Flat Bed Cutter Recommendations

[Graphic Extremes]

I am looking to get a flat bed cutter and need recommendations for one.. There are horror stories on all the flat bed cutters out the with a simple search, so looking for recommendations from people who actually use them..

 

[cmoist]

What are you cutting? I run an FC2250-60 without any problems, cutting vinyl, magnetics, etc.

 

[chrisphilipps]

I see you are looking for end users of flatbed cutters and we sell and support the Summa F series cutters. I am not certain of your location but we can supply you names of four installs of units we have done in the tri-State area if you would like to speak with of them please private message me.

Thanks

Dave Philipps

 

[Adam Vreeke]

I can't say enough good things about Colex, look into them. and if you route a lot be sure to look at their 5hp router.

 

[Rohit Prasad]

Summa F series Flatbed cutters are the way to go.
We've had these since 2018 and they have never let us down.
Get a hold of
Airmark Corporation

(800) 527-7778

 

[edcooleyar]

We picked up a used Summa F1612 and it has worked flawlessly for 2 years now. After getting it, we don’t know how we got anything done without it.

 

[marsuni]

CHECK an IEcho Cutter too!!!

 

[greysquirrel]

I am looking to get a flat bed cutter and need recommendations for one.. There are horror stories on all the flat bed cutters out the with a simple search, so looking for recommendations from people who actually use them..

not sure what horror stories you are referring to, but it would help to know what type of materials you are primarily processing and how much space you will have...happy to offer suggestions but a bit lacking in your info

 

[CanuckSigns]

We have a summa F1612, and as a digital cutter it's pretty good, it doesn't take up a huge amount of space, it's quick and very simple to operate. The only downside is the router leaves much to be desired, the software that runs it is very primitive and you can't use regular CNC router software. If you are planning on processing lots of sheet goods, spring for a machine with a table at least as large as your sheets, the 1612 only had a working length of 47", which means there is a lot of advancing, re registering etc and sometimes the cuts don't always line up perfectly.

 

[victor bogdanov]

"budget" options that most here are using

Colex
Summa

Also cutworx machines look good, great price. The new magnetic drive looks cool

 

[JstevensonPrints]

Cutworx for sure is the better way to go. Great price point and they have great support

 

[Creative Sign Guy(s)]

Summa F series Flatbed cutters are the way to go.
We've had these since 2018 and they have never let us down.
Get a hold of
Airmark Corporation

Summa sucks, IMO. Good hardware but awful software. Not that Colex software is great, but it is more versatile.
Same with Summa cutter/plotters vs Graphtec. The summa cutters have better hardware(in some aspects), but their software is so limited I am forced to use my Graphtec for certain jobs. Also, the fact that standard summa plotter/cutters can not cut more then .25mm(~.010) thick material) without changing blades is absolutely absurd. It wastes time and money.

I would suggest avoiding Summa at all costs
TLDR: Summa is awful. Do NOT buy.

 

[WinGraphics]

I have the Summa 1832 which is the 6'x10' model with the High Frequency Router. The machine is very good....the software just ok. Zund would have been another $20,000. Zund is top of the line stuff. Hardware and software are outstanding.

That said, I am happy with my purchase. I've had the machine for 3 years.

 

[FireSprint.com]

Probably depends on your budget alot. We run Zunds and are pretty happy with them. There are many though.

 

[Pj lima]

Hello we rum a Esko kongsberg, and very happy with it, you should see it working, precision and fast and very nice software to

 

[White Haus]

We have a summa F1612, and as a digital cutter it's pretty good, it doesn't take up a huge amount of space, it's quick and very simple to operate. The only downside is the router leaves much to be desired, the software that runs it is very primitive and you can't use regular CNC router software. If you are planning on processing lots of sheet goods, spring for a machine with a table at least as large as your sheets, the 1612 only had a working length of 47", which means there is a lot of advancing, re registering etc and sometimes the cuts don't always line up perfectly.

As an other F1612 owner, I agree 100%.

Pros:
With barcode workflow, you can send down full rolls of media to kiss-cut then through-cut (or any other combination) and walk away
Mostly works well for kiss-cutting or through cutting vinyl, banner, coroplast etc.
Works okay for routing things like sintra and ACM, as long as you keep it in batches of 47" x 47"
Good price point/value for entry level cutter

Cons:
Small bed size is inconvenient for larger jobs, such as 4' x 8' sheets
"Segments" are not accurate and have very limited options to control where/how it breaks up jobs (Are you listening Summa...........you need to add the ability for users to edit where segments are!!)
Routing is very unpredictable.......you can document settings until the cows come home but try to run jobs consistently with those settings and you'll be pulling your hair out
GoProduce software crashes almost daily, and has a ton of bugs

After owning this thing for just over three years, there are days that I'm glad we have it and there are days that I wish we would've gotten something else. Definitely worth considering but make sure your expectations are realistic with this machine. It's not a Zund, but the price also reflects that.

 

[balstestrat]

GoProduce software crashes almost daily

Wow that was interesting. I don't think I've ever had it crash on me
But I haven't done routing so maybe that's it.

 

[Kbrecken]

I am looking to get a flat bed cutter and need recommendations for one.. There are horror stories on all the flat bed cutters out the with a simple search, so looking for recommendations from people who actually use them..

Zund G3 48x96, Esko Kongsberg XL-44 84x120, I have both and will probably replace them in 2024 with a Multicam Celero 7,

 

[ProColorGraphics]

We have a summa F1612, and as a digital cutter it's pretty good, it doesn't take up a huge amount of space, it's quick and very simple to operate. The only downside is the router leaves much to be desired, the software that runs it is very primitive and you can't use regular CNC router software. If you are planning on processing lots of sheet goods, spring for a machine with a table at least as large as your sheets, the 1612 only had a working length of 47", which means there is a lot of advancing, re registering etc and sometimes the cuts don't always line up perfectly.

I agree with this. I like the user interface of GoProduce, but it was WAY to limited and lacking features. I ended up buying the full version of Optiscout. Which is like an unlocked version of SummaFlex. I like it WAY better. When I first got it and needed some small changes, the tech from Europe logged in with TeamViewer and updated them right on the spot.

 

[CanuckSigns]

I agree with this. I like the user interface of GoProduce, but it was WAY to limited and lacking features. I ended up buying the full version of Optiscout. Which is like an unlocked version of SummaFlex. I like it WAY better. When I first got it and needed some small changes, the tech from Europe logged in with TeamViewer and updated them right on the spot.

What options are you able to do in optiscout that you couldn't do in goproduce?

There are a few small things that I think could be improved in goproduce, most have to do with the router, I wish there was a way to have the machine pause after it finishes routing, before it advances so you could pick the finished parts off the bed before they fall to the floor, and the ability to do 3D carving would be nice.