opinions on DUPLO Docucutter DC-545 ?

[RafalWM]

I'm thinking of getting a used DUPLO Docucutter DC-545. Is it worth considering or are there better units in its price range?

 

[GWSALES]

I'm thinking of getting a used DUPLO Docucutter DC-545. Is it worth considering or are there better units in its price range?

Restricton are very slow and only crease up to 12pt. They are great units if you don't have a cutter and need to crease and cut at the same time. If you only need to Crease or perf there are several other machines that will do thicker paper alot faster. Graphic Whizard - Products - Creasing/Impact Scoring Systems - CreaseMaster PLUS

 

[RafalWM]

I'm looking for a unit that will cut flyers etc, but also be able to do business cards. From what the guy told me at duplo, it looks like the DC-545 can handle a bit thicker stock than in the specs, but the knives might have to be replaced a bit sooner than normal.
anyway, I'll have a look at the link you gave me too

 

[GWSALES]

I'm looking for a unit that will cut flyers etc, but also be able to do business cards. From what the guy told me at duplo, it looks like the DC-545 can handle a bit thicker stock than in the specs, but the knives might have to be replaced a bit sooner than normal.
anyway, I'll have a look at the link you gave me too

Be carefull buying a machine to run beyond specs, you will never be able to hold a sales rep to his quote when the printed literature clearly states the specs. For your application the duplo is the only unit proven to do just this, programable crease and cut down to finished size if you do not want to use a cutter. Consider the fact that you could buy a good creaser and a very nice cutter for much less than the 40k+ price of the duplo.

 

[RafalWM]

Consider the fact that you could buy a good creaser and a very nice cutter for much less than the 40k+ price of the duplo.

could you recommend some units? Especially for cutting

 

[GWSALES]

could you recommend some units? Especially for cutting

A good small business cutter, would be a 5550 EP. It is programable and has adjustable Hydraulic clamp up to 3800psi. Triumph 5550ep

 

[RafalWM]

I checked this out but it's not really what I'm looking for. I have a large guilotine here, although it doesn't have a programmer, which would come in handy.
The thing is, with digital print I'm also concerned that the printer can move the print around on the sheet a little. Usually this is hardly noticable, but there are times when you cut out thin pieces from a sheet and they're just not right. The Duplo can register each sheet seperately and start the cutting from that point.

 

[Craig]

Ask about the productivity drop when the duplo registers the sheet on the "fly". You could almost cut them by hand with scissors faster.

 

[RafalWM]

Ask about the productivity drop when the duplo registers the sheet on the "fly". You could almost cut them by hand with scissors faster.

good point

I'll probably just stick to my guillotine for now unless somebody has another machine they can recommend?

 

[Alex@Challenge]

How much cutting will you be performing (hours per day)? As Craig mentioned, adding the trimming on the Duplo unit may slow its productivity to the point where it does not become feasible. In that case, a lower-cost creaser and cutter will most definitely outproduce an all-in-one solution.

If your cutting requirements are under 2 hours per day, I can recommend our Spartan 185 AEP programmable cutter. It is capable of off-loading some of your shorter-run trimming from the larger guillotine you already have. If you think you will be cutting more than 2 hours per day, then I would think you should call different manufacturers to determine an appropriate-sized guillotine (such as our 23" - Titan 230 or Titan 265XG). Be sure to compare features between manufacturers, as well as long-term resale value for a true ROI analysis.

http://www.challengemachinery.com/products/titan230_video.htm
http://www.challengemachinery.com/products/spartan185.htm

Hope that helps!

 

[RafalWM]

How much cutting will you be performing (hours per day)? As Craig mentioned, adding the trimming on the Duplo unit may slow its productivity to the point where it does not become feasible. In that case, a lower-cost creaser and cutter will most definitely outproduce an all-in-one solution.

If your cutting requirements are under 2 hours per day, I can recommend our Spartan 185 AEP programmable cutter. It is capable of off-loading some of your shorter-run trimming from the larger guillotine you already have. If you think you will be cutting more than 2 hours per day, then I would think you should call different manufacturers to determine an appropriate-sized guillotine (such as our 23" - Titan 230 or Titan 265XG). Be sure to compare features between manufacturers, as well as long-term resale value for a true ROI analysis.

Titan 230
Spartan 185

Hope that helps!

well it's hard to say, because right now all the cutting on the big guillotine ranges from 3-6 hours a day. The duplo (or other) unit would take off some of that time from the big machine.

 

[Alex@Challenge]

That being the case, I would recommend the Titan 230. It will allow you to efficiently handle the largest digital sheet sizes that you can run through most creasers, has an ample clamp opening, is a true hydraulic clamp and cut, and is sold and serviced through an established, factory-trained, and reliable dealer network.

