Steve Katz, Editor09.09.14
As futuristic as it looks, laser diecutting is no longer a prototype or a vision of the future. The technology has evolved to become a viable
“It has arrived, and it is booming,” declares Mike Bacon, VP sales and marketing for Spartanics, a laser diecutting technology company in Rolling Meadows, IL, USA. “More customers are using laser cutting as a competitive advantage, while material suppliers are driving growth and innovation by providing laser-friendly material – their customers are demanding it.”
According to Bacon, laser diecutting today is where digital printing was several years ago. “Part of the reason is because label manufacturers are learning how to sell the technology. They can say, ‘Here is what you get from our flexo lines and the turnaround time is a week. Here is what you get from our digital line and turnaround is a day.’ Customers now have a choice.”
David Pung, VP LaserSharp Equipment, LasX Industries, White Bear Lake, MN, USA, emphasizes that laser diecutting is a continuation of the digital process, which starts with the digital press. “The laser continues the digital process, allowing the user to seamlessly adjust their jobs on the fly, as they have a PDF file containing the entire job.”
So, just how does this technology work? Despite it looking like something out of a science fiction movie, the experts say it’s a fairly basic process that, like many other technologies today, is software driven.
Jason Newville, design engineer for Minneapolis, MN-based Delta Industrial, explains: “Laser cutting concentrates high amounts of energy into a small defined spot. The resulting heat energy created by the laser vaporizes materials in this spot, blowing the vaporized material out of the kerf – or width of groove – made by the laser beam. The laser beam is directed by a galvanometer, which will use the diecut pattern loaded into the machine as the guide for cutting different shapes.”
Pung notes that with laser diecutting, everything starts with the software. “The software controls the amount of power, speed, frequency of pulse, and beam location within the field of view (FOV) for the desired outcome for the finished product,” he explains. “Process parameters are specific to each material makeup which can change your outcome per job, and at the same time allows the operator to get the optimal performance in finishing. Once the process parameters are set for the material, the desired dieline is loaded from a PDF or DXF.”
One of the appealing attributes of laser diecutting is speed – not cutting speed, where conventional tooling wins hands-down – but job turnaround speed. As more and more label manufacturers install digital printing machines, there’s been an increased expectation for quick turnaround cutting. “We always talk about uptime on the press,” Bacon says. “Our solution will not run consistently at flexo speeds, however, the number of jobs that can be turned around in a 24-hour period is astronomical. We currently have a (very) short run customer running 300 jobs per day.”
The benefits
Technologically, laser diecutting is vastly different from rotary cutting done with solid and flexible dies. While traditional rotary diecutting is far and away the more widely used process, laser diecutting provides an array of benefits associated with time, space, labor, costs and waste. In addition, laser diecutting can easily be done inline.
“In general, laser cutting is used like digital printing is for short run jobs,” Bacon says. “Rotary diecutting will always be used for longer runs and PVC label jobs, but the technologies can coexist in manufacturing plants due to the diverse nature of label converting workflows.”
Newville, of Delta Industrial, points out that while conventional metal-to-metal diecutting offers repeatability and relatively low tooling costs, sacrifices are made with regard to the time it takes to manufacture the tools as well as storage of each die. “Laser diecutting is great for short run jobs, R&D of new products, products with a tight tolerance cutting profile, and products that demand quick turnaround, as there are no tooling lead times,” he says.
Keith Montgomery, business development manager for AB Graphic International, East Yorkshire, UK, points to eliminating job changeovers as a key advantage. “With laser cutting, you can change from cutting one shape to another on-the-fly, without having to stop the machine. You will never be waiting for a new die to be delivered from the manufacturer, and you will not be wasting unnecessary material during the makeready stage,” he says.
Gary Falconbridge, president and founder of Colordyne Technologies, Brookfield, WI, USA, sees benefits in the automation of the process. He says, “With rotary diecutting, operators need to take time to change out dies, which increases labor costs. In laser diecutting, this step is replaced by a much simpler graphic image layout, which enables users to instantly print unique shapes and sizes on-the-fly. When combined with an in-line digital printing system, multiple jobs can be cued and processed without stopping the press or incurring wasted material.
Rotary dies can be costly when it comes to up-keep, as they do not take up inventory space; they require maintenance over time, and also require reworking when new dies are needed. “Overall, laser diecutting provides more flexibility and versatility by bringing a wider range of finishing options for the end result,” Falconbridge says.
Newville emphasizes additional advantages, such as lasers providing fast changes to new or existing designs, tight tolerance cutting, and mess-free cutting of adhesive webs. He says, “Lasers provide a non-contact method of cutting exposed or adhesive laminated webs, and also provide slug removal. Small slugs or adhesive-based slugs are either vaporized or vacuumed through our laser’s vapor removal vacuum system.”
