Unit for forming a plate element for manufacturing folding boxes

A forming unit for continuous production of folding boxes from a plurality of plate elements, wherein the plurality of plate elements are successively inserted into the forming unit and move in a feed direction, the forming unit comprising:

• a first slotter unit and a second slotter unit, each provided with pairs of rotating cylindrical shafts carrying respective forming tools which perform slitting, creasing, and cutting operations to form a plate element among the plurality of plate elements, and
• a cutting unit in which the pairs of rotating cylindrical shafts and the cutting unit work together to create, in the formed plate element, front and rear juxtaposed folding box layers,
• wherein two pairs of shafts among the pairs of rotating cylindrical shafts of the first slotter unit are configured to work together to provide central slits in each plate element aligned on a central transverse axis of the plate element, and two pairs of shafts among the pairs of rotating cylindrical shafts of the second slotter unit are configured to work together to respectively create rear edge slits in the rear layer and front edge slits in the front layer, and
• wherein the pairs of rotating cylindrical shafts each carry a single slitting tool,
• wherein an angular position of at least one of the pairs of rotating cylindrical shafts is adjustable with respect to a feed position in the feed direction of the plate element, and
• wherein the first slotter unit is arranged upstream of the second slotter unit in the feed direction and is configured to provide the central slits before the second slotter unit creates the rear edge slits and the front edge slits.