Duplo has unveiled the DC-648 slitter/cutter/creaser, a new Industry 4.0 enabled cutting solution that the manufacturer says has been ‘engineered to enhance real productivity’ via a number of enhancements over its predecessor.
The new machine can handle uncoated, coated, laminated and UV-coated stocks in weights ranging from 110 to 400gsm. It can process up to 40ppm, dropping to 38ppm when its camera is turned on, up from 30 and 22ppm respectively on the DC-646. A wider range of applications is supported and the camera now reads additional print marks and can correct automatically for skew and shrinkage. A 90mm elevator card stacker replaces the 646’s 600mm drop-style stacker.
The cutter itself has been completely redesigned and now features tungsten carbide tips that can be re-sharpened. The resulting improvement in durability means that the DC-648 is rated for 3 million cuts, almost double the 1.6 million offered by the DC-646. Furthermore, any job requiring up and down creasing can be run in one pass on the new machine, meaning that it can produce applications such as high-quality Z-leaflets or book jackets. Its PC controller software has also been updated to be more intuitive and easier to use.
The DC-648 has been designed so that a single operator can carry out multiple finishing processes in one pass. Duplo says that it offers improved speed, durability and versatility, but that it is the increased automation, ease of use and connectivity that really makes the machine stand out. The DC-648 software has been enhanced to become Industry 4.0 enabled, supporting data capture which can in turn be used by the customer’s MIS.
Peter Dyson, product marketing manager at Duplo International, explained, ‘Constant advances in technology and trends in the wider society, make today’s print environment a challenging place, where the printer that stands still is soon overtaken by the competition. The previous addition to the range was the DC-618 in 2020, our smallest solution to help users transfer short runs to digital colour presses. The DC-648 is our latest platform packed with new features to help a user grow their production volume of a wide variety of quality colour print, capturing a bigger slice of profit. Looking beyond treating running speed crudely as a key attribute, Duplo has added features to support Industry 4.0, as well as increased integration with EFI Fiery workflows where job set-up of the Duplo can be driven directly from EFI Impose, creating a very efficient process that has many of the benefits of JDF finishing without the high costs of implementation.’
