Diametric boosts productivity with Kongsberg X20

After introducing the new Kongsberg digital cutting table, branding specialist saw a boost in productivity with extensive efficiency gains and was able to pass on cost savings to customers.

‘It’s totally exceeded expectations, and really opened our eyes to the possibilities,’ stated Graham Steele, managing director of Diametric. ‘We knew there was a need for new technology because the cut shop has always been a bit of a bottleneck for production, so understanding the capacity of what we can actually put through has been a revelation. 

‘Whenever you get a new piece of equipment there’s always the anticipation of how it will fit into the existing workflow process, but once the engineer had been in to deliver the training, the machine has not stopped.’

According to Steele the Kongsberg X20 is the most versatile cutting table on the market and had an immediate impact on productivity and efficiency. 

‘The instant advantage we saw was the minimal setup time required, particularly for repeat orders, where you can recall the programming,’ said Steele. ‘Then there’s the accelerated running time. Because you can index cut on the X20, where the only limitation is the sheet size, we can also look at a larger yield on the sheet without worrying about registration issues. Previously we’d have had to do a lower yield cut because we had to be conscious of the fact the cut needed to be accurate across the whole sheet. But with Kongsberg automation, we can maximize our materials.’

The company is also bringing costs down for customers because it can get the job through the department at a faster rate, as well as cutting more products from one sheet. 

‘Our industry sits apart from others. Everything we were looking at for cutting was for foam, board, or packaging, whereas we manufacture product branding, so we have myriad of materials on the shelf at any one time. We needed something that could handle most materials, meeting the requirements of what we do. The build quality really stood out. When you saw the Kongsberg machine it was evident it was built to last. For us, that robustness, the fact that it was a little weightier, made it the clear choice. It meant we knew it could hold its own with the materials we were using without pushing the limits of the machine,’ concluded Steele.