Just When You Thought You Had Seen It All!

March 20, 2024

I had the occasion in late December 2023 to attend an open house and demo at a facility in Northeast Ohio of one of our newest Associate members. The Graphco folks have been in the commercial package printing and converting business for many decades and, most recently, have gotten into the short-run specialty packaging and prototyping design businesses with their latest partnership with an Italian supplier.

What I witnessed at the demo were the most unique and high-speed applications on a series of hybrid design and cutting tables that I have seen in my 45-year career of purchasing such equipment for many different packaging companies. I am still somewhat flabbergasted at exactly what I witnessed taking place: speeds that were up to five to 10 times faster than what I have ever seen before.

I believe it is exceptionally important from an industry standpoint to share freely when such game-changing pieces of equipment come to our markets so all of our members can share in the “Graphco unfair advantage,” as President Chris Manley refers to it. The pieces of equipment I am referencing are digitized hybrid cutting devices. Now, let’s take a deeper dive into the revolutionary technology behind the development of the industry’s first true hybrid CNC routing and cutting technology.

Graphco proudly touts the lineup of hybrid CNC routing and cutting machines. The company’s Italian equipment supplier manufactures machines with reliable and robust mechanical structures to facilitate all types of processing at production speeds and with capabilities unseen in the marketplace. Cutting and routing at 4.65 feet per second are just the beginning.

Representatives from the supplier company were present at the December demo to provide a deeper dive into the technology and applications dominating these varied market segments. The engineering behind the line of products redefines CNC routing and cutting in various ways. One machine boasts operating speeds of over 6.5 feet per second with 2 G acceleration powered by an electro spindle drive sized up to 13 kilowatts. It has the 25 fully automated tools on board, enabling hybrid operation from kiss-cut vinyl to 6-inch-thick wood and dense foam.

The other machine automatically changes up to 25 different tools, processes materials up to 6 inches thick, and accelerates from activity to activity at up to 1.2 G.

I will summarize by offering my top five key points below from what I witnessed, and then let each of you view the two YouTube links in the sidebars to determine your own views. The top five key attributes as I see them are as follows:

These machines are significantly faster than any other competition—by multiples of up to 10 times.
All software is “open” architecture without any licensing or seat fees.
All major drive components are either manufactured stateside or in the European Union and can be easily purchased off the shelf locally, with no major components from developing nations.
All parts replacement and service calls will be conducted by Graphco in northeast Ohio.
The onboard Rotary SAW is the best detail for fast and precision cuts of all materials with constant knife or tool changes, a real game changer for all packaging designers supporting consumer packaged goods clients.

Tom Weber is president of WeberSource LLC and is AICC’s folding carton and rigid box technical advisor. Contact Tom directly at asktom@AICCbox.org.

Sidebar

Machine One

The first hybrid CNC router and cutter is an ultra-high-speed solution for wide-format, display, signage, and industrial producers who need the flexibility only a hybrid can provide.

Technical Specifications

295 feet per minute
4.92 feet per second
1.2 G acceleration
Up to 16 kW drives

Visit youtu.be/TyzaMn0FRvc to learn more.

Machine Two

The second machine is the digital die cutter that fulfills the promise made by other platforms through combining the highest level of speed and quality with the true processing automation needed to take short-run digital die cutting into the industrial realm.

Technical Specifications