www.printmonthly.co.uk 69 July / August 2023 - Issue 343 functions also often automate the cutting process, helping to improve accuracy and speed up production. “Often, guillotines in a digital print, education, or copy shop environment are not used solely by one person,” O’Brien says, adding: “Therefore, being able to give a job a full descriptive name can mean the difference between a good job or a bad job which often also involves losing hours of valuable time reprinting work.” AfterPrint is the UK agent for Grafcut and will show a number of machines from its portfolio at The Print Show 2023 later this year. Included in this range are both fully hydraulic and high-powered electro-mechanical options, in a variety of cutting sizes from 520 to 730mm. The latest development from Grafcut impacts the flagship Grafcut G73H and, according to O’Brien, allows for faster production. A new hydraulic power unit, which increases the clamp and knife speed by around 30% over the previous generation, has been added to the latest model. Alongside this, the back gauge drive has been upgraded using a servo motor, which offers speeds of 84mm/s and positioning with high accuracy. Finally, the back gauge adjustment has been upgraded to now incorporate an electronic crank, allowing for minute adjustment of the cut position, thus giving the operator more control. “Grafcut as a manufacturer may not be as well known as some of the more umes about the quality and potential of the Grafcut brand.” Quality and Reliability Our third featured specialist is Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS), which works with a number of manufacturers in this segment. Managing director Eric Keane explains guillotines are most likely to be the longest-standing members of a bindery, which means quality and reliability are essential from day one to the last day of service. “Aiding this is intuitive technology that supports ease of set up and operation to create a dynamic bindery with streamlined production,” Keane comments, adding: “For example, touchscreen operation for quick set ups and a programmable memory helps the efficient completion of short-run, fast turnaround jobs. Saving minutes per job can quickly add up and dramatically impact capacity. This is increasingly important for binderies managing shorter runs and tighter deadlines. “New systems will also more assuredly comply with health and safety regulations offering peace of mind.” Before investing, Keane says that printers should consider how technology can benefit the process as a result of increased automation, as well as how the latest developments will make a significant difference in performance. These could include greater productivity with touch- ► Available from AfterPrint, the Grafcut G73H has been upgraded with a new hydraulic power unit email: news@printmonthly.co.uk AfterPrint is the UK agent for Grafcut’s range of guillotine machines Factoid BACK TO BASICS / GUILLOTINES ▼ Other options in the Grafcut range at AfterPrint include the Grafcut G52H established brands,” O’Brien says, adding: “However, their attention to detail and unrivalled build quality means they are quickly becoming the go-to company for guillotines and case-making machinery. “Evidence of this is clear with Duplo in France and Multigraph in Switzerland both recently taking up agencies for Grafcut in their respective countries. The latter of the two dropped an established Guillotine manufacturer agency in order to take up the opportunity. We feel this speaks vol-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjM0NDIxOA==