|
Established in 1998 by Cyrus Norton and Ray Turner in a garage housing just one printer, two computers and a workbench, Digital Factory now operates out of two busy sites totalling 6,500ft2 and employs a staff of 12. The company provides sign and graphics solutions, primarily to the point-of-sale, exhibition and special event markets, using processes including digital printing, vinyl cutting, lamination and cardboard engineering.
Tighter price constraints and increasingly shorter lead times highlighted the need to machine more work in-house to sustain decent margins and support future growth.
Cyrus Norton explained: "At Digital Factory we can process much of the work on our digital cutting table but have increasingly been asked to manufacture products involving acrylic, aluminium composite materials like Dibond, medium-density fibreboard and laminates. For this reason, we purchased an AXYZ 6010 CNC router incorporating the machine's optional Automatic Tool Change (ATC) facility to enable us to handle these materials in-house and also to allow us to switch seamlessly between cutting, V-grooving, bevelling and drilling to precise tolerances using the ATC system."
The router features an 810mm table height and 3,048mm by 2,095mm processing area. ATC is designed to provide an easy, convenient way of processing work requiring multiple tooling, via an eight-position carousel. Sixteen tools are available in every cutting file, with one-to-eight accessed automatically without operator intervention and nine-to-16 used manually. With ATC, the correct tools are always selected for each task, thus ensuring optimum engineering and product quality.
Digital Factory also opted for Delcam's ArtCAM Insignia CNC routing and engraving software. Coincidentally, the software is supplied by AXYZ as an alternative program to its standard Toolpath offering.
Cyrus Norton continued regarding the quality of the technical support provided by the AXYZ team: "From the original sale of the machine through to installation and after-sales support, and notwithstanding the knowledge gained on this kind of machinery through use for a number of years of a digital cutting table, the service provided by AXYZ can simply be described as excellent."
Cyrus Norton concluded by stating the most likely addition to the existing machine would be the Intelligent Cutting System (ICS). This cut-to-print facility incorporates the new I-Cut compensation algorithm technology to improve accuracy when processing both digitally printed media and thicker sign-making substrates. It also features I-Script workflow communication to allow connectivity with all industry-leading digital printers and RIPs.
- Fire Ratings : What does fire resistan...
- You're fired: printing on glass
- Join the computer-to-screen revolution
- Textile printing wear it with pride
- Calling all screen printers, help requ...
- Screen printing for the masses
- Finishing with ease
- Automated Screen Production : Embracin...
- Screen printing cleans up
- Open door to binding
How many of your customers have asked about the carbon footprint of your printing service?
- 28 - 29 January, 2009
International PROMOTA Show - Birmingham - 28 - 29 January, 2009
Trade Only National Show - Coventry - 01 - 03 March, 2009
Printwear & Promotion 2009 - Birmingham - 28 - 30 April, 2009
Sign & Digital UK - Birmingham
