Product Watch: Megtec and Zund

The Made in India story is the cynosure of everybody’s interest. Adding to it is Megtec’s AR35-I flying splicer (Hall 11 / Stall G-42). Originally a product of Megtec Sweden, which has over 1000 installations worldwide, saw its ‘Made in India’ launch in 2009 and since then the Indian version has had over 150 installations.

 

Megtec flaunts its flying splicer AR35-I to newspaper and book printers as a compact, yet robust kit, which allows installing and running in limited space.

With a capacity to handle reels up to 1070-mm (42-inch) diameter, the splicer is designed for right angle installation, basement or inline to press.

 

Its USP, according to Vivekanand Kulkarni, manager – sales, at Megtec Systems India, is that it is shaftless and hence does not require any mechanical connection with the printing machine. This makes the installation and retrofitting an easy job.

 

The AR35-I features splicing speed of 25-400 m/min. Kulkarni says, “Even with web speeds of 400m/min, there is more than enough time to remove old reel and load the new. And the dancing roller system holds web tension constant, even during splicing.”

 

This medium investment equipment is equipped with control system attached to disc brake. This is necessary in order to ensures tension in paper web is constantly held at preset value, irrespective of reel size and web speed.

 

Kulkarni says, “The focus is on reducing wastage of paper and also that of production time. The increased productivity offered by the machine is realised with its automatic feature, eliminating the need for manual roll changes.”

 

With this product the company has laid a special emphasis on ergonomics of the machine. The new reel is loaded at floor, plus the reel preparation is simple with double-sided tape and splice indicator. Also, the reel shaft is lightweight and expandable.

 

The key users in India include Amar Ujala Group, Lokmat Group, Pratidini Publications, Kolkata and Makkal Kural, Chennai plus book printers.

 

SPECIFICATIONS

Max web width 914mm

Max reel diameter 1070mm

Max reel capacity 1070mm+500mm

Splicing speed 25-400m/min (80- 1300ft/min)

Max reel weight 900kg

 

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The Swiss manufacturer of digital cutting tables, Zund, impressed visitors with its high performance S3 M 800 cutting table on the first day of PrintPack 2015 (Hall 9/ Stall E-23). The machine is suitable for graphic arts, packaging, leather, textile and many other segments.

 

Prasanna Venkatesh, general manager, Zund India, said, “The machine was launched in 2012. Its modular tooling and material-handling systems make it easy to tailor S3 system to specific cutting needs of different business segments.”

 

In India alone, this star product has seen four installations at RR Donnelly, Padma Prints, Metallic Impressions and Orion; since Zund made direct presence in India in 2013. 

During the demonstration, PrintPack Daily observed that the machine comes with a retrofitted compact colour camera, which helps in reverse creasing and cutting of sheets especially helpful for corrugation.

 

The cutting table can be equipped with add-ons so as to automate the feeding and delivery, on a pendulum production model. The loading and unloading occurs on one side, while cutting continues without interruption on the other. It can also handle boards in sheet and roll forms as per the job requirement.

 

“This setup increases workflow efficiency, keeps idle time to a minimum and maximises throughput. It is thrice as fast as its counterparts in the market with a maximum speed of 1.4 mtrs/sec,” Venkatesh added. The USP of the machine is the automated positioning system, where boards/sheets are manually loaded onto the rear cutter extension. The material transport system then moves the boards into the cutting zone, and processing begins.

 

The M-800 cutting table can handle maximum sheet size of 1330x800 mm. The kit can be equipped with a special vinyl advance system. “It makes the S3 cutting system the perfect cutter for vinyl and other foil-cutting applications. Central to this configuration is the vacuum plate designed especially for kiss-cutting,” said Venkatesh.

SPECIFICATIONS

Maximum size 1330x800 mm

Maximum speed 1.4 metre per second

Maximum material thickness 25mm

Operating temperature 10 - 35 degree Celsius