[dropcaps style=’2′]The Bobst exhibition stand at the recent Labelexpo Southeast Asia exhibition in Bangkok, Thailand, was filled to capacity every day of the show after the word spread that the announced Bobst M1 8-color narrow-web label machine in demonstration on the stand was actually the new M1 IoT.[/dropcaps]

The drive to incorporate the Internet of Things (IOT) technology is high in the industry. The capability to access, in real time from remote devices, a constant stream of data relating to the manufacturing process and workflow, brings countless advantages to operational profitability and the quality of the output.

“Remote monitoring and IoT are set to become industry standard. However, although increasingly widespread, connectivity is often still only considered in the realm of higher class of equipment,” explains Matteo Cardinotti, head of product line narrow & mid-web multi-process and converting product line and managing director of Bobst Firenze. “We are changing this: the new M1 IoT is the first mechanical shaft connected label press suitable for a large part of the market, bringing the possibility to tap into the benefits offered by IoT to the widest number of converters”.

All the features of the M1 IoT press were explained in detail to the audience, during demonstrations of two different mock-production label jobs, which ran seven times each day of the show. The jobs addressed the requirements of the beer and perfume film labels market segments. Alongside the actual jobs being printed, one also featured cold foil and die cutting in one pass. Visitors could also view, in real time on a large screen next to the press, the production data available on the speaker’s mobile phone.

Connectivity of the M1 IoT is through the Bobst PrintTutorTM camera fitted on every unit, which delivers Artificial Intelligence capabilities to eliminate the fallacies of human intervention in setting up the press, bringing it automatically in register color after color and keeping the register during all phases of the production cycle. The operator does not need to adjust the register at speed variation and the register adjustment at job change is almost immediate, generating on average 20 meter of substrate waste during the demonstrations on stand at the show.

What data is available at your fingertips and what advantages does it provide?
Federico d’Annunzio, strategic products marketing director, Bobst business unit webfed explains,“All the M1 IoT press production data is accessible from remote devices, such as smart phones, iPads or tablets, PC and the like, 24/7. It can be stored and shared on a company intranet and can be digitally analyzed to enable active troubleshooting or streamline efficiency.

An area of the stand dedicated to Bobst innovative services demonstrated the advantages of a range of web apps available for Bobst machines. A new Remote Monitoring App makes it possible to analyze information received in real time from a press and monitor production performance. A Downtime Tracking App reports machine stops, analyzes their cause, measures the efficiency of the intervention with a view to understand the root of the problem, correct it and improve productivity. And the Open Interface App connects with the production workshop, enabling a faster input of clients’ orders to act upon those without delay.

Bobst has been a very early adopter of solutions that take advantage of new technology concepts and it does not come as a surprise that the company leads innovation in connectivity applications.

“What we managed to demonstrate at Labelexpo Southeast Asia is how uncompromising the Bobst approach to machine development is, notwithstanding the machine cost of investment. This is what places us way ahead of the competition, in being able to make available our advanced technologies to the largest number of converting companies world-wide,” says Maurizio Trecate, sales director, Bobst Firenze. “Accordingly the response of the visitors has been very enthusiastic and will be keeping us very busy with the follow up of inquiries and negotiations already started at the show.”

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