The invention relates to a corrugated-board machine for manufacturing corrugated board. The corrugated-board machine comprises a material-web output device for outputting a material web, an inkjet printing device disposed downstream of the material-web output device for the imprinting of at least one imprint onto the material web and an overcoating arrangement disposed downstream of the inkjet printing device for overcoating the printed material web at least in regions.

Systems for providing efficient manufacturing of paper, sheet, and/or box products of varying size and structure, often with pre-applied print (pre-print), are provided herein. One or more controllers can be used to aggregate orders and information to prepare one or more control plans (e.g., reel maps, reel plans, etc.) for processing a roll of web product through the manufacturing process. The control plan may include a set of instructions for operating one or more systems within the manufacturing process to form the desired finished paper-based product. In such a regard, efficient manufacturing of various paper-based products, including corrugated boxes, folded carton, labels, flexible paper, industrial bags, plates, cups, dcor, and many others, can be achieved. Further, efficient customer ordering/tracking, job aggregation, print imposition, corrugator planning, and tracking and adjustments throughout the manufacturing process are contemplated.

Systems for providing efficient manufacturing of sheet or box structures, corrugate sheets, or other products of varying size and structure often with pre-applied print (pre-print) are provided herein. The systems include various features and modules that enable automated control of the corrugator, including the knives, slitters, scorers and cut-to-mark detection system(s), are contemplated. Colored markings may be used to indicate an order change section between two order sections of a roll plan for the manufacturing process. The colored markings are detected as the corrugator runs and, once detected, a controller determines a next set of order instructionse.g., to match the upcoming order. Thus, an order change may occur, thereby enabling automated control of the corrugator based on the new order instructions. Computer readable markings may enable checking of the actual position in the roll plan to an intended position, enabling stopping or changing of the corrugator operation if needed.

There is provided a corrugated sheet processing apparatus (120) comprising: sheet processing equipment comprising at least feed and guide rollers for selecting, moving and supporting sheets or webs to a corrugator (136) for forming a corrugated sheet from which corrugated products (146) can be cut, at least one layer of the corrugated sheet, and thus products, being formed from a printed sheet or web; and a control system for controlling the sheet processing equipment (136) or a cutter (148); the sheet processing apparatus (136) further comprising a visual inspection unit (162) arranged for reading printed information markers provided on at least one printed sheet or web as the printed sheet or web, and thus the printed information markers to be read, pass through the corrugated sheet processing apparatus (136), or corrugator, past the visual inspection unit (162); and wherein the control system further has a data look-up table comprising either a) for the products, at least information associated with the form or type of at least one of the sheets or webs to be used in the corrugated sheet for those products (146), and associated with that information specific identifier information readable from the printed information markers by the visual inspection unit (162), whereby the apparatus (120) can identify what products will be produced downstream of the visual inspection unit, and the required settings for the sheet processing equipment or corrugator for those products, from a read printed information marker so that the sheet processing equipment or corrugator can be appropriately controlled by the control system in response to the read printed information marker, or b) at least information associated with the products (146) to be cut from the corrugated sheet, including cutter settings for the at least one cutting apparatus for those products, and associated with those settings specific identifier information readable from the printed information markers by the visual inspection unit, whereby the apparatus (120) can identify required cutter settings for the cutting apparatus (148) for the read printed information markers so that the cutting apparatus can be appropriately controlled by the control system in response to a read printed information marker to provide a change in the cutter requirements.

A apparatus for creating corrugated cardboard (20) in particular on the site of a system for automatically forming packaging boxes, said corrugated cardboard having at least one corrugated layer (10) between two flat layers (12, 18). The apparatus includes a joining station (16) for attaching a second flat layer (18) to a corrugated layer (10) provided on a first flat layer (12), means for supplying said corrugated layer (10) with the first flat layer (12) attached thereto to said joining station (16) and means for supplying said second flat layer (18) to said joining station, means for removing a protective layer (28) from the corrugated layer (10) and/or the second flat layer (18), said protective layer (28) protecting an adhesive substance provided on the corrugated layer (10) or the second flat layer (18).

