Hardware - Print Finishing

SignPro Systems, a wayfinding and architectural signage division of the Orbus Exhibit & Display Group, has introduced a new signage and display solution, the Illuminated Collapsible Tower.

This cost-effective, double-sided, free-standing tower features a sturdy construction and stylish design. The tower is available in 24” and 33” widths both at a height of 72”. Both sizes include two bubble graphics that are held under tension in a curved, convex position.

The Collapsible Tower offers silver or black upright options as well as a lighting kit to turn the tower into a standing lightbox. Thanks to its new two-part upright the tower collapses and can be easily stored and transported in a durable wheeled case (OCP case).

“The Collapsible Towers provide an illuminated display option that is portable, tradeshow-friendly and easy to assemble,” said Julien Aiglon, SignPro Systems Divison Manager.

 

Drytac Europe Ltd has been named the exclusive supplier of INGLET vertical saws and cutters in the UK and Ireland.

The cutters are unique in their ability to cut substrates up to 22mm thick and 305cm high and are renowned for their superior cutting ability, allowing the user to cut a variety of substrates to a professional standard.

“I’m delighted that INGLET has chosen Drytac Europe Ltd as their sole supplier in the UK and Ireland” says sales director, Steve Broad.  “Offering a wide range of top-quality products is integral to our strategy and we look forward to a fruitful relationship with INGLET.  The INGLET cutters allow the user to execute projects accurately and professionally and are a perfect addition to our current range of finishing solutions.”

This new range of cutters is designed to make easy work of MDF, hardboard, acrylic, rigid PVCs, aluminium composite boards such as Dibond and many other types of substrates.  With the addition of the pneumatic cutter, foam board and card stock can also be easily trimmed down.  The machine is available in four sizes, all of which use the same circular saw design, making it easy to handle and giving a smooth clean cut for even the toughest of substrates.

Demonstrations can be booked at Drytac’s Bristol office.

Qwerty Ltd, a leading supplier of point of sale materials to the FMCG marketplace, has purchased a Zünd G3 flatbed to help drive its business forward.  Originally formed in 1986, Qwerty has grown from a husband and wife team into a multi-disciplined business employing 10 in-house designers at its premises in Theale, Berkshire. 

Over the last four years, Qwerty has increasingly moved away from litho presses and has made a significant investment in digital and large format printers.  The new Zünd G3 enables Qwerty to bring all print finishing in-house thus ensuring the quality and speed of work.  As Gary Waters, Director of Qwerty explains, “When we installed our first large format printer, we created a bottleneck in production in the finishing of the product.  Our options were to cut and finish by hand or to send the product to an outside finisher.  The Zünd G3 has enabled us to release the bottleneck and has increased our productivity.  The time taken finishing each job has been reduced and our staff have been freed up to complete other tasks.  We have made savings in overtime costs as well as production costs.”

Another benefit of bringing print finishing in-house is the flexibility it provides to the whole Qwerty team.  Qwerty produces a lot of mock ups and short-run, quick turnaround items and the Zünd G3 has made the team of in-house designers able to feel more confident in being adventurous and pushing the boundaries of print for Qwerty’s clients. 

Qwerty’s Zünd G3 kit also includes the CTT1 Creasing Wheel, the CTT2 Creasing set and the POT40va Pneumatic oscillating tool.  This turns the Zünd G3 into an extremely flexible machine able to cut crease and score a multitude of materials.  So far it has proved useful in a wide range of scenarios including digital and litho work, signage, point of sale, cardboard engineering and bespoke boxes for kitting jobs.  Qwerty is also confident that it can add further functionality to the Zünd as and when required in the future.

When making the decision to purchase the Zünd G3 cutter, a number of factors were taken into consideration.

Waters adds, “We looked at the whole range of digital cutters and our decision to purchase the Zund was based upon more than just Zünd’s superior productivity levels.  We also considered the ease of use of the software application for our team of in-house designers and the Zünd software was outstanding.”

Qwerty is looking forward to a very exciting future. Investment in digital processes has allowed the company to be at the forefront of technology and able to meet customer demands for speed and quality.  Qwerty’s new Zünd G3 cutter means that all work can be planned, designed and produced in-house to the highest standard.

Sales Director of Zünd UK, Peter Giddings comments, “Qwerty Ltd is the perfect example of why the Zünd G3 is a market leader in digital cutting solutions. The flexibility of the cutting module system means that they can employ a wide range of cutting and finishing solutions in one machine, with one footprint and one software workflow.”

[photo shows Gary Waters, MD of Qwerty Ltd]

Forsstrom, a leading Swedish manufacturer of high-frequency welding equipment, and Zund have announced a global co-operation strategy to broaden their business knowledge and sales networks. The co-operation between the industry giants will enable their customers to purchase a truly tailor-made solution for both digital cutting and high frequency welding.

