Océ ProCut Digital Cutting Solutions

Océ has expanded 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 Océ ProCut digital cutting solutions include a range of Océ ProCut Digital Cutting Tables to automate cutting operations, Océ 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.

Wide-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.

Océ 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.

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

Océ 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:

Océ ProCut 2500 M: 52.36x 98.42 inches

Océ ProCut 2500 L: 70.86x98.42 inches

Océ ProCut 3200 L: 70.86x125.98 inches

Océ ProCut 3200 XL: 86.61x125.98 inches

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. Océ 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.

Océ ProCut Software is included to prepare the files for cutting. The Océ 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 Océ ProCut Prepress module it is also very simple to scale or tile a job before cutting. The Océ 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 percent accuracy. It also compensates for image or material distortion such as shrinking or stretching.

Océ 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 Steps from Artwork to Finished Job

Océ 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 Océ ProCut Prepress module: simply drop PDF or EPS artwork in the Océ ProCut hot folder. The job is immediately displayed in the Océ 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. Océ ProCut Software nests by actual shape rather than the PostScript bounding box, and rotates the shapes as needed to fit as many as possible on a given media. To use the Océ ProCut Nesting module, the operator simply sends the job(s) to the nesting queue and specifies the number of copies. Océ 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 Océ ProCut Software can be processed through RIP packages such as ONYX ProductionHouse V7, then sent to a printer such as the Océ Arizona 350 GT UV flatbed printer. The registration marks and the barcode—generated by Océ 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 Océ 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.

Océ 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 percent 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 or acrylic. Structural projects, such as self-standing displays or packaging prototypes, are other possible applications for opening up new markets.

Océ ProCut digital cutting solutions are available for order now for US deliveries.