Palamides has introduced an extended buffer table for its Alpha 500 and Alpha 700 stacking delivery systems that increases the number of finished products that can be delivered to a maximum 30 stacks of A5 and 14 stacks of A4.

The mobile unit can be retrofitted to all existing 'plus' series Alpha models, with no mechanical set-up required. The Alpha system has itself been designed as a universal delivery for processing folded signatures.

In addition, German carton converting equipment manufacturer Kohmann has introduced a pick & place unit for its range of window patching and lining machines.

The window patching machines currently take die-cut folding carton blanks and apply a plastic window that is cut and glued from a reel in-line. The blanks are then taken to a folder-gluer to be converted into the finished cartons.

John Harrison, sales manager for converting at Friedheim International, said: "Window patching machines are a fairly common piece of equipment that's become more popular in recent years for creating cartons that show off the product inside.

"The very new development is the SpeedPlacer pick & place unit, which is offered as a possible retrofit to existing Kohmann macines or as a standard option on new machines."

The SpeedPlacer allows the production of cartons with a very large, rigid window that folds around the sides of the finished box (such as for children's toys) that cannot be produced from a reel but require a pre-creased blank.

"It can also be used to glue other components, such as leaflets, labels, CDs and DVDs, to the inside of the carton," added Harrison.