Only a few companies in the printing industry have the vertical integration to be able to cover everything from raw material procurement through several production stages to saleable products in the B-to-C market. There is usually one manufacturer of films and papers, one coater or printer and then many converters. The "labels" application in particular is so diverse that there are countless medium-sized converters.
While the film manufacturer often only offers a few basic materials and the variance of the products is mainly based on their thickness or coloring, the final applications are extremely varied and diverse. Labels are used, for example, as markings on bottles, as seals on packaging, for machine marking and as an affixed product description on flexible packaging.
Well-positioned companies can always offer the optimum production technology with the help of different production techniques. This allows them to offer their customers and themselves added value.
The classic rectangular die-cut part (label) can be produced comparatively cheaply and in large quantities with the help of stroke die-cutters. Rotary die-cutters are also used for even larger quantities. Their main advantage is the continuous and therefore fast die-cutting process.
Sometimes it's just a matter of separating multiple uses or visual inspection. In this case, low-cost Cutting machines with web edge control and rewinding systems that transport the goods past an inspection station.
Cutting plotters are primarily used where smaller quantities are required for high-quality products. In other words, for products where the production costs make up a small proportion of the end product price. Another application is the use of a cutting plotter when other die-cutting techniques would be too expensive. This mainly concerns component contours that would be difficult or impossible to produce using die-cutting tools.
Similar to the possibilities offered by the reciprocating and rotary die-cutter, the cutting plotter can also be used to integrate folded edges, perforations and deliberate material weakening into the cutting process. This makes it easier to fold the finished molded parts, for example. A combination of die-cutting and through-die-cutting is also possible.
The great advantage of a cutting plotter also lies in its fully digital mode of operation. The production system itself is only required in the very last step - until then, the design, all necessary changes in the development process and the transfer to the executing department can be mapped digitally. For medium-sized service providers in particular, this has the advantage that their customers are responsible for almost the entire product development process. This means that the service provider is only responsible for the correct execution of the cutting and die-cutting work.
What applies to a cutting plotter with a knife is of course also true for a laser cutter: the non-contact light beam of a laser works like a cutting plotter. It follows a digital program. To put it simply, you could also say that laser cutters and cutting plotters are output devices comparable to a printer in the office sector.
The machines and systems from CMC Maschinenbau are based on this idea: to design the operation so efficiently that they can be operated by as many employees as possible without a long training phase. This starts with the "simple" EASYline and PROFIline cutting and die-cutting systems. The machines have a practical design and operation is simplified to such an extent that the operator can concentrate on the job itself.
The Flatbed plotter from iEcho, which can cut films, paper and other products with a thickness of between a few µm and several millimetres with great precision, are designed to be able to work productively shortly after installation - without the designer having to learn serious new working methods at the CAD workstation. The operator of the devices, also known as "flat die-cuts", is also supported by user guidance and can operate iEcho plotters after a short training period. The numerous tool inserts mean that there are virtually no limits to the materials that can be processed.
Non-contact work and the ability to score or cut almost any material is the specialty of lasers from Golden Laser. In addition to marking and engraving (partial ablation), the applications of these laser systems primarily include the very fast processing of roll goods. The light beam can follow almost any given contour and can be changed to new shapes at lightning speed during the machining process.
A medium-sized cutting and die-cutting center or a company that produces many different labels and die-cuted parts can use the systems from CMC Maschinenbau to perform almost any task its customers set it. Thanks to the comparatively inexpensive systems, the technical possibilities can be considerably expanded in this way without exorbitant investments - either in the direction of smaller or larger quantities or even towards specialization in demanding tasks that are difficult for mass producers to implement.
Mechanical reciprocating and rotary die-cutters, fast, precise cutting systems and the largely digital and therefore very fast job processing of cutting plotters and laser cutters - cleverly used, these systems from CMC Maschinenbau open up new areas of business and bind regular customers to the company through even better service.
Flexibility is the trump card