Hardware - Print Finishing

Zünd Systemtechnik is pleased to present the latest innovative, fully automated cutting systems for screen, digital, and textile print professionals at Fespa 2015, in Cologne, Germany, May 18-22, booth M-20/Hall 

Zünd introduces robotic off-load system
Zünds focus at Fespa in Cologne is on demonstrating to print service providers how they can increase productivity while decreasing labour costs. New automation solutions for Zünds widely used modular cutters are designed to optimise finishing throughput. One of the highlights of Zünd's exhibit is the state-of-the-art robotic off-load option. Working in conjunction with a Zünd S3 M-800, the robot picks and sorts cut parts. The robot is designed to function autonomously in production environments where human operators and advanced technology work together to achieve maximum productivity.

New: Automatic Router Tool Changer - ARC automates bit changes
With the new automatic tool changer - ARC, Zünd is introducing an automation solution that increases the efficiency of Zünd G3 cutters by significantly reducing setup times for routing applications. With the ARC system, the user has at his/her disposal a carousel in which up to eight different bits can be freely combined for processing. The system automatically selects the correct router bit for the job and material at hand, guaranteeing optimal results. This eliminates the potential for operator errors in higher-volume routing applications involving aluminium, wood, plastics, and composite materials.

Automation solutions for every application
Another step towards total automation with Zünd cutting systems is file retrieval via QR-Code. Once the material is fed onto the cutting surface, the ICC camera captures the QR-code embedded in the printed job, and Zünd Cut Center ZCC immediately retrieves the corresponding cut file. Before processing begins, the system automatically determines the location and orientation of the graphics and, if necessary, compensates for any distortions in print or material.

The highly successful Zünd G3 3XL-1600 cutter is particularly well suited for wide-format finishing applications. This high-performance cutter model is ideal for cutting vinyl and other rolled materials up to 3.21 m (10 ft.) wide. The center-winder roll-off with integrated dancer system guarantees optimal tension control that allows for wrinkle- and distortion-free cutting of textiles.

NEW: Zünd S3 cutter with 1kW router option
With the new RM-S router module, Zünd is introducing a high-performance 1kW routing tool specifically designed for the S3 series. The new tool is capable of cutting materials such as acrylics and rigid foamcore up to a thickness of 25 mm (1 in).

NEW: Electric oscillating tool - EOT-250
Zünds electric oscillating tool - EOT-250 is a high-performance tool developed for cutting thick cardboard/honeycomb materials. This tool is air-cooled, oscillates at very high frequencies, and has an extended, 2.5 mm stroke. These characteristics make this the only tool capable of processing 16 mm corrugated sandwich board at speeds up to 1000 mm (40 in) per second. The concept behind all Zünd tooling is unique in its focus on modularity; Zünd tooling can be expanded or upgraded quickly and easily at any time to meet changing demands.

The UK’s first public appearance of the new Mimaki CFL-605RT Compact Flatbed Cutting Plotter will be at this month’s Sign & Digital UK. Alongside the recently announced raft of Mimaki sign and graphics printers also to be launched at the exhibition, the new machine offers both creasing and cutting capabilities and is designed to support immediate finishing of packaging and prototypes with its versatile functionality.

Stuart Cole; national sales manager – industrial products at Hybrid comments: “The launch of the CFL-605RT at Sign & Digital UK offers packaging companies, design agencies and their customer brands the opportunity to see a unique, fully integrated, small format flatbed print and cut workflow solution with which to produce prototype packaging or short run bespoke projects.”

The newest addition to Mimaki’s family of cutting plotters, the CFL-605RT is a multifunction flatbed cutter that accommodates material sizes up to oversized A2 and features a variety of functions including creasing and eccentric, tangential and reciprocating cutting. The plotter will be shown alongside its perfect partner - the Mimaki UJF-6042 compact flatbed printer - creating the ability to deliver an on-demand printing and cutting workflow which is particularly relevant to the promotional, event, cosmetics and luxury item markets.

For further details please visit the Hybrid stand at Sign & Digital UK or www.hybridservices.co.uk 

Bespoke packaging specialist GWP has purchased a Zünd G3 L2500CVE12 digital cutting system to support product development.

Founded in 1990, GWP initially produced conventional corrugated fibreboard products and has grown over the past 25 years into a multi-site operation specialising in the transit protection of fragile high-value products in the aerospace, defence and automotive industries. GWP records a turnover in excess of £10 million per annum and employs 100 members of staff.

The company visited Zünd UK's dedicated demonstration suite in St Albans to view the G3 digital cutting system. The unit now installed at its Clicklade, Wiltshire plant, however, has been built specifically to meet GWP's needs; thanks to their modular design, all Zünd UK systems can be configured with only the tools required by the individual end user but are easily retrofitted and expanded in line with changing business needs.

