Hardware - Print Finishing

i-cut, a division of EskoArtwork, kicked off its European launch by exhibiting at one of the print industry’s leading trade shows, Viscom 09.

i-cut specializes in software development and materials automation for digital cutters, and will run live demonstrations of its new Vision Pro 7.0 software at the event. To support its launch the company has established a European sales team and created an online store – www.icuttools.com– where customers can order the new Vision Pro software, obtain technical information and product support, and buy cutting consumables, such as bits, blades and conveyor belts. Viscom 09 is being staged on October 1-3, 2009 at Exhibition Centre Düsseldorf, and the i-cut booth is in Hall 8a at stand C20. At the event, the company held a draw for a free i-cut Vision Pro 7.0 upgrade, and were handing out €20 discount coupons for its online store.

Vision Pro 7.0 offers full non-linear distortion correction, a simple and intuitive user interface, and full prepress and RIP integration, ensuring jobs are prepared quickly and sent to the cutting device without errors. Print runs from just one sheet to thousands are contour-cut reliably, precisely and economically.

Using the software, print material specifications are taken from the work stream – including cutting keys that supply operators with optimized tool settings and blade/bit recommendations – and are processed with preset cutting parameters. This makes the finishing set-up even easier and simplifies the tasks necessary for starting each unique job. Subsequently, set-up times are minimal – and in many cases, virtually eliminated.

The solution is ideal for commercial printers, digital printers, sign makers and screen printers that digitally finish their products using any of the popular XY cutting tables from companies such as Esko-Kongsberg, Zund, Mécanuméric, MultiCam, Axyz and more.

The new i-cut online store, icuttools.com, has been created to give printers in Europe the opportunity to equip themselves with the best possible cutting software and consumables. With more than 15 years’ experience in the sign, display, advertising and packaging markets, i-cut has conducted extensive research into all materials common in these markets, and has created tools specifically for each type of material.

The store carries accessories for many of the i-cut enabled cutting machines on the market, as well as consumables for printers’ everyday cutting needs – from blades, router bits and conveyor belts through to i-cut software upgrades.

In addition to sales, the icuttools.com store offers excellent advice and support. Users can contact the Tool Support Helpline, which takes the guesswork out of cutting speeds for new materials. Also, the Materials Testing Service lets users test their material in i-cut’s facility for free – the company tests different tools and speeds before providing users with a detailed report on how it should be cut. Plus registered users can take advantage of the new Resource Center, which allows them to download software, updates, documentation and guides.

Steve Bennett, Director of New Business Development, i-cut, comments: “Viscom 09 was the perfect backdrop to introduce ourselves to the European market, and gave us an excellent platform to demonstrate how Vision Pro 7.0 can streamline a printers’ set-up.

“One of the best things about the software is that it’s so easy to use. Operators with limited or no computer skills can produce precision-cut graphics after only a few hours’ training. Meanwhile, owners and managers can bank on the efficiency and reliability of the solution, and never need worry about costly mistakes or missed deadlines.”

From October 1 to 3, at Hall 8b, Booth G80 at Viscom Dusseldorf, visitors will have an opportunity to see the Zünd G3 cutter in new and interesting configurations.

Showing for the first time is the semi-automated production option on a G3 M-1600. With a built-in guide to facilitate accurate placement of sheets or boards, this setup turns the G3 high-performance cutter into a non-stop production machine. The operator becomes available to work a second machine or perform other tasks.

In addition, Zünd will be demonstrating the latest version of the V-cut tool. This cutting device makes it possible to create three-dimensional designs from rigid materials folded along v-grooves cut at up to 5 different angles. Set up for another live demonstration is a Zünd M-800 equipped with feeder for fully automated processing of sheeted materials. In this configuration, the Zünd cutter becomes a standalone production system.

Gerber Scientific Products Inc. has launched its new flatbed digital die-cutting system, the M Turbo.

"The M Turbo is an important new product in the M Series family. The M Turbo features a more powerful, 1-kilowatt electric router that will expand any shop's capabilities. The M Turbo allows you to rout .080 aluminum and thick rigid materials up to 1-inch thick, such as wood and acrylic. It can also rout thinner rigid boards, like aluminum composite materials, up to 4 times faster than our standard M Series router," said Steve Albert, Gerber's senior strategic accounts manager.

"In addition to the more powerful router, the Gerber M Turbo flatbed cutter offers new software improvements that allow the user to control the rpms at which the M Turbo routs, giving even greater flexibility to our customers. The high-powered router head is configured into the M Series T3 Tool Head design, so the M Trubo still takes advantage of all of all the standard M Series tools, such as the reciprocating knife, crease wheel, tangential knives and more.

"The new M Turbo will have all the strengths that the other M Series cutters already enjoy, such as the robust table construction design, the M-Vision optical registration system which ensures accurate print-to-cut registration and the zoned vacuum system which allows for accurate material hold down," said Albert. "The Gerber M Turbo flatbed cutter is a complete turnkey system that includes everything you need to run the machine in production."

