Substrate trimmer/cutter

[ChiknNutz]

As we are considering a flatbed printer, I also want to find out what some of you are using for cutting moderate amounts of substrates? Example, you print 25-4x8 sheets of coroplast (or aluminum or dibond or ???) and need to dice those up into 6" x 24" pieces. That's a lot of pieces when done. Sure, you CAN do it by hand, but that's not preferred. So, what sort of equipment is used for something of this quantity, that is repeatable and fairly easy to use? Seems like maybe a shear would make some sense here. What do the larger screen-printers use?

 

[iSign]

panel saw

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

Get yourself an old seabold paper cutter at least 48 inch wide, it goes through cor-x like paper, you can buy em dirt cheap but they way a ton.

 

[TonyHoles]

Fletcher 3000 is excellent but not cheap. If you see yourself cutting lots of stuff in the future, they are great.

 

[ChiknNutz]

I have considered a panel saw for some time now, but is it easy enough to setup and use for moderate quantities. I've never used one, but have researched them a lot. Just seems a bit cumbersome for jobs of this nature. I've also looked at the Fletcher and I'm just not seeing good production capacity, but I may be all wet there.

 

[wildside]

panel saws are very easy to use...however, coro doesn't cut so well, when the blade gets hot

for repeatative cutting of materials, a stomp shear is the way to go

 

[PressPrintGraphics]

We use a saw-trax for the large sheets (4'x8') etc., then a table saw to cut it down to smaller size.

 

[GB2]

Well, one thing that is designed to be used with flatbed printing these days is the registration cutting feature on routers but that is a whole 'nother thing. As far as the panel saw is concerned, it is a great tool for general cutting of sheet material and I would encourage you to consider it for substrate cutting but I can't imagine that it would be practical for the printed substrate that you are trying to cut. The alignment, accuracy and finish just wouldn't be there. Though I don't know for a fact, but I believe you are correct that large printers are using large shear/die cutting equipment, not at all practical for you to consider on a small scale. I would certainly start out consulting the flatbed printer company you are considering and asking them what their solution would be. They need to have good answers if they want to sell you their equipment. The table based cutters may be a good idea such as the Keen cutter, etc. Though that manual process doesn't seem like the thing to do, sometimes you find that there is no magic solution and that type of process is the one that works.

 

[chopper]

I think you would be best off with a shear,
I have seen a few that will fit the bill fairly cheap, you can go with the stop shear, or a hydraulic one, I have even seen an air powered on that worked great, but you would have to go to a panel saw for the nudo and mdo stuff
//chopper

 

[Techman]

a shear will crush coro

 

[d fleming]

I use the fletcher terry for foamcore, 4mm coro, styrene, etc. Panel saw for pvc. 10mm coro, mdo. Aluminum I use a 4' stomp shear. Pressure sensitive and paper we have a challenger hydraulic paper shear. Right tool for the job each time or you will not get professional edges.