Leopold Verpackungen has installed a pilot BOBST MASTERCUT 165 PER Dual Stream at its Plant III in Marbach, Germany, expanding its capacity for large-format folding carton and corrugated packaging. The flatbed die-cutter combines standard-pile and high-pile delivery in one platform, enabling the manufacturer to process two material streams while maintaining rapid changeovers and consistent quality.

The machine features both rear and lateral delivery options, giving Leopold greater flexibility when configuring production for different board types, sheet formats and downstream requirements. Before the installation, BOBST tested a comparable system fitted with a PALLETIZER at its Packaging Center in Mex, Switzerland, allowing technical modifications to be evaluated ahead of the pilot deployment.

The Dual Stream configuration is designed to balance the different handling requirements of solid board and corrugated board within one high-output die-cutting platform.

During the first months of production, a BOBST technical specialist remained at the Marbach site to support commissioning and process optimisation. The machine also reflects several development ideas proposed by Leopold’s production team, resulting in a configuration tailored to the converter’s large-format workflow.

The MASTERCUT 165 PER can process solid board with grammages from 300g/m² to 2,000g/m² and corrugated board with thicknesses between 0.5mm and 7mm. Supported sheet dimensions range from 600mm × 520mm to 1,650mm × 1,300mm, providing broad compatibility across folding carton and corrugated packaging applications.

A low-pressure sheet-feeding system is used to move substrates through the press while limiting the risk of marking or damaging sensitive materials. Leopold reports production speeds of up to 7,000 sheets per hour, depending on the job, with comparable speed and quality achieved across both solid and corrugated board.

The integrated PALLETIZER further automates the workflow by creating customer-specific pallet patterns for finished folding carton products. This reduces manual handling after die-cutting and allows completed sheets to move into storage, transport or subsequent converting stages in a more organised format.

• Dual Stream delivery supports flexible handling of different board applications.
• Large-format capability accommodates sheets up to 1,650mm × 1,300mm.
• Automated palletising prepares customised layouts with less operator intervention.
• High delivery elevation enables finished stack heights of up to 2,000mm.
• Stored job settings simplify repeat production and reduce changeover time.

Tool handling was another important consideration because large-format cutting dies can be heavy and difficult to position. BOBST developed movable storage racks and an Easytransfer system that transports die-tool sets and lifts them to the machine’s 1.8-metre operating platform.

Leopold selected the highest available machine elevation, enabling high-pile delivery stacks of up to two metres. This capacity can extend uninterrupted production periods and reduce the frequency with which operators need to remove finished material from the delivery area.

The MATIC control system can store settings for as many as 5,000 repeat jobs. Operators manage tool changes, adjustments and production parameters through the SPHERE human-machine interface, helping standardise set-up procedures and improve reproducibility between orders.

The machine supports both format VI and format VII and remains compatible with tooling used on Leopold’s existing BOBST MASTERCUT 145 units. This compatibility protects previous tooling investments and makes it easier to transfer suitable jobs between presses as production schedules change.

For packaging converters, the installation illustrates how flexible equipment can help manage a broader mix of substrates without creating separate production environments. Folding cartons and corrugated packaging have different feeding, cutting and delivery requirements, yet customers increasingly expect short lead times, varied formats and reliable quality across both categories.

By combining large sheets, automated palletising, reusable tooling and stored job data, Leopold aims to increase output while keeping changeovers efficient. The pilot installation also gives BOBST an industrial setting in which to refine the Dual Stream platform for future large-format packaging applications.