Laser Evolution
Much like digital printing in the label industry, laser diecutting had a slow start, but has since evolved into a reliable and functional process, and one that a converter can use to attract customers.
“It’s developed into a viable proposition, especially for the short run and quick turnaround markets,” says Montgomery. “It had a slow start due to the limitation on the materials that it can cut, and also with the cut quality, but over time most of these issues have been overcome and we are seeing an increased demand for this type of technology.”
Spartanics’ Mike Bacon addresses the quality concerns that were once considered a drawback. “Since a laser is burning away the material, there was a perception in the marketplace that because the cut looked slightly different, that it was not good quality,” he says. “Digital printing is not as sharp as flexo or offset printing, and laser cutting is different than conventional diecutting. These objections are not as relevant today because the market has accepted the difference. In the infancy stages of laser cutting, burn-through holes and ragged edges were complaints, but with more advanced software and smaller laser spot sizes, that cut quality argument is no longer valid. Also, marking the liner was an issue in the early stages because manufacturers were not able to use laser-cut labels on their automatic label applicators. Today, 90% of our laser cut labels go through automatic labeling machines,” Bacon says.
The laser diecutting process is very material-dependent. While material compatibility had been a major challenge, today it’s being addressed through cooperation between laser and materials suppliers.
“There are some materials that are not laser-friendly because of toxic gas that results from processing or are transmissive in their nature,” explains LasX’s Pung. “Laser processing is a burning process and some material may produce an undesirable discoloration of the material at the same time. This can be combatted with masking the material, different process approaches, and/or controlling the laser’s processing area.Yet, there are many materials that cut very well, and some materials react better to different laser wavelengths and types. We are seeing an industry going to more eco-friendly and laser-friendly material,” Pung says.
The evolution of laser frequencies being able to cut a larger variety of material is the next step, says Bacon. “We are currently testing lasers with different wavelengths that allow us to cut clear-on-clear materials with good results. Along these same lines, material suppliers are working on special coatings and material configurations that are laser-friendly.”
Montgomery, of AB Graphic, stresses that the major improvement has been the ability to accurately control the power levels so that the liner is not damaged. “Previously, straight cuts were not a problem, but when you needed to go around a corner, the laser moved slower, and if the power levels remained the same, it cut into the liner. The other main development is centered around optimizing the workflow – it is not productive if using the laser takes hours of prepress time to generate a new cutting file. You also need a system that can quickly change from cutting one material to another, and this requires a database of the materials being cut and what power levels are required to cut them,” Montgomery says.
The Machines
Delta Industrial offers standalone or machine mounted laser converting modules that are specified and tested per application. All Delta laser converting modules are fully integrated with a user friendly operator interface, a chiller and vacuum system for flume and slug extraction. In addition, any of Delta’s laser converting modules may be used in combination with conventional diecutting applications. “For example, when cutting a product with multiple features, customers have the option of using the laser for small intricate features and leaving the rest to be cut with a conventional rotary die. This cutting combination often results in faster production speeds which in turn lowers product cost,” Newville says.
Digilase, from AB Graphic, is an individual module that can be integrated into an Omega converting line, digital label finishing line or any other rotary webfed machine. It enables users to import, create or edit die patterns through the Adobe illustrator plug-in platform. The system permits each job to be tested in a virtual machine environment including estimated maximum run speeds before going live.
Spartanics has partnered with INX International to develop the NW140, an in-line digital printing system with laser converting capabilities. With this digital printing system, manufacturers can now run long jobs and short jobs as well as commit to fast turnaround times.
Spartanics has also teamed up with Durst to offer high-speed, in-line laser diecutting with the 13-inch Durst Tau 330 UV inkjet digital label press. The versatile Durst and Spartanics systems can be operated as a fully integrated in-line system, or as separate off-line systems. Importantly, the laser diecutting from Spartanics can match the Durst Tau 330’s “best in class” maximum print speed of 157 linear fpm, along with supplying a variety of converting options to produce a completely finished product.
Colordyne Technologies offers its new CDT 3600 Series Digital Label Printing press, a modular, full-featured process color digital system enhanced with LaserSharp laser cutting, provided by LasX Industries. The CDT 3600 Series is available in a standard platform, but is also customizable for customers with unique application needs. The CDT 3600 Laser Pro’s LaserSharp laser cutter is integrated with the Memjet print engine to enable flexible, cost-efficient and customizable production. LasX’s control software is integrated with Colordyne’s workflow software, ensuring the die line cut pattern is synchronized to the first printed image of every order. LasX has developed a method of automated workflow with cut patterns embedded in PDF files and 2D bar codes for X-Y print registration and instant order change. This enables true order-of-one pattern cutting, all done on-the-fly with zero set-up time. LasX’s dual laser system for the Laser Pro shares the die line pattern between two lasers at web speeds of 225 fpm without compromising the 1600 x 1375 dpi resolution.
option for today’s label converter, particularly within the digital print-driven short run sector. And, as digital print grows, so does laser diecutting.“It has arrived, and it is booming,” declares Mike Bacon, VP sales and marketing for Spartanics, a laser diecutting technology company in Rolling Meadows, IL, USA. “More customers are using laser cutting as a competitive advantage, while material suppliers are driving growth and innovation by providing laser-friendly material – their customers are demanding it.”
