A new GlueCalc smartphone app from Baumer hhs (Krefeld, Germany), allows packaging manufacturers to easily and effectively calculate and optimize adhesive consumption on a job-by-job basis right at their own production lines. Characterized as “a world’s first,” the tool can identify potential ways to cut adhesive consumption and reduce associated Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions. GlueCalc has been thoroughly tested on a variety of customer systems. Based on the app’s calculations, customers switched adhesive application from lines to dots where possible for a product, and succeeded in reducing adhesive consumption by 50% and more, said the company. Baumer added that: “Annual savings can range from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on respective production volumes. The app further provided customers with sound, scientifically supported information on the extent to which minimizing glue consumption reduced their CO2 emissions.”
The GlueCalc app is currently available in the App Store for free download for Apple and Android systems. “Packaging manufacturers are under immense pressure to cut costs. At the same time, they’re expected to continuously improve the eco-balance of both their manufacturing processes and products,” said Andreas Brandt, Baumer hhs Marketing Manager. “The calculations from our new app give them a solid foundation for optimizing adhesive application in both economic and ecological terms.”
So how much can a company reduce adhesive consumption, its associated costs and CO2 emissions if packaging is glued using dot patterns instead of lines? “With GlueCalc, plant and production managers can answer this question in virtually no time,” said the company. “The production data they need to enter is the number of glue lines per product, their length and width prior to final pressing, the per-minute production rate, weekly working hours, types of adhesive, and costs per kilogram and currency – and the app will calculate the costs and CO2 emissions of different glue application methods. The results are displayed on the user’s smartphone in clearly structured tables and diagrams. In addition, the calculations can be emailed from inside the app – for example to supervisors, giving them sound documentation for making decisions – or to sales staff, who can then show customers how to optimize adhesive application based on solid facts and figures.”
New app calculates savings on adhesives and CO2 in packaging production
