Finishing & Screen Printing

Oce ProCut Digital Cutting Solutions Streamline Display Graphics Workflow From Prepress Through Finishing

Tuesday 24. February 2009 - Complete system of hardware, software, consulting and service for cutting and trimming rigid or flexible media

Oce expands its display graphics offering with a complete digital system that streamlines the workflow — from prepress to finishing — of rigid and flexible display graphics media. The new Oce ProCut(TM) digital cutting solutions include a range of Oce ProCut Digital Cutting Tables to automate cutting operations, Oce ProCut Software for preparing the cut data in a seamless workflow, and expert pre- and post- installation service & support. This complete system reduces labor and materials costs in the finishing stage while enabling customers to maintain high productivity levels and increase profit margins. It also opens the door to new business opportunities as customers can offer a wider range of services to their clients.

The new challenges for digital print providers

Large format digital printing systems for graphics applications have increased in speed, quality and versatility. Many have the added ability to print on both rigid and flexible materials. The overwhelming majority of digital graphics prints require trimming or contour-cutting once printing is complete. Manual cutting takes time and inevitably generates errors resulting in costly reprints, material waste and missed deadlines. Trimming thick media and manually cutting contour prints are particularly vulnerable to this low productivity / high labor cost risk. Unusual shapes often result in excess media waste. Pre-cut media can be a time-saver on the finishing end, but is expensive and difficult to manage. Finishing is often the bottleneck in a display graphics digital printing workflow.

Oce ProCut digital cutting solutions are automated finishing systems that can be used to optimize basic trimming tasks for rigid substrates such as hard and soft foam board, plastic material, acrylic and styrene, and flexible media including paper, film, vinyl and fabric. They can also be used to finish more complex jobs such as contour-cut point-of-purchase displays, production- quantity decals, and structural projects.

Robust Oce ProCut Digital Cutting Tables

At the center of Oce ProCut digital cutting solutions are Oce ProCut Digital Cutting Tables, designed and manufactured for Oce in Switzerland by Zund. This new generation of cutters was recently optimized to offer extreme robustness, vibration-free performance and low-maintenance.

Oce ProCut Digital Cutting Tables offer an ideal solution to all finishing needs including trimming and contour-cutting, through-cutting, kiss-cutting, routing and creasing. The tables are suitable for roll media, sheets or rigid substrates up to 1.97 inches thick. Customers can choose from a variety of medium, large or extra large tables in the following sizes:

Model Working Area
Oce ProCut 2500 M 52.36″ x 98.42″
Oce ProCut 2500 L 70.86″ x 98.42″
Oce ProCut 3200 L 70.86″ x 125.98″
Oce ProCut 3200 XL 86.61″ x 125.98″




A modular tool system enables the operator to mount up to three tools at the same time to suit the needs of any job. For simple jobs, cut speeds can be maximized by removing nonessential tools — and excess weight — from the carriage. For complex jobs, e.g. those requiring through-cutting and kiss- cutting, the ability to mount up to three tools saves time by eliminating the need to stop the cutting process in order to manually mount another tool. Oce ProCut Digital Cutting Tables are built with quality and longevity in mind. They feature an aluminum-composite table top, an innovative self-adjustable vacuum system and advanced industrial dust protection.

Exclusive Oce ProCut Software for optimal workflow

Unique Oce ProCut Software is included to prepare the files for cutting. The Oce ProCut Prepress module enables quick and easy preparation of registration marks, barcodes and tool assignment. With a few simple mouse- clicks, the cut data is generated, saving hours in the prepress stage. With the Oce ProCut Prepress module it is also very simple to scale or tile a job before cutting. The Oce ProCut Nesting module gives users the ability to quickly and easily nest images based on their actual shape or nest multiple jobs on the same media. It trims media consumption and printing times and virtually eliminates the need for pre-cut media.

Specialized vision software is included that compares the cut data to the position of the registration marks on the print and drives the cutter along the cut path with 100% accuracy. It also compensates for image or material distortion such as shrinking or stretching.

