There is plenty of value to be found in Kama’s ProCut 76 finishing die cutter, even before the hot foil stamping option is factored in. The B2 format is of increasing interest to digital printers in the age of a press such as the HP Indigo 10000 (though the ProCut 53 will perhaps be sufficient for those sticking to B3).

It has the capability to die cut and crease short run jobs (perhaps as few as 100 sheets, or 50 for a repeat job) with extreme cut and registration accuracy. And it can process a wide range of products such as cartons, presentation folders, wallets, CD pockets, packaging materials, window displays, cardboard toys, book covers, and promotional badges. Kiss-cut applications such as stickers, inspection tags, and labels are also possible.

It is in fact a multifaceted finishing system that can deliver ten different applications within a single machine, if the options are all utilised; these are: cutting, creasing, perforating, kiss-cutting, cold embossing, Braille embossing, hot foil stamping, combined hot foil stamping and embossing, hologram stamping and hot cutting for plastic materials. 

When the hot foil stamping option is taken, the ProCut 76 is equipped with a heated cutting chase and servo-driven unwinding/rewinding systems for the foil web. ‘It’s a great added value benefit for security and decoration on any printed product,’ said John Harrison of Friedheim International.

‘There’s a definite skill required by the operator; they’re looking for quality, and to make certain adjustments in the heat and the pressure to get the correct application of the foil to the paper or board. We have trained people to do that kind of work before, it’s an acquired skill.’

The hot foil stamping option can also be retrofitted to the ProCut machine, if a company decides to add that at a later stage, with usually a two-day retrofit. During operation, changeover between the heated and the standard chases takes less than 10 minutes. Two further aspects of the system make the Kama ProCut 76 a potentially attractive postpress addition for digital print operations.

These are the Stripping Blanking Unit (SBU), and the AutoRegister system.

The SBU is an option which allows users to strip away the die cut waste and to separate the die cut blanks from one another. Combined with a system of timed air blast and rollers, both internal and external waste can be stripped away from the die cut sheet.

‘The real benefit of this is that to achieve a fully stripped and separated blank no special tooling is required. With the SBU it’s not necessary, you don’t need that additional cost for the stripping unit and blanking tools, which are very expensive, and not cost effective for short run work.’

AutoRegister provides for high-end finishing in any workflow. It is another new option for ProCut 53 and ProCut 76 machines, which aligns each sheet with an accuracy of 0.1 mm to a printing mark. A camera detects the sheet position while the sheet is held by the gripper, and any deviations in the position of the printed image from sheet to sheet are corrected immediately by two servo motors, both in and across the direction of sheet travel (X and Y direction). This option makes it possible to process digitally printed sheets and sheets which have already been cut after printing while maintaining high register accuracy.

‘This is a unique workflow solution for digital print and with these new added innovations like SBU and AutoRegister it is ideally suited both for B3 and B2 format digital printers,’ said Mr Harrison. ‘With the hot foil stamping option as well, users can bring great added value to the printed product.’

Friedheim International confirms that Kama GmbH intends to show the B3 version of the ProCut 76 with foil stamping, SBU and AutoRegister at the Dscoop meeting in Rome, 6 to 8 November 2013.