APR Solutions boosts Graph-Pak’s packaging options
Graph-Pak has been a trusted source of post-press systems and consumables for laminating, printing, packaging and converting since 2006. The Sydney-based company, which services both Australia and New Zealand, is now turning its attention to the corrugated market as more of its customers look to enter this sector to fulfil a demand from their clients and grow their businesses.
In October 2021 Graph-Pak was appointed the Australian representative for APR Solutions, a fast-growing Italian manufacturer focused on the development and production of paper and cardboard converting machinery for the finishing and packaging industry, as well as machines for the application of adhesive tapes and double-sided adhesive tapes for industrial needs.
PacPrint 2022 proved a perfect opportunity to launch APR Solutions to the ANZ marketplace with a team of product experts on hand during the show to talk to visitors about its market-leading solutions including the Box Plus 2 compact hybrid folder gluer and Athos taping machines ideal for packaging and e-commerce operations.
Two small compact folder gluers
“One of the biggest problems for a printer adding equipment is space, so APR targeted this with two small compact folder gluers. The Box Plus 1 featuring straight line gluing is just 4.5 metres long while the Box Plus 2 offering straight line and crash lock gluing is 2.6 metres,” explains Tom Ralph, founder and Managing Director of Graph-Pak.
The APR Box Plus 1 is an automatic folder-gluer, designed and manufactured to create linear boxes, presentation folders with one or two pockets as well as courier envelopes with external flaps. This unit can also be equipped with the Rap 25 / 50 applicator or Rap strip head for the application of double-sided or tear tape for peel and seal products. The same model can also be offered hand fed, at only 2 metres in length!
The Box Plus 2 is a fully-automatic machine for folding and gluing straight boxes and crash-lock bottom boxes. With three-point gluing, it can also be configured to handle envelopes, DVD wallets, folders, inserting paper and plastic cards, applying double-sided tape and tear tape, and more, making it a very versatile and profitable addition to any packaging operation.
Athos targets packaging and e-commerce
The Athos series comprises extremely versatile, compact double-sided taping machines, which remove labour costs and increase speed to market on many different applications.
“The Mini Athos as its name suggests, is a smaller model which is a cost-effective and versatile entry-level solution to apply double-sided tapes including banner tapes, PVC, TNT, acrylic and transfer,” Ralph explains, “while the Athos Plus is a higher-volume, higher-speed option which efficiently applies double-sided, acrylic, foam, PVC and eTear tapes to any type of paper, cardboard, profiles, wood and aluminium.
“With a removable, fully-automatic feeder, it’s ideal for even the longest runs of products from labels to banknotes, and still flexible enough to handle niche or multi-layered custom jobs by simply swapping to manual feed,” he adds.
Maxi Box – the versatile solution
Maxi Box is the answer for the booming e-commerce sector offering double-sided taping, tear taping, silicone and magnetic taping. The machine’s additional capability to fold, its speed, huge reduction in labour and ease of operation makes the Maxi Box an essential addition to companies looking for a versatile solution to a wide range of corrugated cardboard work. Widths 1600 of 2200 mm are standard, but 3500 mm is available on request.
Since adding APR Solutions products to its burgeoning portfolio in October 2021 Graph-Pak has already installed 11 machines from the Italian manufacturer, with a similar number envisaged for 2023.
Ralph advises that buyers come from a mix of industries with the mixture of models chosen accordingly. “Small print shops opt for Mini Athos, medium print shops favour Athos and Box Plus 1, while larger print facilities choose Maxi Box or Box Plus 2. The choice for trade printers is Box Plus 1, Athos and Mini Athos, for trade houses Box Plus 1. Maxi Box is the popular choice for wide-format printers and e-commerce providers. All have found a labour-saving niche by installing an APR machine to solve a bottleneck, reduce outsourcing and fill a gap they needed to fill. It’s a very wide range of users – right down to a guy from the leather industry.
“I believe with Graph-Pak driving it, APR is going to become a household brand. The Australian and New Zealand markets have so much potential as nearly all this work is currently outsourced. Once converters realise the potential offered by the versatile range of APR Solutions to reduce labour costs, save space, increase speed to market, eliminate outsourcing and add more to the bottom line, this machinery will become a mainstay in the industry.”
Caption:
APR Solutions Box Plus 2 folder gluer on the Graph-Pak stand at PacPrint