Zund UK has now become the UK distributor and service provider for Forsstrom high frequency welders, bringing full cover and support for the entire solution.  Peter Giddings, sales director of Zund UK explains, “In the UK, we’ve seen a few collaborations over the past few months with resellers working together and manufacturers choosing to work with synergic partners. In print finishing and especially with textiles and banners, we’ve found that the backlog resulting from the speed and efficiencies of the Zund G3 cutters is now in the final finishing i.e. hemming and welding, so this new alliance makes complete sense and will be welcomed by our customers. With this new agreement we can eliminate entirely the old bottlenecks and deliver a full and holistic finishing solution to meet the high standards expected at this professional level.”

Zund UK will have Forsstrom high frequency welding solutions in their UK showroom for demonstration from early November. Forsstrom welders are used in a wide variety of markets to produce a huge range of products including truck and boat covers, tarps, tents, structures, sunshades, pool liners, billboards, inflatable products, liquid tanks, stretch ceilings, valve membranes and oil booms. Both Zund and Forsstrom are privately owned businesses and this means they can place high emphasis on performance, quality and safety issues; factors which continue to contribute to both companies’ success today.

Giddings continues, “Few other specialist welding companies offer as much choice as Forsstrom. For them, like us, the quality standards, speed and safety is prevalent in all of their machines. What they have done is create a range that will suit your business needs; so depending on the size of your organisation, how much you need to put through the machine, the types of materials you are working with and the degree of automation you are looking for will determine which machine is best for you. All of these products with full information will be available on our website from mid-November.”

High Frequency welding offers a solution that is different to sewing, gluing, wedge or hot air welding in so much as it will weld almost any material you throw at it quicker, stronger and with no environmental issues. HF is faster than traditional methods and produces a more durable and more uniform weld. It also produces a much stronger weld than glue, which is important because burst seams can cause glued billboards to fall down in strong winds, resulting in personal injury. In addition, HF welding does not discharge any gases and consumes less energy, which is better for the environment and of course saves money.

When compared with sewing, HF welding really does take the lead. Materials joined with a sewing machine are neither air-tight nor waterproof, which are often mandatory requirements for products like tents or products that are designed to be filled with air or water. When a sewn joint is stressed, the load is put on the thread holding the joined material together. However, when an HF-welded seam is stressed, the load is absorbed by the material surfaces, which of course means that the HF-welded seam is stronger. Furthermore, the seam created with HF can be welded in a manner that provides a uniform transition without splices between the joined materials. There is no space through which dirt, moisture or bacteria can penetrate and impair the product’s strength and durability.

For more information, please visit www.forsstrom.com or to book a demonstration, please email sales@zund.co.uk

EskoArtwork will demonstrate a comprehensive portfolio of end-to-end workflow and digital finishing solutions at booth 2433 during SGIA Expo 2011, October 19-21, in New Orleans, LA.  Solutions to be demonstrated include the Kongsberg i-XP 24, the Kongsberg i-XL 24, and the Kongsberg i-XE 10 Auto finishing systems.

Workstations will offer demonstrations of i-cut Suite, a collection of pre-production tools that streamlines the workflow for narrow format and large-format printers alike, from prepress to finished product — highlighting new automated capabilities offered by i-cut Automate.

i-cut Automate helps complete the i-cut Suite workflow

i-cut Suite offers companies that drive narrow or large format digital printers and/or digital finishing systems professional tools to streamline their workflows — the first workflow offered sign & display shops a complete, integrated solution. Introduced in 2010, the i-cut Suite has seen rapid popularity throughout the world.

Launched at SGIA Expo 2011 is i-cut Automate the latest addition to i-cut Suite, built on EskoArtwork's highly successful Automation Engine.  i-cut Automate ties the pieces of the i-cut Suite together, automating the entire production process from design to print to cut. Users can build dynamic workflows that will automate repetitive prepress tasks, thereby enhancing productivity, reducing operator intervention and errors, and saving valuable time, money and materials in the production process.

i-cut Suite components include:

• i-cut Preflight handles efficient preflighting and editing of incoming PDF files, ensuring that jobs will RIP and print correctly. It also lets users make any corrections working within the PDF file.
• i-cut Layout is a module for interactively building and editing sheet layouts, ensuring that jobs are set up to make the optimum use of the substrate through intelligent true shape nesting and tiling. It also enables file preparation for printing, through adding grommet marks, and creating cut paths and bleeds.
• i-cut Vision Pro makes sure that die-less cutting contours match printed images perfectly. Often, slight distortions between printed graphics and contour cut may cause unacceptable results. i-cut Vision Pro registers the actual dimensions and positions on the printed result. Then, finishing is adapted to the shape of the graphics. Added to i-cut Vision Pro earlier in the year was patent-pending Adaptive Registration, a feature that intelligently reduces the number of registration marks read throughout production, increasing productivity without sacrificing accuracy.  Another new feature is the ability to automatically eliminate overcuts in sensitive materials such as foam, Reboard and PSA film, by cutting away from inside corners.

