The Fusion Packaging Summit, organized for the first time by British software publisher Hybrid Software in Amsterdam, brought together 180 professionals from 23 countries. Over four days, participants âeuros printers, converters, software publishers and equipment manufacturers âeuros attended 22 technical sessions and visited AV sites Flexologic, Geostick and Intergrafipak. The event, supported by 14 industrial partners including Bobst, HP, Arden Software and Eco3, was marked by a new feature for carton packaging professionals: the extension of the CF2 (Common File Format 2D) format.
Towards greater system interoperability
This announcement represents a significant development for folding carton applications. Long used for exchanging structural data between computer-aided design (CAD) solutions and prepress software, the CF2 format was unable to transmit certain information required for automated production.
Hybrid Software, Arden Software and the other partners therefore collaborated on the development of an enhanced CF2, supported by suppliers Zünd, Kongsberg and EngView Systems.
In concrete terms, the new specification now incorporates bend angles and the bending order of creasing lines, essential data for 3D visualization and automated forming. These elements, absent from the original format, can now be interpreted by digital cutting or bending systems.
This evolution is nonetheless backward-compatible: non-updated systems will continue to be able to read CF2 files without the new data, thus avoiding any disruption to the production chain.
A format open to all publishers and manufacturers
In the minds of its designers, this extension remains open to the entire industry. "We wanted to respect a philosophy of openness. The enriched CF2 standard will be available to any editor or manufacturer wishing to adopt it" said Mike Rottenborn, CEO of Hybrid Software Group, which develops tools such as Cloudflow workflow software, Packz PDF editor and iC3D visualization software.
In addition to folding information, further enhancements are planned for the future, including the integration of substrate-related data (substrate type, fiber direction, thickness). The aim is to improve dialogue across the value chain, from design to printing and converting, while meeting the growing need for automation in packaging production.
Mike Rottenborn also confirmed that the Fusion Packaging Summit would be held every year, alternating between Europe and North America.
