Patent ID: 8636047

Claim:
An installation for applying foil material onto successive sheets, comprising: a sheet-by-sheet feeding station for feeding individual sheets in succession along a sheet transport path, which individual sheets are not linked to one another; a foil application unit for applying at least one continuous band of foil material onto the individual sheets along a direction substantially parallel to a direction of displacement of the individual sheets, thereby forming a continuous flow of sheets linked to one another by the at least one continuous band of foil material; a laser cutting unit, located downstream of the foil application unit, for cutting the at least one continuous band of foil material by means of a laser beam such that the continuous flow of sheets is separated into the individual sheets which are not linked to one another with portions of foil material remaining on the sheets, the laser cutting unit performing the cutting at positions located on the sheets such that the portions of foil material remaining on the sheets do not extend beyond leading and trailing edges of the sheets; and a sheet delivery station for receiving the individual sheets, the installation further comprising at least a first suction unit including a suction head disposed adjacent to the surface of the sheets for carrying out aspiration of waste portions of the at least one continuous band of foil material at a first position located downstream of and proximate to a cutting position where the at least one continuous band of foil material is cut by the laser beam.