With i-cut Automate, all of these functions can be automated in a single workflow, with less operator intervention required and fewer potential manual errors. Through Mac or PC based clients, operators can easily monitor the workflow and interact when necessary through a comprehensive checkpoint. Repetitive tasks are far less time-consuming through dynamic workflows that are easy to set up and operate in a client-server environment. i-cut Automate can also be integrated with Management Information Systems, enabling automatic job creation and the submission of job parameters to the workflow via XML data.

Users with more specific requirements can easily add supplementary modules: a structural design module to allow integration with all standard structural design programs; a graphics preparation module to create the cutting contour on both vector files and images; and a true shape nesting module offering a powerful, true shape nesting solution, particularly for irregular shapes.

The Kongsberg i-XP24: the world’s fastest digital finishing system

On display at SGIA is the Kongsberg i-XP 24, the world’s fastest digital finishing system. The i-XP helps turn short-run POP / POS displays work into profitable, value added jobs, helping sign and display shops offer their customers on-demand production with just-in-time delivery. The Kongsberg i-XP series provides a fast, flexible and highly reliable solution for short run production.  With a maximum working area of 87”x126” and a maximum speed of 66” ips (inches per second), the i-XP series can convert a wide range of board, sheet and roll materials. Demonstrated at SGIA is an optional conveyor extension is available that can work with rolls or sheets/boards with an Auto-Feeder with scissor-lift and transfer cart system, expanding the quantity of print runs that can be pre-stacked. The seamless workflow no longer requires an operator to restack or transfer materials.

Kongsberg i-XL 24: Perfect for signs and displays

The Kongsberg i-XL 24, the workhorse of the product line and best-selling Kongsberg finishing system among sign and display companies, offers a comprehensive finishing solution for the widest range of materials, providing automation, high productivity and outstanding precision. The i-XL family, with a maximum material size of 87” x 120”, can also be delivered with an optional conveyor extension, along with the Auto-Feeder and scissor-lift system.

Kongsberg i-XE 10 Auto digital finishing system

AT SGIA, the Kongsberg i-XE 10 Auto is equipped with a fully automated sheet feeder and off load stacker, specifically designed for finishing small-format, prototype, sample and short-run digital printed materials – rolls or sheets can be processed. The sheet feeder system automatically loads and places printed materials on the table. The ‘Pick and Place’ automated stacker enables non-stop sorting, neatly stacking finished pieces. The system also automatically separates waste from the finished items. As a result, the machine can run virtually unattended, delivering significant savings on man-hours. The Kongsberg i-XE10 Auto opens opportunities for creative, new applications with irregular shapes or finishing structures. It can handle a maximum sheet size of 35” x 47” at a maximum speed of 52.5 ips.

Kongsberg tables on display at partner booths

EskoArtwork partners Agfa Graphics (booths 935, 945) and HP (booth 919) will both demonstrate complete print and finishing solutions. Agfa Graphics will exhibit the Kongsberg i-XL24 finishing system, while HP will operate the Kongsberg i-XP24 finishing system.

“The best way to add value — and margins — to a sign or display business is to offer 3D capabilities,” comments Bill Hartman, EskoArtwork Vice President, Sign & Display Solutions. “Exciting opportunities are becoming available for companies wiling to invest in workflow systems that offer some of the designing, printing and cutting steps that are unique to us. These software solutions let print providers get to grips with understanding the steps needed for a workflow. And a starter system needn’t break the bank, nor disrupt the production process.  On the contrary, they can add exceptional productivity efficiencies, from the designer’s workstation all the way through to the finishing table. It gets even better with the option to fully automate the process. The future for workflows in sign and display companies is certainly gaining momentum.”

For more information about EskoArtwork Sign & Display products, please visit http://www.esko.com/SignandDisplay

 

Drytac has added the JM55Fuzion to its successful line of film laminators.  The new product has many of the features of the JM63Pro, but in a two-part construction and at a lower price point.
 
The JM55 Fuzion will come equipped with five shafts, two supply, two take ups, and a rear rewind; a heat assist top roller is standard.  The Fuzion is perfect for laminating vehicle wraps, window decals, and mounting graphics to substrates.
 
"The market was screaming for an economic laminator that could laminate roll to roll without skewing," says Jerry Hill, Drytac VP of Sales and Marketing.  "JM55 Fuzion is the answer."
 
Drytac will be offering onsite demonstrations at the upcoming SGIA show in New Orleans at booth number 1631.

Drytac is a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of mounting, laminating, framing and finishing materials and equipment. Its display division also offers an extensive range of banner stands and portable displays. For more information about the portable display line or how to become a Drytac banner stand dealer, visit www.drytac.com.