The C Series can process a substrate width of 1680mm when on a conveyor or board size of 1740 x 1900mm
High speed, small in size
For some time, Kongsberg has been carving out a market with its C Series of cutting tables which can provide the high speed, wide width production of all sorts of signage. The C60 to C64 can process substrates of up to 3.2m in width, and clearly with a size of that nature, take up considerable amount of space.
So, what does a printer or sign-maker do if they want the advantages of these machines but do not need such a wide machine, or want the technology but do not have the space?
Kongsberg has released its smallest cutting table but with the same high-level production as the rest of the C Series models”
The answer is the newly released Kongsberg C20, a machine packing the punch and technology of the rest of the C Series but with a very small footprint. The C20 can process a substrate width of 1680mm when on a conveyor or board size of 1740x1900mm. Not insignificant in itself, but small enough to make it fit into most production areas.
No compromise
Basically, nowhere does this new release vary in any other aspect from the rest of the C Series apart from in size. Kongsberg has recognised that although customers may not need the wider size of say the C44 or C64, what they do want is the technology which made these and other models successful.
Whilst the C20 does not need the carbon composite traverse bar that the wider models have (C60, C64 and C66), it does have a sturdily designed version that can absorb up to 1.72G at maximum speed of 100m/minute. A rack and pinion system drives the three-station head to wherever the cutting point is needed on the aluminium composite tabletop. This is important as the level of accuracy needed when placing the head in the correct place is demanding, so any mis-positioning of the knife is minimised with the design.
The newly launched Kongsberg C20 can handle a range of tooling combinations
Basically, the C20 has the same three-station tool holder design as the other machines meaning it can handle a range of tooling combinations. There is a Heavy Tool Position which can handle large creaser wheels, V notching tooling or milling units. The second is the Fast Tool Position and this allows the addition of Vibra Cut Tools and PressCut Tools. Finally, the third is the Insert Position for drill tool, ball point pen or fibre tip tools.
The C20 can have the same substrate handling as the other cutting tables, that being a motorised roll feeder and an automated board feeder and stacker.
The roll feeder is designed for soft signage and consists of a roller feeder that can cope with even poorly wound printed substrate and unreel it to allow for accurate cutting and processing. There is also a Take Up unit that can be coupled to allow for roll-to-roll production.
If sheets are required, there is an automatic sheet handling system which can provide a pallet-to-pallet option for loading sheets onto the cutting table and then move the processed sheets back onto a post-production stack.
As with all of the other members of the C Series cutting tables, the C20 has multi-zone production. Due to its size, this model has four vacuum areas on the workspace.
Multiple combinations
As previously mentioned, the C20 has the same tooling head as every other C Series machine. Each of the tooling locations, Heavy Duty, Fast Tool position, and the Insert position can have a number of different combinations of equipment installed in each.
Starting with the Heavy Duty Tool Unit (HDU) it is possible to switch across a number of processes via the changing of various tools into the unit. It is able to exert up to 50kg of down force which is needed for the tooling provided with it.
The HDU can be used to crease, perforate, and cut V-notches in straight lines with a variety of tools. Creasing wheels with 150mm diameters can be used in the HDU which coupled with the 50kg of pressure can produce quality products on difficult materials such as recycled corrugated board. Finally the HDU can be used for V-notching when a mitred joint is needed.
Triple wall board along with corrugated plastic and foam board are all possible with the Dual HDU
Furthermore the Dual HDU has separate perforating wheels which are 60mm in diameter. These are useful for features such as perforations and tear lines in tandem with the main process.
Triple wall board, paper core and honeycomb board along with corrugated plastic and foam board are all possible with the Dual HDU.
Other tooling such as a High-Power Milling unit (HPMU), a Foam Cutting Unit (FCU) and a VariAngle Unit (to produce cuts other than those perpendicular to the sheet) can all be exchanged into this position. The Fast Tool position can also hold a wider range of tooling dedicated for knife type tooling.
The range is impressive ranging from a VibraCut Knife Tool which has a reciprocating action of 0.3mm in amplitude which is moving at 6,000 strokes per minute, to a Braille tool.
Should the standard VibraCut Knife Tool not be sufficient, there is a High-Frequency Vibra Knife Tool which has double the frequency (12,000 strokes per minute) and an increased amplitude of 1.2mm. If the substrate being processed is more rigid in nature, in this position you can install a Rigid Material Knife Tool which utilises a static knife for flexible plastic sheets and materials such as foamed PVC up to 3mm in thickness. This second tool position can even be used for psaligraphy (the art of cut paper silhouettes) which can cut the finest of detailed profiles from paper.
One clever part of the multi-tool head is that the HDU can be utilised as a second Fast Tool position and the tooling use in that position can be used in a second providing greater flexibility.
Third and finally is an optional Insert Position which can handle tools such as a drilling tool, ballpoint pen and fibre pen tooling option.
The range of the C Series cutting tables has not been compromised with the reduction in working area. It is comforting to think a manufacturer has not decided to downgrade tooling and design, just because the overall size of the workspace is decreased.
Brian Sims Principal Consultant, Metis Print Consultancy, www.metis-uk.eu
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