Nippon Color launches DuoBlade WX digital finisher

Mumbai-based pre-press and finishing equipment provider Nippon Color has introduced the Valloy DuoBlade WX digital label finisher in India. The all-in-one finisher includes roll unwinding, lamination, knife-cutting using multiple blades, matrix removal, slitting, trimming and roll rewinding or sheeting.

 

The latest digital label finishing equipment from Valloy, the WX is an upgrade of the SX model. The new model comes with four cutting heads, eliminating the need to make dies.

 

Akshat Pardiwala, COO of Nippon Color, said: ‘As the market trend moves towards shorter runs and an increase in the number of SKUs, Indian converters can benefit from this digital label finisher where they do not need to wait for hours or even a day for the die to be ready for cutting.’

 

The WX model allows converters to change jobs automatically in about 10 seconds and requires no operator intervention. The CCD camera scans the barcode and adjusts the distance between cutting heads depending on the job requirement.

 

 

Pardiwala added that by moving shorter-run jobs to the digital finisher, converters can free up their traditional finishers for longer jobs. A digital finisher also comes in handy for urgent jobs that need to be delivered the same day.

 

‘The die-cutting process not only takes time, but you also need to make new dies by design, type of media, and web width being used for the job. This incurs additional storage costs. Digital finishing eliminates the step of making dies. This saves the cost of dies and more importantly, saves the time converters need to wait for dies,’ he explained.

 

With the WX digital finishers, converters simply need to upload a file and the cutting starts by tracing the layout. It can cut any shape and size up to 350mm wide, roll-to-roll or roll-to-sheet.

 

He pointed out that if there is an error in a die, a converter will have to wait to remake it after having cut a few meters as wastage. On the other hand, corrections can be made instantly on digital finishers by correcting the layout in a file.

 

‘The initial cost of digital finishing equipment may seem high, but when we consider the cost and time savings, the total cost of ownership is very similar to a traditional die-cutting machine. So, for the same cost, converters can provide faster delivery to print buyers with the ability to cut any intricate shapes, all by using only a single operator in a small clean working space,’ Pardiwala said.

 

Nippon partnered with Valloy in 2020 and has received a positive response for its digital label printing and finishing products.

 

‘We have multiple successful installations of the DuoBlade finishers even though the pandemic slowed business. We expect to see more installations this year as more and more converters realize the advantage of going digital in label printing and finishing.

 

‘It is now more important than ever to have a digital workflow in these difficult times,’ he emphasized.

 

Currently, DuoBlade WX has a single station with four cutting heads. Soon, Nippon will offer up to three stations with 12 cutting heads.

 

On taking a new distributorship, Nippon trains its engineers on the products before beginning sales. The company also handles after-sales service and carries recommended spare parts in its premises for quick support.

 

The distributor has branch offices and engineers in New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, enabling it to provide maintenance to customers across India.