Specially Designed EXPERT K5 for Barrier Paper and First in World to include BOBST iMA in Production at Lecta

In production since February this year, the installation will enable Lecta to increase its metallizing capacity and enable greater consistency and scalability in the production of barrier paper. The machine named Leitzaran, a name requested by Lecta in tribute to the river which runs alongside the factory in Leitza, Spain has been specially designed for the company and is the only machine of its kind in the world as it has a 1.5 m reel diameter, the largest of any EXPERT K5 ever produced.

Additionally, Lecta were the first company in the world to have BOBST iMA installed on their machine. BOBST iMA, developed by BOBST process experts and officially launched at drupa in 2024 is a significant breakthrough in machine integrated process expertise. It allows the machine operator to view the evaporator boats on dedicated screens and with software powered by AI can automatically control the deposition process, mapping and controlling the aluminium pool size and selecting optimized settings for different processes.

The new machine will be used for the production of barrier paper for food packaging which is more and more being seen as an alternative to traditional plastic packaging in the flexible packaging industry due to the recyclability properties of paper. The specially designed EXPERT K5 has a number of features to handle paper including a larger pumping group with 8 Polycolds to reduce pump down time. The 1.5m reel diameter allows bigger reels of paper to be metallized and due to the weight of the reels, the machine also has special pneumatic expanding shafts. The addition of BOBST AluBond® improves the barrier properties of the metallized paper allowing it to be used in food packaging to provide the required shelf life.

Commenting on the purchase, Igor Iceta, Mill Director at Lecta said “The commissioning of the Leitzaran metallizing line marks an important milestone for the Leitza mill. It has been a pleasure to collaborate again with BOBST on this project. The new metallizer enhances process control, operational efficiency and production flexibility. With the integration of technologies such as AluBond® and BOBST iMA, a pioneering intelligent process control system in the metallizing market. it enables the consistent production of high-performance metallized barrier papers for demanding packaging applications.”

Pedro Bartulos, Technology Sales Manager at BOBST commented “BOBST and Lecta have had a relationship going back many years and we are delighted that they were the first company in the world to have BOBST iMA on their machine. The Leitzaran machine has been specially designed for Lecta and is unique as it has the biggest reel diameter of any EXPERT K5 we have ever produced at 1.5m. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Lecta for many more years to come.”

Lecta is a multinational group with 2,700 employees and six mills in Spain and Italy with a production capacity of approximately 1.6 million tons. They produce pulp, base paper and other papers using state-of-the-art technology, prioritizing excellent environmental performance. Lecta is present in the most demanding markets worldwide with sales offices in Europe, North America and North Africa and is also active in the distribution business in southern Europe, with its own distributors in France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

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