Oce ProCut Software offers innovative user-friendly features including an interactive graphical user interface, an intuitive editor for vector manipulation, an editable media library and backside-cutting functions. These features reduce operator training time and increase overall productivity as they help remove guesswork from the cutter’s operation.

Four simple steps from artwork to finished job

Oce ProCut digital cutting solutions stand alone by offering a single, fully integrated workflow. The system guides users through the prepress, printing, and finishing steps, regardless of the job, printer or RIP.

Step 1: Cut data preparation

Cut data preparation is accomplished in the easy-to-use Oce ProCut Prepress module: simply drop PDF or EPS artwork in the Oce ProCut hot folder. The job is immediately displayed in the Oce ProCut job queue. In a matter of seconds, the operator can identify all paths within the artwork and can freely assign each path to the relevant cutting “layers” such as through-cutting or creasing. With two more clicks, the operator can add registration marks and a barcode. The software then automatically generates a print file — sent to the printer complete with registration marks and a barcode — and a separate cut file stored on the network. The data are now ready to print and cut.

Step 2: Intelligent nesting

Nesting helps reduce media waste. Oce ProCut Software nests by actual shape rather than the PostScript(R) bounding box, and rotates the shapes as needed to fit as many as possible on a given media. To use the Oce ProCut Nesting module, the operator simply sends the job(s) to the nesting queue and specifies the number of copies. Oce ProCut Software automatically and intelligently performs the nesting. When nesting is complete, the operator adds registration marks and a barcode, and the data are ready to print and cut.

Step 3: RIP and print

The print file generated by Oce ProCut Software can be processed through RIP packages such as ONYX(R) ProductionHouse(TM) V7, then sent to a printer such as the Oce Arizona(R) 350 GT UV flatbed printer. The registration marks and the barcode — generated by Oce ProCut Software — will also be printed onto the substrate. The completed print is ready for cutting.

Step 4: Automated cutting

At cutting time, the operator simply places the print on the Oce ProCut Digital Cutting Table and scans the barcode. The vision software automatically retrieves the correct cut data from the network and — using an on-board camera — compares the position of the registration marks in the data to those on the printed job. Once the system has analyzed the exact image position, it starts cutting. Sophisticated optical registration capabilities ensure perfect accuracy for any size or shape. The finished, cut pieces are ready for delivery with minimal operator intervention, 100% accuracy and reduced turnaround time.

Reduce costs and improve quality

Oce ProCut digital cutting solutions can significantly reduce labor costs compared to manual cutting because only one operator is required to run the highly productive automated cutter. Material costs can be reduced by eliminating job re-runs due to human error. In addition, advanced nesting capabilities enable the use of less-costly, large standard boards that can be cut in-house rather than using expensive, pre-cut materials or outsourcing the job.

Customers can confidently offer their clients consistent, high quality finished graphics and reduced turnaround times. Cutting is always 100% accurate, and the system compensates for any material distortion that may occur during printing.

Add new business

Customers can expand their businesses by offering premium-priced, contour- cutting jobs and production kiss-cutting jobs for creating mass-produced decals. With the routing capability, customers can also finish jobs on materials they wouldn’t consider cutting by hand such as DIBOND(R) or acrylic. Structural projects, such as self-standing displays or packaging prototypes, are other possible applications for opening up new markets.

Oce: a global partner for digital print providers

Oce Application Specialists are available throughout the U.S. Their role is to guide digital print providers into the world of digital cutting and to continue helping them along the way. These specialists help define which table format, tools, options and accessories are best for the customers’ specific business as well as provide full operator training and support on hardware, software and applications. They offer expertise not only in cutting, but also in every other area of display graphics applications, including printing, color management, workflow design, media selection and application suitability. Oce Application Specialists help customers improve productivity from prepress to finishing and back them up as they develop new applications.

Oce also supports its customers with a world-class, worldwide Service & Support organization. With more than 3,400 service technicians throughout the world, Oce’s customers can count on timely coverage should it be necessary.

With the Oce ProCut digital cutting solutions, Oce strengthens its position as a full service provider, with a complete range of printers, media, consumables, and finishing solutions for display graphics professionals.

Availability

Oce ProCut digital cutting solutions are available for order now for U.S. deliveries.