In the fast-paced world of corrugated production, efficiency and speed are paramount for maintaining a profitable operation. To increase production, some converters have invested in a high performance rotary die cutter only to find they are still not reaching the rated speeds offered by these OEM’s. Often, the delivery end equipment simply can’t keep up with the new system or is restrictive with regards to finished product mix flexibility. Though your new RDC can run faster, it is limited by the back end and you may have to settle for reduced speeds of your star asset to ensure that finished goods make it to the end of the line and out the door with quality maintained.
A.G. is proud to manufacture cutting-edge material handling solutions designed to meet and exceed the speeds of today and in the future. Capable of running up to 13,500 kph+, our G3 RDC Stacker is equipped with multiple patented and patent pending systems designed to increase production efficiency. Optimized for stacks or bundles, in a single machine, A.G. has engineered a modular full line system, including the eBreak Bundle Breaker, eZF Load Former, Bundle Conveyor System and more – fully integrated for maximum thoughput.
In this blog, we’ll explore how you can increase rotary die cutter speeds through investments in post-RDC machinery and innovation upgrades with A.G.
High-Performance Layboy Section (HPLX): Elevating Die Cutter Speeds
The layboy is the first touchpoint with the stacker as it catches and controls the board as it comes out of the rotary die cutting nip. To reach top speeds, your layboy must quickly and precisely catch the board and remove scrap before it moves on to be stacked in full piles or bundled. Capable of running at speeds exceeding 13,500 KPH, the High-Performance Layboy Section (HPLX) is a powerhouse in die cutter speed optimization. Offering three nip points and a second air knife at the exit of the layboy, the HPLX enhances the quality of finished goods by effectively catching the board and removing scrap at top production speeds.
SRX Scrap Release Layboy: Precision Scrap Removal
To take it up a level, A.G. has engineered a patented scrap release layboy with high-velocity blowers, a new engineered air knife and variable speed control. Working in tandem with the HPLX, the SRX has a patent-pending gap built into the belt pulleys allowing scrap trapped under the belt, a relief area to fall. Assisted with a blast of air from the new air knife design, the belt pulley gaps are offset to maintain control of the sheet while allowing the most scrap to fall through.
Divert & Separate System (DSS): Streamlining Corrugated Sheet Handling
The Divert & Separate System (DSS) is a game-changer in corrugated sheet handling optimization. Positioned behind the layboy, this patented transfer deck is perfect for the plant that runs numerous jobs that are 2-4 outs with a high repeat rate. Equipped with eight arms, The DSS automatically diverts, separates, and neatly streams corrugated sheets coming off the stacker. Adjustments can be made with a simple swipe on the HMI, enabling automatic diversion and separation at full production speeds. The DSS also facilitates order recipe recall, completing the flexibility with your production process.
eTAMP™ Servo-Driven Tampers: Automation for Efficient Stacking
The perfect complement to the DSS is the auto hopper set-up offered by the AG eTAmp. The only solution for converters running multiple outs without a bundle breaker, and for handling automated set-ups when confronted with a high percentage of 2, 3, or 4-out unnicked die cut orders. The eTAMP™ Servo-Driven Tampers can automate the setup of the entire hopper section, dividers, side tampers, backstop, and rear tamping.
Dynamic Bundle Breaking Mode with no Feed Interruptions
For boxmakers running orders with nicked together sheets, the eBreak bundle breaker and HSHE can quickly and easily collate and break bundles of all configurations, without any feed interruption on the RDC. Here’s how:
High Speed Hopper Ejector (HSHE): Uninterrupted Operation at High Speeds
Eliminate feed interrupts with the high speed hopper ejector (HSHE)upgrade on the G3 stacker. A patented system designed for speeds of up to 12,000 kph, the system utilized a backstop with a second set of “fingers” allowing the board to continue stacking while the X12™ Lift Table cycles down and back, creating room for the new bundle. The result is uninterrupted operation, contributing significantly to the overall efficiency of the production line. Paired with the bundle conveying system, it ensures the fastest cycle time during the discharge or movement of bundles.
eBreak Bundle Breaker: Dynamic Breaking in a Single Log
The eBreak™ Bundle Breaker is engineered to break bundles of various configurations and heights, quickly and easily. Using its patent-pending movable platens, the eBreak™ system allows for a fully dynamic and customizable positioning of the entry and exit platens. These components can be set up to move independent of each other or synchronized together to provide a clean break for a variety of nicked bundle configurations. Variable, straight, nested, offset configuration etc. – the eBreak can break it all in a single log.
X12 Pitless Lift Conveyor Table: Continuous Operations with Safety Benefits
The X12™ Pitless Lift Conveyor Table eliminates the need to wait for discharge and stacker reset, enabling continuous stacking and feeding operations. Beyond its operational advantages, the X12™ Lift Conveyor comes with safety and financial benefits, as it requires no pits. This proven solution streamlines the infeed and outfeed process, contributing to both efficiency and worker safety.
