Cutting tables are a must-have accessory for a flatbed UV printer but does it make economic sense to plump for an attractively priced import?
Sooner or later most people who buy a flatbed printer also find that they need a cutting table, if only to cut down the large rigid boards to more manageable sizes. But, inevitably, most budget for the printer and look to save money on the cutting table. Step forward the Dyss X7, a solid but affordable cutter that’s been pitched as an alternative to the main suppliers.
One happy customer is PS2 Print, based in Runcorn. This company started off as a commercial printer with litho and digital print but has invested in large-format over the past seven years and plans to grow this side of the business further. Initially the company started with roll-fed printers but bought its first flatbed last year, an Océ Arizona 360 GT. Managing director Simon Langford says: “We realised fairly quickly that we needed a cutter to complete our work.”
So last summer the company bought a Dyss X7. Langford says: “It’s become priceless to us because when you are printing to large 8x4 sheets you need to get them cut down. So it's been a good investment.”
Today large-format accounts for roughly £450,000, about 20% of PS2 Print's turnover. But Langford says that the plan is to invest and grow the business over the next four years, with much of the growth coming from large-format.
The X7 is an integral part of these plans, running non-stop for six to eight hours a day. PS2 Print has used it for a variety of work including signage, POS and short run boxes. It has also been used to create display boxes out of e-flute board.
Langford says: “We are doing more posters now because we are more competitive cost wise. We do it on the printer overnight and then put the roll on the cutter and cut it during the day.”
PS2 Print has also been able to develop other products as a result of having the cutter. Thus the company makes promotional boxes for notepads out of 100mm e-flute board, with the notepaper printed via its litho press. The company also prints photographs to acrylic, using the X7 to cut the items down and to round off the edges. It's also used to produce mock-ups, such as one for a counter-top display that dispenses electronic cigarettes.
Naturally Langford looked at other cutting tables but he says the X7 was a good price, adding: “In my opinion the software that came with it is very good and we bought that as a package.” PS2 Print opted for five tools: an oscillating knife, drag knife, router, kiss cut tool and creaser. The head will hold two tools at once such as a cutter and a creaser. Langford says it’s easy to change from one tool to another so that there's no need to gang jobs up according to the tools in use. There is a service contract, which Langford describes as “expensive but invaluable.”
Flexpress, based in Birstall, Leicester, has also come from a litho and digital print background, but has turned to large- format printing to expand the business. Managing director Steve Wenlock says that the company has been an Océ customer for a long time, adding: “We decided that we wanted to move into the large-format arena in a bigger way so we put in an Arizona.”
Wenlock realised that he would need a cutting table to go with the Arizona but felt that Océ’s own solution - the ProCut, which is a rebadged Zund - was too expensive. Instead the company turned to AGCad for the Dyss X7, buying this complete with Kasemake software. Wenlock says that this comes with plenty of templates so it’s very versatile. He continues: “We bought the full set of options to give us the ability to handle any of our customers’ applications.”
It’s used for general work including cutting and creasing and Flexpress is able to handle more foamex panels than before, with Wenlock noting: “We have cut-out roller banners because it’s more accurate than using a slitter.” He adds: “We started from nothing and we haven’t really found our niche with it because we are still doing a wide variety of work with it but then we set out to be a one-stop shop so we take on anything challenging that anyone gives us.”
Flexpress has had the X7 for 18 months now. Wenlock says that it doesn’t need much maintenance but the company has a service contract for peace of mind. He says: “It’s a solid machine and it’s well built and that’s one of the reasons why we bought it in the first place.”
Flexpress has only had one issue that AGCad struggled with, which was fixed quickly once Dyss got involved, giving Wenlock the confidence that any further issues can be dealt with: “My only concern when I was putting it in was the support but that was a good decision.”
However, Wenlock does say that there’s been quite a learning curve because of the wide variety of materials that it can handle, noting: “The training was very good in actually using the equipment but there are so many different varieties of materials that working out what materials to cut,at what speed, and with which routing head to use is a bit of a minefield.” But Flexpress has been able to turn to both AGCad and the routing tool manufacturers for advice.
Wenlock says that the combination of the Arizona and the X7 cutter is a growing part of the business, concluding: “And it’s profitable, so I have no regrets in buying either piece of equipment.”
About the product
Although many customers are attracted by the price (£60,000 to £120,000 depending both on the size of the table and the number of options) the X7 cutting tables are far from being entry-level machines. There are several sizes available, taking maximum sheet sizes from 1350 x 3090mm up to 3350 x 3400mm. (There’s also a smaller series, the X5.)
There’s a range of tools available including routing and various knives as well as a camera registration system. There are two head options, with the Triple Head taking three tools while the Super Head holds two tools and a 1Kw router. They’re said to be suitable for most rigid substrates including acrylic, foam board and plastic corrugated, and for flexible media such as flags, posters and self-adhesive decals.
There’s an automatic roll feeder and conveyor system and options include an extension conveyor and an automatic feeder for stacked sheets.
Dyss itself hails from South Korea and has built its reputation selling flatbed and roll-fed printers. The cutters are sold in the UK by AGCad, which has paired them with its own Kasemake software (£5,000) for designing packaging, display boxes and signs.
Alternatives
The main alternatives are the Kongsberg series from Esko and the G3 from Zund, both of which are more expensive.
ESKO
Esko makes several versions of the Kongsberg, including the XN, which we featured in the December 2013 issue. There’s also the high production XP range and a highly automated XPA that’s been designed for 24/7 production. This has an autoloader and can be left unattended overnight.
Esko also recently introduced the new C-series, which uses a carbon composite traverse bar for greater stability over wider areas. It also comes with a 3kW milling unit and an optional roll-feeder.
ZUND
Zund’s main focus is the G3 series, which can handle both roll-fed and rigid media up to 50mm thick. The tables range in size from 227 x 160cm up to 320 x 320cm. There’s a wide range of tools, including creasing, drawing and punching as well as various knives and a router. The tables will take up to three tool holder modules at once so there’s no need to keep changing tools over.
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