Hull-based printer, Springfield Solutions has installed the first SabreXtreme laser label cutting system in the UK. The installation is the final stage in a long conversion from traditional to digital printing methods in which Springfield has invested £750,000 in the laser from AB Graphic International, new digital presses,and a sophisticated management information system.
"The new digital set-up enables us to offer a much quicker, more flexible and efficient service and makes management easier in terms of stock levels and financial exposure," says Springfield operations director Dennis Ebeltoft. "It was a big decision to go all digital, but technology waits for no one and we realised we could offer a more efficient and effective service by moving away from analogue. We are now one of the largest, all digital printers in the UK. The laser system was the last link in the chain."
The SabreXtreme laser technology dispenses with the need for conventional diecutting tools and the costs associated with production and storage. There are no engineering times involved as with conventional diecutting and no heavy lifting of rotary tools. Network or MIS connection enables a company's art department to directly load a library of label cutting patterns to process. The patterns are selected by the operator using barcodes printed on work orders. In addition, the software system permits all machine settings to be saved so that the exact performance of a pattern can be duplicated later.
AB Graphic's Matt Burton adds: "While we have a number of SabreXtreme installations in the USA and Europe, this is the first in the UK. We strongly believe in the laser and a digital future for the label industry. We are starting to see a diecutting revolution within the industry with interest in the technology increasing tremendously over the last six months."
