With 70% of purchasing decisions now being made at the point-of-purchase, more brands than ever are turning to shelf ready packaging (SRP) to vie for shopper’s attention. This spike in demand is placing pressure on box plants to transition to high-output rotary die cutters that increase production and ensure maximum quality. MicroGrind^®,an innovative technological offering from SUN Automation Group (sunautomation.com), assists with this transition andfacilitates the step-up in quality required to meet this demand.

“We are seeing that box plants are making the transition from slow low-output Flat Bed Die cutters to high-output Rotary Die cutters wherever possible to provide increased production levels of quality boxes that meet the SRP specifications,” says Rob Dal Lago, SUN Automation’s general manager EMEA. “MicroGrind provides a big advantage for box plants that need accurate and consistent crease, score, and perforation in order to permit fault free auto-fill and shelf presentation.”

The key to die cut accuracy and creasing quality on soft anvil Rotary Die cutting machines is to ensure the process is performed on a uniform cutting surface that is running at the correct speed. The answer to this challenge brought an entirely new method of treating the anvil surface by grinding and automatically compensating anvil `

“MicroGrind uses a tungsten carbide roll to grind the anvil flat and true. This inventive idea allows the surface to be treated in micro amounts automatically with precision without operator intervention,” adds Dal Lago. “By utilizing a full-width grinding roll, engaged systematically against the entire anvil surface, and then adjusting the anvil speed, box makers can significantly advance the quality and productivity of their Rotary Die cutting machines.”

Grinding that was traditionally done once a week is now able to be done several times a shift while the machine is running with the significant advantage of nominal down-time.

Consistently smooth anvil covers which perform ‘as new’ during their entire life assure clean cuts and perforations, thus appreciably easing scrap issues. Rejections and returned boxes are significantly reduced as breaker and packing machines are now able to run smoother at higher speeds with minimal jams.”

MicroGrind is a unique propriety innovation and is quickly becoming the preferred system for converters worldwide with over 600 units installed to date. It is available as an upgrade for existing machines, as well as for almost all new machine models in the market including top anvil machines.