A Full Line of Rotary Die Cutter Productivity with A.G.
A.G. has been committed to stacker innovation since 1996. With multiple patented and patented pending systems, we understand the impact your end-of-line machinery can make on overall performance and throughput. Not only the stacker, but the remaining systems such as bundle breakers, load formers, bundle conveying systems etc. can become a chokepoint in your production. In production since 2021, A.G. has released our fully electric, fully integrated new eBreak Bundle Breaker and eZF no-pit load former to offer a full line of innovation and speed.
By investing in equipment upgrades, retrofits or a full line system designed to optimize your production mix, you can elevate the speed, quality and overall performance of your existing rotary die cutter operations. Contact the A.G. team to learn more about our innovative, modular systems, upgrades and retrofits and start reaching top speeds with your RDC workhorse in no time!
True profitability requires a streamlined approach to corrugated converting, from infeed to outfeed and every machine in between. If you’re considering a new high speed rotary die cutter or flexo folder gluer, you may want to re-evaluate the surrounding machinery, such as stackers, bundle breakers, conveyor systems, load formers etc. Or maybe you’ve already purchased a new workhorse but haven’t achieved the speeds and performance expected. It could be your infeed and outfeed machines that are impacting your new machine’s productivity. Afterall, you’re only as strong as your weakest link.
Corrugated productivity is not siloed to one machine. All your machines must be capable of achieving the same speeds, performance, and throughput as the other, to achieve maximum profitability. Even more, your production team must be equipped with the knowledge and support to keep all components running in harmony. Don’t waste the potential of your greatest assets. It’s time to reimagine what productivity in your full line can truly be, with innovative material handling systems and technology from A.G. Stacker Inc.
Reimagine Production Speed
G3 stacker main deck
What good is a rotary die cutter capable of running 12,000 sheets per hour if the stacker can only catch 9,000? Why upgrade to a high-speed bundling system if production is limited by bundle breaking? If you want true productivity in your line, you should invest in innovative equipment all the way through.
A.G. manufactures innovative outfeed solutions engineered for the speeds of today, AND is prepared for the speed demands in the future. Our outfeed lines include the G3™ Stacker, the fully electric eBREAK™ Bundle Breaker and eZF™ Load Former, as well as the patented X12™ pitless lift conveyor and bundle line conveying system. With an A.G. Stacker capable of 13,500+ kph, an automatic, servo controlled bundle breaker and a no-pit load former with fast cycle and set up times, you can reimagine productivity through your full line and take full advantage of your high speed converting equipment.
Reimagine Human & Machine Connectivity
A.G. Operator Control Station
For ultimate productivity, your machines must speak the same language. Having a fully integrated system will ensure all machines are running at the same speeds, with the same production plans, achieving the same goals. A machine that is not fully integrated is more vulnerable to jams, unplanned downtime, and operator error. All A.G. systems are fully integrated, utilizing the same, familiar user interface and simplified controls for standardization, efficiency, training, and ease of use.
In this digital age of information, accurate tribal knowledge is also a major factor in production throughput. By putting maintenance, parts, tutorials, and troubleshooting information in a digital application, your staff can quickly predict, plan, and prepare to keep unplanned downtime to a minimum. The GO AG™ digital application is the perfect solution to capture and distribute key production information to your production and maintenance staff. With GO AG™, operators and managers have access to custom and standard manuals, equipment models, training videos, troubleshooting guides, work instructions and more. Don’t let legacy knowledge retire with your employees! Knowledge is uptime and uptime is money. Utilize a customizable, digital application, like GO AG™, to capture the important information that keeps your full line running profitably.
Reimagine the Future of Corrugated
The future of corrugated printing will focus on creating lean, sustainable production. Machinery will be engineered for productivity like always, however they will achieve even greater results through more energy-efficient, eco-conscious and occasionally, patent-protected technologies. Trends dictating the future of our industry include: staffing shortages, supply chain volatility, automation, competing processes and more.
To take advantage of full line productivity, both now and in the future, you must reimagine your facility with machine assets that are incredibly fast, fully integrated, digitally enabled, and eco-conscious. A.G. Stacker is committed to innovation and manufacturing all equipment and parts in the USA. With various retrofit and modular systems, we encourage you to reimagine your full line equipment to discover the true source of what’s holding you back from ultimate productivity.
With over 25 patents and counting, A.G. has innovated a full line of solutions that increase throughput, improve quality and safety, and streamline the outfeed of RDC’s, both bundles and stacks. A.G. is more than stackers – Reimagine A.G. as your full line solutions partner for ultimate productivity and innovation. To learn about our full catalog of stackers, bundle breakers, load formers, conveyor systems and digital technology solutions, contact our team at (540) 234-6012 or schedule a consultation online at: www.agstacker.com/sales-quote.