According to Bacon, laser diecutting today is where digital printing was several years ago. “Part of the reason is because label manufacturers are learning how to sell the technology. They can say, ‘Here is what you get from our flexo lines and the turnaround time is a week. Here is what you get from our digital line and turnaround is a day.’ Customers now have a choice.”
David Pung, VP LaserSharp Equipment, LasX Industries, White Bear Lake, MN, USA, emphasizes that laser diecutting is a continuation of the digital process, which starts with the digital press. “The laser continues the digital process, allowing the user to seamlessly adjust their jobs on the fly, as they have a PDF file containing the entire job.”
So, just how does this technology work? Despite it looking like something out of a science fiction movie, the experts say it’s a fairly basic process that, like many other technologies today, is software driven.
Jason Newville, design engineer for Minneapolis, MN-based Delta Industrial, explains: “Laser cutting concentrates high amounts of energy into a small defined spot. The resulting heat energy created by the laser vaporizes materials in this spot, blowing the vaporized material out of the kerf – or width of groove – made by the laser beam. The laser beam is directed by a galvanometer, which will use the diecut pattern loaded into the machine as the guide for cutting different shapes.”
Pung notes that with laser diecutting, everything starts with the software. “The software controls the amount of power, speed, frequency of pulse, and beam location within the field of view (FOV) for the desired outcome for the finished product,” he explains. “Process parameters are specific to each material makeup which can change your outcome per job, and at the same time allows the operator to get the optimal performance in finishing. Once the process parameters are set for the material, the desired dieline is loaded from a PDF or DXF.”
One of the appealing attributes of laser diecutting is speed – not cutting speed, where conventional tooling wins hands-down – but job turnaround speed. As more and more label manufacturers install digital printing machines, there’s been an increased expectation for quick turnaround cutting. “We always talk about uptime on the press,” Bacon says. “Our solution will not run consistently at flexo speeds, however, the number of jobs that can be turned around in a 24-hour period is astronomical. We currently have a (very) short run customer running 300 jobs per day.”
The benefits
Technologically, laser diecutting is vastly different from rotary cutting done with solid and flexible dies. While traditional rotary diecutting is far and away the more widely used process, laser diecutting provides an array of benefits associated with time, space, labor, costs and waste. In addition, laser diecutting can easily be done inline.
“In general, laser cutting is used like digital printing is for short run jobs,” Bacon says. “Rotary diecutting will always be used for longer runs and PVC label jobs, but the technologies can coexist in manufacturing plants due to the diverse nature of label converting workflows.”
Newville, of Delta Industrial, points out that while conventional metal-to-metal diecutting offers repeatability and relatively low tooling costs, sacrifices are made with regard to the time it takes to manufacture the tools as well as storage of each die. “Laser diecutting is great for short run jobs, R&D of new products, products with a tight tolerance cutting profile, and products that demand quick turnaround, as there are no tooling lead times,” he says.
Keith Montgomery, business development manager for AB Graphic International, East Yorkshire, UK, points to eliminating job changeovers as a key advantage. “With laser cutting, you can change from cutting one shape to another on-the-fly, without having to stop the machine. You will never be waiting for a new die to be delivered from the manufacturer, and you will not be wasting unnecessary material during the makeready stage,” he says.
Gary Falconbridge, president and founder of Colordyne Technologies, Brookfield, WI, USA, sees benefits in the automation of the process. He says, “With rotary diecutting, operators need to take time to change out dies, which increases labor costs. In laser diecutting, this step is replaced by a much simpler graphic image layout, which enables users to instantly print unique shapes and sizes on-the-fly. When combined with an in-line digital printing system, multiple jobs can be cued and processed without stopping the press or incurring wasted material.
Rotary dies can be costly when it comes to up-keep, as they do not take up inventory space; they require maintenance over time, and also require reworking when new dies are needed. “Overall, laser diecutting provides more flexibility and versatility by bringing a wider range of finishing options for the end result,” Falconbridge says.
Newville emphasizes additional advantages, such as lasers providing fast changes to new or existing designs, tight tolerance cutting, and mess-free cutting of adhesive webs. He says, “Lasers provide a non-contact method of cutting exposed or adhesive laminated webs, and also provide slug removal. Small slugs or adhesive-based slugs are either vaporized or vacuumed through our laser’s vapor removal vacuum system.”
