The Wellpack Taper was developed by engineers
from the corrugated industry to eliminate the
hassles associated with integrating tape into box
production and to bring economy into this value
added process — without slowing it down.
It worked so well that Wellpack received a world
patent. Working with a leading tape supplier,
Wellpack has improved the taper over the years.
Today it's helping corrugated converters around the
world provide customers with value added boxes
featuring:
- Tear tape opening to avoid knife damage to
the contents;
- Clean cut opening for shelf-ready boxes;
- Reinforcement tape for hand holes and
strengthening of the box;
- Practical sealing with double-sided
finger lift tape.
How and Where It
Works
The Taper starts at speeds up to more than 300
meters per min and automatically follows the web
movements. It also stops without tape jams or paper
loss.
It handles many different kinds of tape, from 4 to
25 mm wide, including tear tape, double sided tape,
and reinforcement tape.
The machine installs between the rotary shear and
the slitter-scorer. Applying pressure sensitive
tapes at this location gives production the
advantage of exact tape positioning throughout the
order in relation to the slitter scorer position.
The applicators are easily positioned using
digital counters. Tape application starts at the
beginning of an order. The correct position relative
to the web is controlled and adjusted by the web
guiding system from E+L.
Since the Wellpack Taper works with a tandem
applicator system, starts and splices are
accomplished at full production speed. At the end of
the order the tacpe is cut and kept by the tape
catcher. This allows the operator to prepare for the
next order within minutes.
Time and
Material Efficiency
Another advantage with the tandem system is that
while all rolls are running on one side, the other
side can be prepared for the next order. Thus,
back-to-back orders are possible without slowing
down or stopping the corrugator for tape orders.
The Wellpack Taper is often equipped with the
Wellpack Clean Opening system. This knife system
creates a shallow cut in the outer liner. Tests show
that with this feature, BCT value is affected only
by 4 to 7 percent. As a result, this feature has
become popular for producing shelf-ready boxes.
These boxes are produced at minimum cost since only
one 6 mm tape is needed. That means a plant can
reduce grammage of the board and save money.
Room for Growth
The Wellpack Taper is modular, so a plant can
start with a simple system and upgrade as the
business grows.
This article was contributed by Wellpack
Corrugated Equipment. For more information, call 46
413 681 92 or email
rolf.andersson@smurfitkappa.se
.