At A.G., converters have several machinery options when it comes to material handling equipment for post-RDC finishing. From the innovative eBreak™ Bundle Breaker to the patented Divert & Separate system, A.G. offers multiple equipment solutions engineered for sheet stacking, bundle batching, bundle breaking, load forming and more. It’s important to understand which machine(s) fit your product mix to ensure that productivity is increased and the process is streamlined, all while improving quality and safety.
Is your production mix primarily single or multi-out stacks? Is it multi-out designs collated into nicked together bundles? Or both? Often, the primary finishing functions are built into the machine as a stacking or bundle-making system. Depending on if you produce more premium stacks vs large bundles will determine the best A.G. solution to achieve the requirements of these packaging markets. Choosing the right A.G. material handling machinery will not only depend on your expected job order mix, but also floor space, speed requirements and other factors we’ll discuss in this blog.
To Break or Not To Break
To break or not to break, that is the question. A.G. Stacker has innovated two system combinations to suit your preference for separating stacks or breaking bundles: the eBREAK™ Bundle Breaker and High Speed Hopper Ejector (HSHE) system combination or the Divert and Separate System (DSS) and eTamp™ Servo-Driven Tampers systems. The eBreak and HSHE are ideal for breaking nicked-together bundles, small or large, without any feed interruption on the RDC. While the DSS and eTamp are engineered for separating a stream of sheets into full stacks with auto set-up for diverting, dividing and tamping. Both systems can be combined into a single machine capable of achieving world class production with full stacks or bundles. Let’s take a closer look.
eTamp™ Servo-Driven Tampers
Divert and Separate System and eTAMP™ Servo-Driven Tampers. For converters operating predominantly in the eCommerce and premium packaging space, quality is top of mind. Boxmakers in this market are often challenged to produce nick-free boards, clean cuts and ultimate board control/scrap removal in order to achieve the quality found in this premium packaging space. The DSS and eTamp™ system combination was engineered for this specific task.
Coming off the rotary die cutter, the high performance layboy will catch the sheet and drop the scrap at record speeds. The patented DSS system then uses its 8 arms to automatically divert and separate sheets, up to 4-out, with the simple swipe of a finger on the HMI. With the sheets shingled orderly onto the main deck, the eTAMP™ automatically sets the entire hopper section, dividers, side tampers, backstop and rear tamping using fully electric, servo-driven technology. These innovative machine components carefully stack the sheets, up to 4 out, as they come off the main deck at full speed. The eTAMP™ system is capable of running up to 4 outs, without the need for a bundle breaker, and is ideal for automating set-ups with a product mix that has a high percentage of 2-, 3-, or 4-out unnicked die cut sheets, that regularly repeat.
With auto recipe recall and adjustments at full speed, these two patented technologies are engineered specifically for maximizing performance for fast set-up, high speed stacking operations.
eBreak™ Bundle Breaker
eBreak™ Bundle Breaker and High Speed Hopper Ejector. For boxmakers running orders with sheets nicked together, speed and quality are the name of the game. Often, standard RSC, HSC, and FOL box customers tend to be indifferent to whether their box has visible nick points. This allows a converter to run multiple across, utilizing agile die cut designs and variable bundle shapes, to move sheets through the machine faster, with higher throughput. As your bundle percentage gets higher, we recommend investing in the eBreak™ Bundle Breaker and High Speed Hopper Ejector combination to quickly and easily collate and break bundles of all configurations.
As the sheets are collated in the hopper, the patented high speed hopper ejector utilizes a backstop with a second set of “fingers” that catch the next bundle as the first moves down the line. With no feed interrupts at speeds of up to 14,000 sheets per hour, the HSHE can produce a new log every 8 seconds and is fully integrated with the X12™ lift table and bundle conveyor system. Next up, the eBreak™ Bundle Breaker steps in to break bundles of various configurations and heights, quickly and easily. Using its patent-pending movable platens, the eBreak™ system allows for a fully dynamic and customizable positioning of the entry and exit platens. These components can be set up to move independent of each other or synchronized together to provide a clean break for a variety of nicked bundle configurations. Variable, straight, nested, offset configuration etc. – the eBreak can break it all in a single bundle log.
With integrated safety features, order recipe recall, no feed interrupt and fast set up, these two patented and patent-pending technologies were engineered to exceed world class speeds with bundle production.
Important Considerations
At this point, you most likely have a good idea of which system would be in favor of your production mix. But will it work for your facility and processes? Here’s a few things to consider with each system.
Divert and Separate System and eTAMP™ Servo-Driven Tampers.