Laser Evolution
Much like digital printing in the label industry, laser diecutting had a slow start, but has since evolved into a reliable and functional process, and one that a converter can use to attract customers.
“It’s developed into a viable proposition, especially for the short run and quick turnaround markets,” says Montgomery. “It had a slow start due to the limitation on the materials that it can cut, and also with the cut quality, but over time most of these issues have been overcome and we are seeing an increased demand for this type of technology.”
Spartanics’ Mike Bacon addresses the quality concerns that were once considered a drawback. “Since a laser is burning away the material, there was a perception in the marketplace that because the cut looked slightly different, that it was not good quality,” he says. “Digital printing is not as sharp as flexo or offset printing, and laser cutting is different than conventional diecutting. These objections are not as relevant today because the market has accepted the difference. In the infancy stages of laser cutting, burn-through holes and ragged edges were complaints, but with more advanced software and smaller laser spot sizes, that cut quality argument is no longer valid. Also, marking the liner was an issue in the early stages because manufacturers were not able to use laser-cut labels on their automatic label applicators. Today, 90% of our laser cut labels go through automatic labeling machines,” Bacon says.
The laser diecutting process is very material-dependent. While material compatibility had been a major challenge, today it’s being addressed through cooperation between laser and materials suppliers.
“There are some materials that are not laser-friendly because of toxic gas that results from processing or are transmissive in their nature,” explains LasX’s Pung. “Laser processing is a burning process and some material may produce an undesirable discoloration of the material at the same time. This can be combatted with masking the material, different process approaches, and/or controlling the laser’s processing area.Yet, there are many materials that cut very well, and some materials react better to different laser wavelengths and types. We are seeing an industry going to more eco-friendly and laser-friendly material,” Pung says.
The evolution of laser frequencies being able to cut a larger variety of material is the next step, says Bacon. “We are currently testing lasers with different wavelengths that allow us to cut clear-on-clear materials with good results. Along these same lines, material suppliers are working on special coatings and material configurations that are laser-friendly.”
Montgomery, of AB Graphic, stresses that the major improvement has been the ability to accurately control the power levels so that the liner is not damaged. “Previously, straight cuts were not a problem, but when you needed to go around a corner, the laser moved slower, and if the power levels remained the same, it cut into the liner. The other main development is centered around optimizing the workflow – it is not productive if using the laser takes hours of prepress time to generate a new cutting file. You also need a system that can quickly change from cutting one material to another, and this requires a database of the materials being cut and what power levels are required to cut them,” Montgomery says.
The Machines
Delta Industrial offers standalone or machine mounted laser converting modules that are specified and tested per application. All Delta laser converting modules are fully integrated with a user friendly operator interface, a chiller and vacuum system for flume and slug extraction. In addition, any of Delta’s laser converting modules may be used in combination with conventional diecutting applications. “For example, when cutting a product with multiple features, customers have the option of using the laser for small intricate features and leaving the rest to be cut with a conventional rotary die. This cutting combination often results in faster production speeds which in turn lowers product cost,” Newville says.
Digilase, from AB Graphic, is an individual module that can be integrated into an Omega converting line, digital label finishing line or any other rotary webfed machine. It enables users to import, create or edit die patterns through the Adobe illustrator plug-in platform. The system permits each job to be tested in a virtual machine environment including estimated maximum run speeds before going live.
Spartanics has partnered with INX International to develop the NW140, an in-line digital printing system with laser converting capabilities. With this digital printing system, manufacturers can now run long jobs and short jobs as well as commit to fast turnaround times.
Spartanics has also teamed up with Durst to offer high-speed, in-line laser diecutting with the 13-inch Durst Tau 330 UV inkjet digital label press. The versatile Durst and Spartanics systems can be operated as a fully integrated in-line system, or as separate off-line systems. Importantly, the laser diecutting from Spartanics can match the Durst Tau 330’s “best in class” maximum print speed of 157 linear fpm, along with supplying a variety of converting options to produce a completely finished product.
Colordyne Technologies offers its new CDT 3600 Series Digital Label Printing press, a modular, full-featured process color digital system enhanced with LaserSharp laser cutting, provided by LasX Industries. The CDT 3600 Series is available in a standard platform, but is also customizable for customers with unique application needs. The CDT 3600 Laser Pro’s LaserSharp laser cutter is integrated with the Memjet print engine to enable flexible, cost-efficient and customizable production. LasX’s control software is integrated with Colordyne’s workflow software, ensuring the die line cut pattern is synchronized to the first printed image of every order. LasX has developed a method of automated workflow with cut patterns embedded in PDF files and 2D bar codes for X-Y print registration and instant order change. This enables true order-of-one pattern cutting, all done on-the-fly with zero set-up time. LasX’s dual laser system for the Laser Pro shares the die line pattern between two lasers at web speeds of 225 fpm without compromising the 1600 x 1375 dpi resolution.