To retain an equilibrium and protect the business against fluctuations, Projects & Print devised a business strategy to maintain an equal balance between the print, signage and PoS markets. Five years after the company started the Kings Langley company has invested in a heavy duty router, an Anapurna direct-to-substrate Digital Printer and a DYSS X7 Digital Cutter from AG/CAD to enhance growth for each of its business divisions.
The arrival of the DYSS X7-1630C in February comes shortly after the arrival of a 2.5m wide Anapurna printer. Commenting upon the acquisitions, Projects & Print Commercial Director, Mr Chris Parker says: "We bought the Anapurna as it has the option of roll feeding as well as handling rigid sheets, which is ideal for the 12m long mesh banners we produce for Network Rail. Furthermore, we print a lot of 50m rolls that require subsequent cutting. These rolls would take two members of staff four hours to cut and with our roll print quantities, this would see two men permanently deployed to hand cutting banners. This is why we bought the DYSS."
The DYSS X7-1630C purchase has immediately eliminated the permanent two-man manual cutting operation, reduced labour input and the subsequent bottleneck that was also the result of manual cutting. The 50m rolls can now be cut by the 3m by 1.6m (10’x5’) DYSS in 20 minutes with just one machine operator, as opposed to two members of staff taking four hours. The result for Project & Print is reduced overheads, the deployment of staff to other tasks and faster throughput.
It was a simple decision according to Mr Parker: "We looked at every machine, but it was the DYSS that impressed us for processing 50m long rolls. The DYSS has clamps that traverse along the bed on the gantry of the machine. After processing each section, the clamps automatically grip the material and the machine conveyor then pulls the roll forward very accurately for the next section to be processed. To ensure each consequent cut from the roll retains its precision, we print registration marks along the entire length of the roll. The K-Cut Vision system on the DYSS automatically locates these datum positions and cuts every sheet from the 50m roll with amazing precision. This proves invaluable for the hotel wallpaper we manufacture."
Not only was the roll feeding a major advantage of the DYSS, as Mr Parker continues: "We cut everything from Foamex, DIBOND, Kappa, Vinyl, DISPA, Corian fluted board, acrylic and much more. However, one material we struggled to cut with precision and a decent edge finish was Foamex PVC from 3 to 5mm thick. We asked the leading cutting table suppliers to demonstrate how well their machines could cut the material. Again, the combination of the DYSS machine and the expertise of the AG/CAD team, made the DYSS the only machine that could cut thick foamex at speed with precision and an impeccable edge finish."
The North London company now uses the DYSS machine across all three of its business divisions. The DYSS X7 is applied to cutting print work that the company conducts for Network Rail, BP and Costa Coffee; it is also utilised for PoS work that includes display units for Samsung, Curry's and other white goods sales outlets. Furthermore, the DYSS has been utilised for creating acrylic signage for hotel chains. It is here that the robust nature of the machine has impressed Projects & Print. As Mr Parker says: "Our Tekcel dedicated CNC router is used for heavy duty cutting of MDF and Corian - a man made stone. This machine has a huge 9kW spindle designed for really tough materials. However, when it has been overloaded with work, we have used the DYSS to cut the 12mm thick Corian. The DYSS cuts Corian in three passes but at a much higher rpm and feed rate. This makes the DYSS faster on difficult materials than the dedicated CNC router. Above all, it demonstrates the build quality and rigidity of the DYSS."
"The DYSS has been a game-changer for us. It has slashed throughput times and eliminated bottlenecks, it has reduced labour requirements, improved precision and edge quality. Added to this, the DYSS has given us the ability to take on new work that we would have previously have turned away. For example, the high specification DYSS permits the cutting and folding of complex forms and geometries that would have been impossible to do by hand or on the CNC. In fact, we have rapidly increased our turnover by 25%, which is largely down to the DYSS X7 machine. The impact of the DYSS has led us to start a new business called 'Projects & Signs' and we are also looking at cardboard engineering projects, the potential is almost endless," concludes Mr Parker.