Screen Printing - February/March 2013 - (Page 26)

Making the This article provides an overview of digital flatbed and laser cutting systems and highlights what’s available on the market. cut gail Flower and Ben P rosenfield . D igital imaging in the screenmaking department and wide-format inkjet printers on the production floor have enabled graphics screen printers to enter new markets and take on a wide array of jobs profitably, including prototypes and one-off pieces. But what’s available when it comes to finishing the short-run work and handling the big job runs? Let’s take a look at digital and laser cutters, two solutions for finishing graphics printed on a vast assortment of substrates and in just about any quantity. or mechanically; optical registration may be available. Loading and unloading are also commonly manual processes. Clamping and/or vacuum systems handle material hold-down. CNC routing involves removing material along a cut path as wide as the router bit being used. The process can be somewhat slow, and it produces quite a bit of dust. Options are available for dust extraction and debris removal. Add-ons for automation include tool changers, tool calibration, misting/ lubricating devices (for metal processing), and some knife attachments. What are digital cutters? Digitally controlled cutting and routing systems are available in a variety of configurations. Drum cutters, or roll-fed cutting plotters, are often best suited to kiss-cutting thin, flexible materials that have liners or backing. Selfadhesive vinyl is an example. High-end models may be equipped with optical systems for registering cutting paths to printed graphics. Another type of digitally controlled cutter is the CNC router, which is common in the sign industry. Computer numeric control (CNC) routers are geared toward straight or threedimensional cutting and ideally suited for use with rigid, dense, thick materials—wood, plastic, foam board, and non-ferrous metals, for example. CNC routers are typically equipped with 3- to 10-HP spindles and a wide range of collet sizes. Cut-to-print registration is mostly set manually 26 screenprinting regardless of which type of cutting system you choose, consider the potential for new types of business and increased profits. Flatbed cutters round out the category of digitally controlled systems. These cutters combine highspeed operation with several options for tooling and automated material handling. Flatbed cutters, also known as cutting tables or XY or XYZ cutters, feature a beam or gantry that moves along the X-axis (or length of the table), while the toolhead moves along the beam and covers the width of the table, or Y-axis. The Z-axis refers to tool or cutting depth. Toolheads and inserts can be attached singly, or in combination, for applications that require kiss-cutting/ through-cutting, cutting/creasing/scoring, cutting/routing, and other functions. These devices can process materials such as vinyl, film, paper, carton, corrugated and foam boards, multilayered materials, and all types of hard and soft plastics. Maximum substrate thickness is typically around 2 in. A networkable, integrated workstation and built-in control panel are generally included for machine operation, and a vacuum system secures materials. Fully automated operation is possible. Material-handling systems are available for roll-fed, sheet-fed, and board materials. Some models feature a combination roll-off/conveyor system and optional rewind, which allows for automatic material advancing from rolls. A conveyor belt also is an essential component of some automatic sheet- and board-loading/unloading systems. Many flatbed cutters can be equipped with advanced registration systems that involve optics or other types of hardware or software to compensate for distortions that occur with different printing methods. Linear distortion—that is, uniform shrinkage or stretch—and non-uniform distortion, which occurs when different areas of

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Screen Printing - February/March 2013

Screen Printing - February/march 2013
Contents
Editorial Insights
New Products
Increasing Your Profit
Image Enhancement: Better Files, Cost Savings
Prime Prints
P-O-P Primer
Making the Cut
Shoptalk
Industry Update
Distributor/Dealer Directory
Opportunity Exchange
Advertising Index

Screen Printing - February/March 2013

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