Apparatus to create on demand customized cardboard for forming individually designed packaging boxes, said cardboard having at least one corrugated layer sandwiched between two flat layers, the apparatus comprising a joining station that attaches a second flat layer to a corrugated layer attached to a first layer, supply system to supply said corrugated layer with the first flat layer attached thereto to said joining station, supply system to supply said second flat layer to said joining station, a control system operable to obtain information on the dimensions of a packaging box to be formed and on a design selected for that box and further operable to match the selected design to the dimensions of the box and a printing unit to print the matched design on the first and/or on the second flat layer.

A corrugated cardboard plant comprises a corrugated cardboard web production assembly for producing a corrugated cardboard web; a register mark cutting device, disposed downstream of the corrugated cardboard web production assembly, for cutting the corrugated cardboard web into corrugated cardboard sheets; a register mark detection device, disposed upstream of the register mark cutting device, for detecting at least one register mark on the corrugated cardboard web; and a control assembly which is in signal connection with the register mark cutting device and with the register mark detection device, and depending on the at least one detected register mark actuates the register mark cutting device, while generating at least one register mark cut. The corrugated cardboard plant furthermore has a register mark cut position correction installation for the automatic correction of the position of the at least one register mark cut in relation to the at least one register mark in the case of an undesirable deviation of the position of the at least one register mark cut.

An apparatus to create corrugated cardboard on the site of a system for automatically forming packaging boxes for packaging an arrangement of one or more item(s) to be shipped, said corrugated cardboard having at least one corrugated layer between two flat layers, comprising at least two supply stations for supplying two different single-faced corrugated cardboards, each single-faced corrugated cardboard comprising a corrugated layer (having a closed side with an attached flat layer and an open side opposite to said closed side, a supply station for supplying a closing layer, a microprocessor communicatively coupled to obtain information on the arrangement to be shipped, the information relating to at least one of overall dimensions, weight, shape, shipping conditions, fragility, sensitivity to moisture, value, shipping destination, and the obtained information allowing selection, based on the obtained information, of at least one of said at least two different single-faced corrugated cardboards, and an attaching station that attaches the closing layer to the selected first single-faced cardboard to sandwich the corrugated layer between the flat layer and the closing layer.

A corrugated paperboard sheet manufacturing apparatus (1) comprises a single facer (8) for preparing a single-faced corrugated paperboard sheet (6), a double facer (12) for preparing a double-faced corrugated paperboard sheet (12), a slitter-scorer (17) for performing a scoring and a slitting of the double-faced corrugated paperboard sheet (10), a cutter (20) for cutting the double-faced corrugated paperboard sheet (10) after the scoring and slitting, and a printer (18) for printing individual identification information on the double-faced corrugated paperboard sheet, in a non-contact state. The printer (18) is disposed on a conveyance line of the corrugated paperboard sheet manufacturing apparatus (1) at a position on a downstream side of the double facer (12).

A device for cardboard storage and removal for a bridge in a corrugated cardboard production line includes a bridge over which a conveyor system for conveying the single-sided laminated corrugated cardboard web is arranged. The exit end of the conveyor system for conveying the single-sided laminated corrugated cardboard web is provided with a clamping and cutting unit and a movable cardboard storage carriage unit is provided under the conveyor system for conveying the single-sided laminated corrugated cardboard web, under which conveyor system a conveyor belt system is provided in the bridge, and in the bridge an opening is provided, under which a waste cardboard collecting carriage is provided. The movable cardboard storage carriage unit stores the cardboard by means of cardboard storage rolls, which retain the single-sided laminated corrugated cardboard web flat on the bridge. In the event that a splicing defect is detected, the defective piece is cut out by the clamping and cutting unit and ejected by the conveyor belt system to the waste cardboard collecting carriage through the opening. Hence, it follows that productivity is improved.