Vivid Laminating showed upgraded versions of its Matrix laminators at Fespa 2013 and at Ipex, with pneumatic rollers and duplex capabilities being added. City Printing has been one of the first to try them out.
Sophie Pearson says she has never come across a machine upgrade as thorough as the one that Vivid Laminating Technologies has performed on its Matrix laminating systems over the last year or so. The manufacturer claims that the Matrixes are Europe’s best-selling single-sided laminator, but the upgraded versions – premiered at Fespa 2013 and then shown at Ipex – are now capable of duplex laminating, and also now have pneumatic rollers, which bring a number of benefits for users.
City Printing, where Ms Pearson is office manager and graphic designer, is one such customer, having purchased the first generation Matrix MX-530 when it was launched five years ago. It proved to be a good machine, but when the duplex and pneumatic version was viewed at Ipex this year, the time was ripe to modernise.
‘They have covered literally every base with this upgrade,’ she told Digital Printer. ‘The new machine (Matrix MX-530DP) has pneumatic rollers so you get a lot more pressure on the rollers, and more even coverage. There is a roll at top and at the bottom, so you can laminate both sides at once, and that doubles productivity so we can do a lot more before we have to outsource.
‘It also runs all the laminating films a lot better than the old one did, and that has meant that our costs are a quarter of what they were. We do a lot of digital print, and you had to use really expensive film, but with this new machine we can use normal OPP film which is much cheaper, and the finish is so much better. That has made a big difference with cost, and the machine pays for itself.’
The small 30-plus year old family company, based in north London, is very much in favour of keeping as much work, and therefore control, in-house as possible. The client base ranges from local businesses to blue chips such as Audi and BMW. The work is general commercial print, from one-offs, through personalised print, to huge runs, with both digital and litho within its armoury. It takes pride in offering a personal service that incorporates advising customers on ways to give their printed items more impact and make them less costly.
Currently around 20 to 30% of work goes through the Matrix laminator. It is quick and easy to set up, with electronic controls. The OPP film is thinner, enabling a greater amount of film on a single roll, so it requires to be changed less frequently, again improving productivity. The system also has a counter on it now – a small addition maybe, but a useful one, according to operator Martin Burling, who said:
‘It helps us to schedule, because you know how quickly you are going. It seems like a silly little thing but it makes a big difference because if you are in the middle of a job and someone needs to know when the next job can go on, the only other way to judge it is by comparing pile heights – the ones you’ve done against those still to do.’
The duplex Matrix went in during July and by the start of October more than 10,000 sheets had already gone through it. Additional new options such as an extra stacker tray and an automatic feeder are also being considered now. Overall, the benefits have come from increased productivity and reduced cost. Ms Pearson said the relationship with Vivid was also a factor.
‘It ticked all the boxes. Turnaround is quicker and costs are less. Laminating both sides at once halves the production time, and you can run it a lot faster and not worry about any problems. The laminating film being so much cheaper has allowed us to do more work in-house – work that we might have said no to because of time constraints. I have never come across an upgrade so thorough.
‘We went back to Vivid because the first Matrix was so good, and because their engineers are incredibly useful – you can call them about all sorts of questions. Once we find a company that we know does good work, we stick with them.’