GWP selected the Zünd G3 L2500CVE12, featuring a 1800mm x 2500mm working area and fitted with the appropriate tooling to cut and crease corrugated board and to finish 50mm foam. The machine is driven by the Zünd Cut Centre front end software which allows integration with GWP's existing CAD system.

"The Zünd machine has been purchased to support our drive for new product development and will help to produce prototypes across a broad range of materials, including corrugated board, high and low density foams and fluted polypropylene," explains David Pedley, CEO of GWP Group. "It complements nicely the other rapid prototyping equipment we have including three axis routers, water jet and laser cutters."

David Pedley states that GWP will be prototyping and producing products for a number of blue chip clients in the aerospace and defence and automotive sectors, including BAE Systems, Chemring, Honda, Nissan and Toyota.

He adds: "We chose Zünd because of the high quality and versatility of the machine. It has a very user-friendly interface. I was impressed with the service support facilities in the UK and ready supply of accessories and spare parts."

Peter Giddings, Sales Director at Zünd Plotting Systems (UK) Ltd, comments: "The new Zünd G3 will be an excellent addition to the other prototyping technology used by GWP's product design team. It has been designed for efficiency, speed and ease of use, making it ideal for realising ideas to create new designs and products."

Zünd UK digital cutting systems are used by businesses throughout British industry, from the aerospace and automotive sectors to packaging, architectural design, signage and textiles. Zünd UK will be exhibiting at events including Packaging Innovations, Sign and Digital UK and the Composites Engineering Show in 2015. For further information, to organise a meeting or to book a visit to Zünd UK's recently renovated St Albans demonstration suite, please email sales@zund.co.uk or call 01727 833003.

Esko is pleased to announce that Speedscreen’s £1m investment programme included the addition of a fully-featured super-wide Kongsberg C digital finishing system. 

Specialising in posters, POP displays, POS and signage, Speedscreen is one of UK’s leading large format printers with a £2.2m annual turnover. The company is no stranger to adopting cutting-edge technology and was the first in Europe to install the Durst Rho 1012 large format printer. The company is now among the first to acquire an Esko Kongsberg C64.

“We have experienced year-on-year growth of over 30% during the last 12 months, and we are striving to equal that this year with the help of the Esko Kongsberg C64,” comments Tim Hill, Speedscreen Managing Director. “Esko’s solutions are a key component of our growth strategy. They allow us to be faster, more responsive, have tighter controls over margins and offer a more creative service. It future-proofs our business.”

A video and more details on how Speedscreen is putting its Esko Kongsberg C table at work to increased finishing capacity and quality can be viewed on the company’s website: www.speedscreen.net/services/kongsberg/

Continued trust
Speedscreen first introduced the Esko Kongsberg technology into its production platform six years ago with a Kongsberg i-XL44. Following its investment in the Durst large format printer, the firm required a larger finishing solution to keep up with production output and turned to Esko, its trusted long-time partner, for a solution.

“The fact is that not long ago, customers didn’t care what equipment you had. Now they are paying attention and they see that you are investing in the ability to serve them better,” says Hill. “With our recent investments, we have systems in place that take advantage of the very latest in technology. We are second to none in the UK in that regard. And we have new customers coming to us because of the solutions we have. In addition to helping win new business, these investments also make our relationships with existing customers much stronger.”

Speedscreen’s investment also included Esko ArtiosCAD structural packaging design software and i-cut Suite preflighting and workflow solution for large format printing. “These software solutions help us smooth out workflow and save time in design. In addition, we can better plan job ganging and nesting for the most economical material use. We will also be able to further develop the design side of the business with activities such as creating outers,” states Hill.

True 3.2m wide format capability
The Kongsberg C64 works with 3.210 mm by 3.200 mm long materials, making it the perfect fit for large format printers, and also for Speedscreen this was an important investment criteria. “The Durst printer massively increased our throughput, and it quickly became evident that our bottleneck would be finishing,” explains Hill. “We looked at a number of options. The Esko Kongsberg C64 was the only table with a full 3.2m work space; the others we considered offered two separate work spaces but were not able to handle a full 3.2m x 3.2m sheet. The Kongsberg is also engineered for heavy-duty performance and includes a powerful 3kw router. All around it was a much better proposition than we found with other solutions in the marketplace. And we were also very comfortable staying with an Esko solution based on our past experience.”

“Digital runs are getting longer and we needed a digital finishing solution that could manage those longer runs, allowing us to complete them in-house instead of subcontracting the work out. The Kongsberg C64 fits the bill perfectly,” continues Hill. “The installation made an immediate impact. A job we did on a Zünd table took us 32 minutes per sheet but only 12 minutes on the Kongsberg. That type of performance speaks for itself. We can process work faster and retain better margins because of the speed and the fact that we can keep more work in house. This makes us more competitive.”

