blanket cutter

[prepressguru]

We wish to add a automated blanket cutter to our workflow. The option our supplier has is for a 40" press. We are only a 29" shop so we feel this would be a waste of material.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[Vee]

Re: blanket cutter

You can get one for a 29" press.
We ran a newsletter every month for 7+ years - 30m - 2/2 - 8pgs - w/ die cut.

We ran it on a straight 4c Heidelberg 29" PM74
Black and Green on the first 2 units - the die cut / blanket cutter mounted on unit #4.
I'm not sure who the vendor was for the blanket - let me know if you'd like me to find out.
Vee

EDIT: we also ran the same set up on a 19x25 press

Edited by: Vee on Jul 11, 2008 8:55 AM

 

[rich apollo]

Re: blanket cutter

Are you trying to run spot coating?

 

[prepressguru]

Re: blanket cutter

Yes we wish to do spot coating, we plan to hook it into our prepress workflow, so when the spots are created we image directly to the blanket cutter.

Vee your setup sounds very similar to what we need. Any info would be appreciated?

Thanks

 

[John W]

Re: blanket cutter

We considered this too but the clamping system (and bars) for the coater unit on our 40" press are of useless design so the cut blanket is nearly impossible to register to the work when the cuts are intricate.
Our prepress has devised a system to print keylines on the job that allow for hand cutting at press and in some cases honing off while in other cases, it's outside the die area.

John W

 

[Vee]

Re: blanket cutter

I think I misunderstand your intent, but at any rate - here is the vendor we were using to do on press cutting.

http://www.hsboyd.com/

 

[jlind]

Re: blanket cutter

Guru:
I think Gerber makes a file driven blanket cutter for this purpose. It was up for a GATF Intertech award a few years back. HSBoyd has a solution too, I think it came out of Switzerland.
John Lind
Cranberry Township, PA
724-776-4718

 

[rich apollo]

Re: blanket cutter

Gerber has been the only game in town that I'm aware of for computer driven cutting devices for…well forever. The Sector is their product for blanket cutting. The only real downside is that the blanket material was 2 or 3 times what I was paying for coating blankets when I was looking into it.

http://www.gerberinnovations.com/Sector/sector.html

 

[prepressguru]

Re: blanket cutter

Thanks for all the input. It will give us a starting point.

You gotta love the printing biz, where else can you find both low tech (hand cutting) and high tech (computer cutting) solutions.


Thanks

 

[[email protected]]

Re: blanket cutter

The cutting of varnish blankets with a Kongsberg table from EskoArtwork is an established practice. For more information, check out [http://www.esko.com/web/site.aspx?p=195].

 

[Ted S]

Kongsberg XE10

Kongsberg XE10

We've only had our Kongsberg XE10 a couple weeks and its been great for sample making... We attempt to kisscut the 41" x 31.25" rubber coating blanket with the Varicut tool and T16 blade and wish to peel 70+ pieces off. But the thick blanket doesn't lay perfectly flat so when the Varicut head skims the surface its friction in high spots throws the head unit out of vertical. This seems to throw off the knife lag which creates gaps in corners. And its broken two blades already.
I've heard that some XL table users use a tool with a pizza cutter style blade and some make two cutting passes. Should we be using a different tool, different blade and/or cutting method?

Ted

 

[Ted S]

#10A blades fit the XE10?

#10A blades fit the XE10?

For cutting blankets and prototypes...
Do the Swann-Morton #10A blades fit the XE10 Varicut and Standard Knife tools (no adapter?)?

Someone running the XL table said they use this blade in their Micro-cut tool and after taking blanket reading they remove the floating head cover so it doesn't drag surface. ???

 

[Vee]

Ted,
Nice to see you on PrintPlanet, I'm in the front conf room #1!
Good luck with your question.
Vee