A short run boxmaker from Kolbus Autobox makes its debut in Belgium

As a converter of corrugated cardboard, company Atelier 85 has invested in a new boxmaker Autobox AB300 with MULTI-CUT MC300 for the manufacture of boxes. This veritable Swiss army knife from Kolbus simultaneously creases, notches and slits corrugated cardboard to produce a wide variety of packaging boxes. 

A major advantage for small volumes of boxes is the machine size which can process corrugated cardboard up to 260 cm wide. Atelier 85 is an adapted work company located in Florennes, in the province of Namur. It focuses its activities on four major sectors, including packaging. The cardboard factory, which employs 85 workers, specializes mainly in the manufacture of short-run boxes, pads and dividers. “We can provide a full range of packaging products, from the consolidation box to cushioning and protection. We are also leaders on the Belgian market for dividers,” says Bernard van Sandwyk, Managing Director of Atelier 85. 

Atelier 85 counts among its customers more than 650 companies from a wide variety of sectors, including packaging, automotive and glassware. “Many large cardboard factories call on us to produce what does not fit into their industrial manufacturing processes,” explains Bernard van Sandwyk. In order to meet the different needs and requirements of customers, Atelier 85 has a fleet of machines that is constantly growing. Flexo press, cardboard box formers, die-cutting, gluers, staplers and many other machines make up the production workshop.

Recently, Atelier 85 invested in an Autobox AB300 equipped with the MULTI-CUT MC300 module from the manufacturer Kolbus GmbH. Atelier 85 opted for this machine in order to advantageously replace, as the director van Sandwyk points out, an old machine in the production workshop. "The Kolbus Autobox machine seemed particularly interesting to us, because it allows small series to be processed easily thanks to automatic adjustment."

The box manufacturing company also opted for two other modules: the TABLE-FEED TF300 multifunctional loading table and the DIGI-LITE 300 digital printer for marking the codes on the boxes. The Autobox AB300 with MULTI-CUT MC300 has been operational since July 2022 at Atelier 85 and it only took two weeks of adaptation for the staff to be fully operational with this machine. In addition to the ease of use of the machine, it is particularly the format of the machine and its flexibility that tipped the balance for the manufacturer Kolbus at Atelier 85.

Autobox AB300 with MULTI-CUT MC300 machine is indeed compatible with cardboard boxes of 2.60 m wide up to 10 meters long. It is also possible to cut windows or even handles with the MC module. “Thanks to this type of machine, we have the possibility of making a wide variety of custom-made boxes. Moreover, all the boxes we produce are different and this is typically what our customers prefer to outsource. Versatility is our strength”.

Autobox AB300 with MULTI-CUT MC300 automatically switches from one style and size of box to another in a few seconds, thanks to its servo control. The tools are controlled and adjusted automatically by the touch screen, which is very easy to use. The basic Autobox AB300 can thus produce 50 different types of FEFCO standardized boxes to around 100 with the MULTI-CUT MC300 module as well as telescopic boxes, trays, sliding boxes and interior fittings (inserts, partitions, etc.). "No form of cutting is necessary, since the knives of the machine are automatically adjusted on the X and Y axes", says Nicolaas De Schryver, Managing Director France & Belux of Kolbus. The icing on the cake: the AutoBox AB 300 is modular. It can for example be configured with an inkjet and/or flexo printing system, an automatic feeder, etc.