The DSS/eTamp™ combination requires space – not in width, but in length of your running direction. These systems will make your line longer and it’s important you consider the real estate needed for them.
Regardless of whether you’re running bundles or stacks, with the eTamp™/DSS you will need to interrupt the feed to cycle your stack through the line.
The combination of both systems is an incredibly versatile option for converters with a diversified production mix and a focus on reducing assets.
eBreak™ Bundle Breaker and High Speed Hopper Ejector.
Multi-Directional Bundle Conveying System (BCS)
The eBreak™ is extremely modular and can be installed straight with the line or veer off to the left or the right (or both if you’re running multiple bundle lines). Using the bundle conveyor system with patented ball belt technology, you can discharge your bundles in any direction.
The HSHE is engineered with two sets of “fingers” to catch nicked sheets. The HSHE combination is for bundle lines only and will not accommodate multi-out stacks or bundles.
Choosing the Right A.G. Material Handling Equipment
All systems proudly #MadeInAmerica at A.G. in Weyers Cave, VA
For over 25 years, A.G. Stacker has been a leader and innovator in custom sheet material handling equipment. Our full line of solutions include stackers, bundle breakers, load formers, conveyor systems and integrated technologies. Now that you’ve reviewed the recommended equipment systems for bundle and/or stack production, it’s important to ask yourself the following questions: Do I have more stacking or bundling jobs? Do my customers care about nick points? Do I have the space for the equipment I think is best? What gaps do I have in my current production fleet?
All corrugated production environments are different. There is no one-size-fits-all line configuration. Our knowledgeable sales and service team can help you comb through the details to decide the best material handling equipment for your production mix, facility, goals and opportunities. Speak with our team today to learn more.
Contact Us
A.G. Stacker Inc.
30 Packaging Drive, #104
Weyers Cave, VA 24486
Email: email@AGStacker.com Main Office: (540) 234-6012 Parts & Service: (540) 234-6012
The layboy is the first touchpoint with the stacker as it catches and controls the board as it comes out of the rotary die cutting nip. To reach top speeds, your layboy must quickly and precisely catch the board and remove scrap before it moves on to be stacked in full piles or bundled. Capable of running at speeds exceeding 13,500 KPH, the High-Performance Layboy Section (HPLX) is a powerhouse in die cutter speed optimization. Offering three nip points and a second air knife at the exit of the layboy, the HPLX enhances the quality of finished goods by effectively catching the board and removing scrap at top production speeds.
To take it up a level, A.G. has engineered a patented scrap release layboy with high-velocity blowers, a new engineered air knife and variable speed control. Working in tandem with the HPLX, the SRX has a patent-pending gap built into the belt pulleys allowing scrap trapped under the belt, a relief area to fall. Assisted with a blast of air from the new air knife design, the belt pulley gaps are offset to maintain control of the sheet while allowing the most scrap to fall through.
The perfect complement to the DSS is the auto hopper set-up offered by the AG eTAmp. The only solution for converters running multiple outs without a bundle breaker, and for handling automated set-ups when confronted with a high percentage of 2, 3, or 4-out unnicked die cut orders. The eTAMP™ Servo-Driven Tampers can automate the setup of the entire hopper section, dividers, side tampers, backstop, and rear tamping.
Eliminate feed interrupts with the high speed hopper ejector (HSHE) upgrade on the G3 stacker. A patented system designed for speeds of up to 12,000 kph, the system utilized a backstop with a second set of “fingers” allowing the board to continue stacking while the X12™ Lift Table cycles down and back, creating room for the new bundle. The result is uninterrupted operation, contributing significantly to the overall efficiency of the production line. Paired with the bundle conveying system, it ensures the fastest cycle time during the discharge or movement of bundles.
The eBreak™ Bundle Breaker is engineered to break bundles of various configurations and heights, quickly and easily. Using its patent-pending movable platens, the eBreak™ system allows for a fully dynamic and customizable positioning of the entry and exit platens. These components can be set up to move independent of each other or synchronized together to provide a clean break for a variety of nicked bundle configurations. Variable, straight, nested, offset configuration etc. – the eBreak can break it all in a single log.
By investing in equipment upgrades, retrofits or a full line system designed to optimize your production mix, you can elevate the speed, quality and overall performance of your existing rotary die cutter operations. Contact the A.G. team to learn more about our innovative, modular systems, upgrades and retrofits and start reaching top speeds with your RDC workhorse in no time!
To take advantage of full line productivity, both now and in the future, you must reimagine your facility with machine assets that are incredibly fast, fully integrated, digitally enabled, and eco-conscious. A.G. Stacker is committed to innovation and manufacturing all equipment and parts in the USA. With various retrofit and modular systems, we encourage you to reimagine your full line equipment to discover the true source of what’s holding you back from ultimate productivity.