The 640t, targeted for the entry to mid market place, does the job others in this same class can`t. It laminates and mounts pressure-sensitive films and adhesives up to 61 inches wide at speeds up to 16 feet per minute to allow the user to finish prints quickly and easily. The most unique feature of the 640t is that it offers roll to roll capabilities for increased productivity and profits.

The 2064Ct is a high production level machine designed to laminate and mount applications up to 64 inches wide and operate at speeds up to 30 feet per minute for maximum productivity, making the 2064Ct the fastest wide format roll-to-roll laminator on the market today. With safety and versatility in the forefront, the three-part advanced electrical safety system provides unsurpassed operator safety while allowing maximum control during lamination.

The 640t and 2064Ct wide format roll laminators were designed to increase sales and profits for the sign and graphic print marketplace by creating a fast, high quality, easy to use wide format laminating solution. Whether the application is trade show graphics, vehicle graphics, POP displays, backlit displays, window signage, floor graphics, rigid displays, or any indoor/outdoor signage, the graphic print market can rely on GBC. 

Allen Datagraph Systems Inc. (ADSI) announces the launch of a revolutionary new product for the printing and finishing of high-quality, short-run labels on a wide variety of substrates:  The iTech AXXIS Digital Label System.

"Many small-to-medium-sized companies have the need for high quality labels. However the cost associated with purchasing small quantities of high quality labels is one of the biggest issues these companies have to resolve - while still offering products that are appealing to the consumer at the point of sale. Until today, they had only a few options," explains Mark Vanover, VP Sales and Marketing at ADSI.  "They were required to purchase labels in large quantities creating inventory that may never be used, or they paid a high premium for short-run labels - both options decreasing their profitability. Their last option was to use inferior pre-cut label solutions. We believe that the iTech AXXIS Digital Label System represents a paradigm-shift in label manufacturing by offering a complete desktop label production system printing high quality labels at an astonishingly low cost per label to produce."

The iTech AXXIS Digital Label System, designed and assembled in the U.S., is comprised of both the iTech AXXIS Digital Label Printer, a high-resolution (5760 x 1440 dpi) roll-fed CMYK print engine featuring variable-droplet technology, and the iTech AXXIS Digital Label Finisher that laminates, integrates die-less die cutting, and both strips and rewinds the label roll.  Printing on substrate widths from 100 mm to 220 mm with an outside roll diameter up to 280 mm, the system images at up to 100 mm a second - or 6 meters per minute.

The complete iTech AXXIS Digital Label System, small enough to fit on a desktop yet engineered to handle high-productivity throughput, is priced at under Euro 25,000 in Europe.  "No other label system can offer the features of the iTech AXXIS Digital Label System for anything close to that investment," continues Vanover.  "We're turning the industry's assumptions of label production on its head by bringing affordable digital label manufacturing within reach of everyone. We believe the iTech AXXIS Digital Label System enables every converter to never have to walk away from their customers short-run label production needs again."

The first showing of the iTech AXXIS Digital Label System will be on the Epson America booth (7328) at Print '09, September 11-16, Chicago IL. (www.print09.com). The official launch of the iTech AXXIS Digital Label System will be on the ADSI booth (9F48) at Labelexpo Europe 2009, September 23 - 26, Brussels, Belgium (www.labelexpo-europe.com), the world's largest event for the label, product decoration, web printing and converting industry.

The iTech AXXIS Digital Label System will be available for delivery in Q4 2009.

Zünd receives EDP-Award 2009 in category “Best wide-format finishing device”

With G3, the new generation of digital cutting systems, Zünd presented a thoroughly convincing entry for this year’s EDP Award and, for the second time, was honored with the top prize for wide-format finishing. The jury’s explanation for choosing Zünd G3: "No other cutting machine can match the flexibility and upgradeability of the G3 series with its modular tool concept. G3 is capable of processing up to 50mm/2”-thick materials, with an extensive yet simple selection of available sizes, modules, tools, and material-handling options. Designed specifically for 24/7 operation, G3 cutters offer both exceptionally solid construction and superior accuracy—a unique combination.” At the EDP award ceremony held during Grafitalia in Milan, the winners proudly accepted their prize (see photo below).

EDP (European Digital Press Association) is an association of 15 leading European trade publications dedicated to digital printing. Together they represent a readership in excess of 1 million. EDP award recipients are chosen annually by an independent jury of experts in recognition of the most outstanding innovations in digital printing during the previous year. Among many well-known contestants for the 2009 prize, Zünd has again distinguished itself as market leader in wide-format finishing.

What sets the new cutter generation G3 apart are technical as well as ecological innovations. The 2009 EDP award confirms the strength of Zünd’s vision for the future of digital cutting technology.

Further information on Zund finishing products can be found at www.zund.co.uk