A NOVA SX 550 solventless laminator with inline SEI laser cutting system and a MASTER D 1000 multi-technology laminator are providing the very latest technology for production of high-performance flexible packaging, including new Class A recyclable windowed paper solutions (currently under testing), at the manufacturing plant of Rotomed in Syracuse, Italy.
Rotomed was established in 1999 when the private ownership of Cielle Imballaggi – whose experience in manufacturing packaging materials dates to 1956 with the opening of an extrusion plant of polyethylene films with flexo printing – decided to enter in the laminated packaging market with rotogravure printing. With operations spread over two plants and 140 personnel, the Group specializes in the production of gravure and flexo printed flexible packaging (both laminated and single layer) and roll-fed label material, with both conventional and eco-friendly film packaging structures developed in-house and FSC certified paper. The core business is food and beverage packaging, alongside non-food production in the tissue, disposable, detergent, and pet food sectors.
“We invested in the NOVA SX 550 to extend not only our solventless lamination capacity but also to complement the range of products manufactured on the MASTER D 1000 with a compact machine capable of additional functions, such as the windowing, at high speed” explained Corrado Loreto, technical director of the Group. “With this latest investment we are now able to cover all the range of applications for laminated products, from cold seal through to varnishing, windowing, micro/macro perforation and pre-slitting.
The NOVA SX 550 entered production mid-2021 and Rotomed is delighted with the performance in terms of output quality and productivity. Machine operators were also quick to take control of the operation of the integrated SEI laser cutting unit, which is installed on the machine’s bridge, to produce in a single flow in-register windowed packaging, a new type of application for Rotomed.
“We have started producing conventional windowed packaging on the SX 550 but we are also developing a brand-new paper wrap with Class A recyclability that will soon enter the market and is compliant with worldwide recyclability standards” said Corrado Loreto.
Their other BOBST laminator, the MASTER D 1000, was commissioned in 2020. It is a multi-technology machine that was specified with all trolley types to cater to Rotomed’s extended range of products – gravure, solventless, semi-flexo, cold seal, and the flexo trolley which the company specially appreciates
“Our clients demand packaging that combines high barrier functionalities and visual shelf appeal, something that requires superior process capabilities” commented Vittorino Loreto, president of the Group. “BOBST flexo trolley technology has lived up to its reputation in terms of improving the quality and uniformity of coating at high speed, as well as the optical quality our packaging structures.”
Summing up the impact that the two BOBST machines have had so far for their laminating operations, Vittorino Loreto said: “We have improved the production speed and doubled the production capacity for basically all the segments we serve. Most particularly we have recorded a 100% increase in coffee packaging production. We are making strides in our export markets with more products than before, and the capabilities of the SX 550 and the MASTER D1 000 are enabling production of a wider range of products, such as cold seal coating and aluminium lacquering”.
