Kocher + Beck begins manufacturing of winding equipment

Kocher + Beck has begun the development of nonstop winding equipment and has completed its first installation at German converter X-Label. According to a statement, the new technology ‘will grow to become another mainstay for the company’, the core business of which is the manufacture of dies and tooling for the narrow web industry.

Custom machine engineering is a well-established division at Kocher + Beck. Initially driven by customer requests, it soon commanded a permanent role within the group of companies. 

Peer Beck, managing director of Kocher + Beck, believes that market entry into winding technology, based on German engineering and the use of state-of-the-art drive and control components, is an inevitable adaptation to the new generation of printing presses. ‘In particular the trend on a broader variety of material spectra, as well as the processing of very delicate unsupported films, represents constantly growing requirements to the winding process,’ he said. ‘Kocher + Beck has responded with a mix of highly innovative engineering and an ultra-modern drive concept.’ 

The installation at X-Label is the first step towards an official market launch of the new UR Precision series. The fully automatic transfer unwinder and rewinder, UR Precision 440, is coupled with a Gallus EM 410 press line and predominantly runs, in addition to unsupported film materials greater than 20 µ and self-adhesive labelstock, tube laminates in a three-shift non-stop production. Up to 75 fully automatic roll changes per day are reported to be taking place in a 12-minute pulse. 

Matthias Michel, managing director at X-Label, said: ‘The productivity increase shown by the Kocher + Beck equipment is instantaneously recognizable and comes just at the right moment to cope with the rapidly growing demand for tube laminate. The amount of stops at our roll-slitters has been reduced to a minimum and in turn boosted the total output at this part of the process as well.’ 

Several more non-stop unwinders and rewinders are currently being built at Kocher + Beck and will go into operation before the end of the year. 

‘The initial success of the first installation, together with the positive feedback from our customer base, has encouraged us to promptly take the next step of introduction to the market,’ said Peer Beck. 

Pictured l-r: Matthias Michel, managing director of X-Label, and Peter Beck, managing director of Kocher + Beck, in front of the automatic transfer rewinder UR Precision 440

Click here for more stories about Kocher + Beck on L&L.com.