The Esko Kongsberg C64 also offers another operational gain when processing rolls of substrates, Hill says: “We can roll media straight from the table so there is no need to remove it from the core. The result is much smoother throughput which increases productivity. We can even run two rolls side by side, giving us maximum productivity every day.” He explains a key attraction was the variety of applications and substrates the Esko Kongsberg C64 can handle, ensuring Speedscreen can deliver a broad product offering. This includes knife and kiss cutting paper, card, display board, plastics, polyprop, foamex and self-adhesive PVC with extreme accuracy, as well as handling Kappa, thick corrugated and foam boards, Perspex and ACM (Dibond) up to 20 mm thick. Mr. Hill adds that the Kongsberg also creases very accurate traces, while Esko’s i-cut technology ensures accurate registration.

As for the anticipated return on investment, Mr. Hill concludes, “At 50%, the residuals on the old table were very impressive. We see no reason why the new table won’t offer the same ROI.”

Internationally recognised architecture and design practice Foster + Partners has purchased a Zünd G3-M2500 digital cutter to be used for the production of design models.

Founded in 1967, Foster + Partners has received more than 620 awards for excellence and won over 100 national and international competitions for its architecture and integrated design work. Its projects include the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, the Great Glass House at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, the Thames Hub in London and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, making it a practice world renowned for its innovation.

Foster + Partners will install the Zünd G3-M2500 digital cutter at its London studio in mid-March, having first seen the machine at Zünd's St Albans demonstration suite in 2011. The Zünd G3-M2500 was chosen by the practice, as it was familiar to many architects. The Zünd's fixed blade will initially be used to cut card and foamboard for design models, and the router will then be used to cut denser materials.

Like all of Zünd UK's cutting equipment, the G3 range is designed with a modular construction to enable evolution as the end user grows, explores new sectors and adopts new materials. It is engineered for efficient and accurate 24-7 operation on materials up to 50mm thick, with industry-leading safety features and an integrated variable vacuum system to minimise energy consumption.

"Foster + Partners has an international reputation for creating outstanding designs. To do this it needs high-quality, accurate and reliable equipment," says Peter Giddings, Sales Director, Zünd Plotting Systems (UK) Ltd.

"The Zünd G3 will be used to create models for what may well become iconic designs in the future; we're very much looking forward to seeing them and proud to be part of that process."

The Zünd portfolio is used by businesses throughout British industry, from architectural design, packaging and display graphics, to leather and textiles, to aerospace and motorsport.

Zünd UK will be showcasing its digital cutting equipment at a number of trade shows this year, including Packaging Innovations, Sign and Digital UK and the Composites Engineering Show. For further information, to organise a meeting or to book a visit to Zünd UK's recently renovated demonstration suite, please email sales@zund.co.uk or call 01727 833003.

UK-based specialist manufacturer Blackman & White will be showcasing the ‘best of British’ at Sign & Digital UK 2015, with the first UK exhibition appearance of its new Versa-Tech cutter.  The company, which designs and manufactures its own range of large format cutters from its base in Essex, recently added the cutter to its well-established MasterCut range.

The Versa-Tech is the result of a decade of refinement and product development and offers the ultimate in tooling flexibility, with crease, kiss cut, router, drag knife, oscillating knife and driven rotary knife all available on a single conveyorised or flatbed heavy-duty table.

As well as delivering the high levels of accuracy, speed and versatility professional cutter users have come to expect, a new and improved cutting head design offers increased power and durability.

“The sign and graphics market is always moving at a furious pace with innovations in both media and print technology, and our customers rely on the ability to diversify and handle new materials to capitalise on the opportunities that brings,” explains Managing Director Alex White.

Customers can purchase one tool initially, then add others over time to meet increasingly varied production needs and spread the cost. Dual driven tooling with interchangeable ‘drop-in’ tools, both oscillating head and driven wheel, allows for easy and quick change of cutting technique.

The Versa-Tech is able to cut standard widths and lengths up to 3.2m, and to carry out long production runs on heavy duty materials such as acrylics and DIBOND, thanks to the addition of a 2.5kW water-cooled router.

It offers high-precision, top quality output with a fast return on investment. The machine runs on a linear rack, keeping costs down as no belt replacement is needed, and ensuring accuracy is maintained over time.

“We’ll be demonstrating the 3.2m model of the Versa-Tech at Sign & Digital, showcasing the ‘best of British’ design and manufacture on which we pride ourselves, and that our customers value so much,” added Alex.

“We’re inviting potential customers from print and sign companies to join us to discuss the benefits our cutters can bring to their workflow, and to arrange personalised demonstrations of the equipment.”