 72cm. x 102cm.) weighing approximately 7000 tonnes, processed per year in two shifts, this highlights the importance of a seamless flow of materials.

The maximum height of the pile of paperboard sheets on the pallet feeding to the press is approximately 1.5m. Depending on the thickness of the material, more sheets will be carried of lightweight paperboard, up to 1100 sheets. Masterpack aims to achieve non-stop production coupled with the fastest possible printing speed. Pöhlmannreported, “To ensure a continuous production run, our presses have been equipped with a fully automated material logistics system and non-stop changeovers. This allows the pallet to be changed without stopping the press.”

The automated processes and non-stop changeover necessitated a made-to-measure system pallet, manufactured with surface recesses to allow the rake to be inserted in order to take the pile. The C5C Non-Stop is functionally designed to integrate with this system.

“Of the several hundred special pallets that were originally purchased, all are still fully functional, show no signs of damage and continue to form the backbone of our automated processes”, Pöhlmann concludes.

Druckmaschinen AG
The company was originally founded in 1867 as the art printing company Etzold & Kiesling, which became one of the most important art printing houses in Germany. Under its present name of Masterpack Crimmitschau GmbH the company began producing folding boxes for the food industry after 1945. In 1972, it was nationalised as a “People Owned Company” (VEB). After the fall of the Berlin wall, the company was taken over and privatised by Alfred Wall AG, Graz.Austria. For over two years Masterpack has been part of the Saxon Mugler Group headquartered in Hohenstein-Ernstthal.