Cost-effective means of adding braille

Swiss equipment manufacturer Bobst has introduced a new module called Accubraille, designed to emboss braille characters on boxes during the folding and gluing process.

Several reasons led the company to develop a solution for braille embossing. First, Braille is now mandatory in the EU on pharmaceutical packaging. Second, this process creates various production challenges with existing methods and, according to a Bobst market study, converters feel that embossing of Braille is more cost efficient on the folder-gluer.

This was enough for the equipment manufacturer to dedicate a team of five for 18 months to develop an in-line solution. The result is a module that can be mounted after the company's accufeed of new ALPINA II and MISTRAL folder-gluers or installed as a retro-fit.

The decision to apply braille embossing in the folder-gluer brings several benefits: the run-ability of the gluer is improved as the braille is applied after the feeder, the set-up of tools takes less than 5 minutes and no additional staffing is required. Further, it brings with it the possibility of applying embossing very close to cut or folded edges.

The device is made up of a rotary embossing unit including an embossing depth control system. The Accubraille is able to run at up to 75,000 boxes /hr or a speed of 240 m/min, depending on the blank pitch. This in itself presented several challenges, since the gap between each box is always different. The system works according to the Marburg Medium standard, with a maximum of 4 lines and will handle materials ranging from 200 to 500 gsm. In addition, the tolerance is +/- 1 mm in all directions.