LFP - Large-Format-Printing
EskoArtwork finishing table, Kongsberg XP with i-cut makes impressive debut at Promo-Vlag, Netherlands
Monday 15. June 2009 - Market-leading flag and banner manufacturer boosts production capacity and efficiency with the Kongsberg XP cutting table
Netherlands-based Promo-Vlag has recently installed an EskoArtwork Kongsberg XP finishing table with i-cut vision control system and is already witnessing a surge in production efficiency and capacity.
Promo-Vlag is a leading manufacturer of flags, banners, pennants and showroom banners and has more than 30 years silkscreen printing experience. Early in 2000, Promo-Vlag made the transition from screen to digital wide format printing and began specializing in textile printing. The switch to digital meant the company needed to increase its capacity so it could meet growing demand and take on last-minute jobs.
After scrutinizing the different solutions on the market, Promo-Vlag opted for the EskoArtwork Kongsberg XP series of digital cutting tables because it afforded the company outstanding quality, far greater productivity and speed, and a raft of applications that add tangible value.
Mr. Rens de Jong, Managing Director Promo-Vlag, completed the deal at FESPA Digital 09 in Amsterdam: “We were looking for a real work horse. We wanted a table that could cut a wide variety of materials and easily handle orders of all sizes – no matter how late in the day they came. After switching to digital printing from analog, we found that many of the orders were coming from marketing departments. Theres clearly a need for creative and time-efficient solutions, and we had to adapt our production capacity to meet these demands.”
End-to-end solution with SignUp, ArtiosCAD & i-cut
The Kongsberg XP cutting table has proved invaluable at Promo-Vlag. It makes light work of corrugated board, rigid materials, as well as textiles, POP products and product displays. Rens de Jong continues: “It has even opened up a raft of new business opportunities for us. Because the Kongsberg end-to-end solution features the digital finishing software solutions SignUp and ArtiosCAD, as well as the i-cut vision control tool, set-up couldnt be easier. Were now winning more orders because were able to deliver them twice as fast! Only recently we finished 1,000 displays in a record time of 12 hours – this would have been unthinkable before the Kongsberg was installed.” With SignUp, one-up jobs arrive from desktop design and publishing packages, and print and finishing layouts are created based on ordered quantities and job priorities. SignUp is perfect for tiling for oversized jobs and billboards. Users can reduce the material waste down to an absolute minimum.
Satisfying future demand
Promo-Vlag went for the Kongsberg XP44 with i-cut and a working area of 2200 x 3200 mm. The table represents a new standard in digital cutting productivity – it has a maximum cutting speed of 100m/min and an acceleration speed of up to 1.5G.
“The machine is more than capable of enduring the continuous, high-speed manufacturing of products made from the most demanding packaging, sign and display materials, such as Re-Board,” adds Mr. Rens de Jong. “We decided on the top-drawer Kongsberg XP machine because it gave us the capacity to handle on-demand orders.”
The new Kongsberg XP models can efficiently convert a wide range of packaging, sign and display materials, including all grades of corrugated board, display carton, corrugated plastic and foam boards, as well as rigid display materials, such as MDF, plywood, acrylics, ACM and Forex. Plus there is the option to equip the machine with an i-cut automatic optical registration system, for matching the structural design with the graphic elements.
“The Kongsberg XP has all the hallmarks of a winner: outstanding quality, added value that you can see time and time again, robustness, automation, speed and a wide variety of cutting tools and functionality. The Kongsberg XP table lets us finish every job on time, cost effectively and to our clients exact standards, ” concludes Mr. de Jong.