If you have any other questions or concerns, let us know!

 

[lfelton]

Well the Titan 230 looks like a really nice small guillotine, but it's not an "all in one" machine like the Duplo. Is the 545 the old version? I went to see a DC-645 last year, so possibly that's the newer one. I thought that it was a fantastic little machine and can go up to a reasonable sheet weight (350gsm), but it wasn't for us. The cut can be a little bit rough (i.e. you can get a few fibres showing and some paper dust) in certain directions. That really is fine for most applications, but one of the things we wanted to use it for was to cut business cards, and I didn't feel the finish was quite good enough for that.

Like Craig says, when using the magic eye to adjust sheet by sheet for registration, it's really sloooow. But let's get real, if you can afford to buy a DC-645 then you can afford to buy a decent digital printer with consistent registration. I suggested to Duplo that they were solving a problem that existed several years ago and they should just get rid of it and reduce the cost of the machine.

Where it's really good (and very popular) is for POD of greetings cards and similar and if I had products in that area, I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

BTW, if you just want to speed up your guillotine work AND you have 3-phase AND you have the space, then get a new Polar (not the baby 66 one) or similar. If you haven't seen a modern Polar in operation, it will be quite a surprise for you. The blade and back fence operate SO much faster than a small guillotine.

 

[Alex@Challenge]

Going form a used DC-545 to a new POLAR cutter...hmm...quite a jump there! I could have also recommended our gear-driven guillotines for that scenario, but it would be overkill (to be blunt).

There's plenty of information in these posts. The first thing you need to do is figure out what you wish to accomplish (reduce labor hours cutting smaller digital products or renovate your cutting procedure). Next, plan on a budget amount and stick to it! Thirdly, make sure that whatever you do, you have local support for your product - not someone that has to jump a first-class flight in to replace a $5,000 board.

Lfenton - good luck trying to get DUPLO to listen to your suggestions! I've been down that road before...

 

[RafalWM]

thanks for all the input. I'm still trying to figure out where to go with this. Another guillotine is not really what I'm looking for, but I found a company that makes programmators for older models. This could be good, but I'm still waiting for them to reply if they can install one on my unit.
I'm still considering the Duplo however because a lot of the work I do consists of short run invitations, restaurant menus and so on, that need to be cut and creased.

 

[NTXSOL]

Used Duplo 545

Used Duplo 545

We have a used Duplo that we have in our shop. We are not using it anymore and are willing to let it go at a very reasonable price so let me know if you are interested in pursuing the Duplo option. It is a finicky little machine and I wouldnt use our model to crease much on the heavier stocks. We got a cheap Count EZ Creaser off ebay a while back and use our guillotine for all of our cutting and creasing needs now. If it will run your paper then it will be fine for cutting though and its definitely a handy machine.

 

[NTXSOL]

Business cards

Business cards

If you are looking for a good solution for quick business cards you may be to find a used cheap therm-o-type machine on ebay or craigslist and they would definitely save you time and allow you to keep your guillotine for all the other jobs. Our Count EZ Creaser comes in quite handy as well if you dont mind the fact that it does not have a built in job memory and you need to setup each job before you run the machine. Setting up the EZ Creaser is quick and easy however. For short run jobs the Duplo comes in very handy but as everybody has said its not the fastest machine out there. We have found that for our needs, using a programmable guillotine cutter is the best way to do business cards but for short run jobs and postcards the Duplo can really shine. Are you considering the Global Cut system for your older cutter or have you come across another solution?

 

[RafalWM]

We have a used Duplo that we have in our shop. We are not using it anymore and are willing to let it go at a very reasonable price so let me know if you are interested in pursuing the Duplo option. It is a finicky little machine and I wouldnt use our model to crease much on the heavier stocks. We got a cheap Count EZ Creaser off ebay a while back and use our guillotine for all of our cutting and creasing needs now. If it will run your paper then it will be fine for cutting though and its definitely a handy machine.

I would be interested but the Duplo would have to be somewhere in the UK / EU

As for the system for my old cutter, I'm having a hard time finding the site I saw it on. I'll check later on again today, because I might have it somewhere in my history.

 

[CSimpson]

I am sure systems like the Rollem - JetStream or the Rollem - Advantage aren't cheap, but they sure seems FAR superior to the Duplo device if you feel the need for an all in one type finisher.

Does anyone here know the cost of these devices and if they work as good and as fast as they appear to.

 

[RafalWM]

I am sure systems like the Rollem - JetStream or the Rollem - Advantage aren't cheap, but they sure seems FAR superior to the Duplo device if you feel the need for an all in one type finisher.

Does anyone here know the cost of these devices and if they work as good and as fast as they appear to.

they certainly look superior, but probably way out of my price range for now. I'm looking for something more 'entry level'