Optimization of print layout, estimation of paperboard requirements and vendor selection based on box orders and printing machine availability
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of optimizing production of packaging comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a source of a sheet of packaging material, which comprises a sheet of paperboard or box board with a defined fiber direction, that includes generating a packaging material requirements specification and selecting a packaging material vendor;
(b) providing a printer having a printer plate that is configured to transfer images to the sheet of packaging material to yield a printed sheet with a predetermined box print layout arrangement;
(c) providing a cutting system that converts the printed sheet into individual pieces of packaging material;
(d) providing a packaging system that folds the individual pieces of packaging material, which are made in step (c), to construct individual boxes wherein the individual pieces of packaging material has a length with a direction that is parallel to the fiber direction so that the boxes that are constructed have grain directions that are parallel to the fiber direction;
(e) aggregating customer orders subject to the constraints of order delivery timing and packaging material properties requirements; and
(f) generating a printed sheet with a predetermined box print layout arrangement that minimizes packaging material wastage by nesting multiple customer orders into a single production run wherein the predetermined box print layout arrangement contains an arrangement of a plurality of box patterns and wherein the arrangement defines exterior un-utilized regions and interior un-utilized regions and the arrangement minimizes the area of the interior un-utilized regions wherein the predetermined box print layout arrangement is optimized by sequential optimization based on the design or type of boxes produced wherein the boxes are sequentially allocated in the predetermined box print layout arrangement first with boxes having up and down settings, second with boxes having normal settings and third with boxes having square settings.
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Abstract
Product packaging technique including the conversion of paperboard into boxes and packages in a process that includes layout optimization of printing plates and takes into account vendor specifications, box order types, and printing machine constraints.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of optimizing production of packaging comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a source of a sheet of packaging material, which comprises a sheet of paperboard or box board with a defined fiber direction, that includes generating a packaging material requirements specification and selecting a packaging material vendor; (b) providing a printer having a printer plate that is configured to transfer images to the sheet of packaging material to yield a printed sheet with a predetermined box print layout arrangement; (c) providing a cutting system that converts the printed sheet into individual pieces of packaging material; (d) providing a packaging system that folds the individual pieces of packaging material, which are made in step (c), to construct individual boxes wherein the individual pieces of packaging material has a length with a direction that is parallel to the fiber direction so that the boxes that are constructed have grain directions that are parallel to the fiber direction; (e) aggregating customer orders subject to the constraints of order delivery timing and packaging material properties requirements; and (f) generating a printed sheet with a predetermined box print layout arrangement that minimizes packaging material wastage by nesting multiple customer orders into a single production run wherein the predetermined box print layout arrangement contains an arrangement of a plurality of box patterns and wherein the arrangement defines exterior un-utilized regions and interior un-utilized regions and the arrangement minimizes the area of the interior un-utilized regions wherein the predetermined box print layout arrangement is optimized by sequential optimization based on the design or type of boxes produced wherein the boxes are sequentially allocated in the predetermined box print layout arrangement first with boxes having up and down settings, second with boxes having normal settings and third with boxes having square settings. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16)
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4. A method of optimizing production of packaging comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a source of a sheet of packaging material which comprises a sheet of paperboard or box board with a defined fiber direction, that includes generating a packaging material requirements specification and selecting a packaging material vendor; (b) providing a printer having a printer plate that is configured to transfer images to the sheet of packaging material to yield a printed sheet with a predetermined box print layout arrangement; (c) providing a cutting system that converts the printed sheet into individual pieces of packaging material; (d) providing a packaging system that folds the individual pieces of packaging material, which are made in step (c), to construct individual boxes wherein the individual pieces of packaging material has a length with a direction that is parallel to the fiber direction so that the boxes that are constructed have grain directions that are parallel to the fiber direction; (e) aggregating customer orders subject to the constraints of order delivery timing and packaging material properties requirements by combining different customer orders based on quality standards and tolerances for the packaging material; and (f) generating a printed sheet with a predetermined box print layout arrangement that minimizes packaging material wastage by nesting multiple customer orders into a single production run and by optimizing the predetermined box print layout arrangement by combining different customer orders through adjustment of the tolerances for the packaging material wherein the predetermined box print layout arrangement contains an arrangement of a plurality of box patterns and wherein the arrangement defines exterior un-utilized regions and interior un-utilized regions and the arrangement minimizes the area of the interior un-utilized regions. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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15. A method of optimizing production of packaging comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a source of a sheet of packaging material which comprises a sheet of paperboard or box board with a defined fiber direction, that includes generating a packaging material requirements specification and selecting a packaging material vendor; (b) providing a printer having a printer plate that is configured to transfer images to the sheet of packaging material to yield a printed sheet with a predetermined box print layout arrangement; (c) providing a cutting system that converts the printed sheet into individual pieces of packaging material; (d) providing a packaging system that folds the individual pieces of packaging material, which are made in step (c), to construct individual boxes wherein the individual pieces of packaging material has a length with a direction that is parallel to the fiber direction so that the boxes that are constructed have grain directions that are parallel to the fiber direction; (e) aggregating customer orders subject to the constraints of order delivery timing and packaging material properties requirements; and (f) generating a printed sheet with a predetermined box print layout arrangement that minimizes packaging material wastage by nesting multiple customer orders into a single production run wherein the predetermined box print layout arrangement contains an arrangement of a plurality of box patterns and wherein the arrangement defines exterior un-utilized regions and interior un-utilized regions and the arrangement minimizes the area of the interior un-utilized regions and wherein a resultant of a solution print layout optimization engine is used as a target for packaging material vendor selection. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification