Heidelberg has added a rotary die-cutting feature to its Speedmaster XL 105 press. Dubbed the XL 105-DD, the machine was launched at the company’s Print Media Center’s Label Days in Wiesloch-Walldorf.
While the company previously offered flatbed die-cutting in the form of Varimatrix and Dymatrix, both technologies were based on a flatbed die-cutting procedure. The new system uses a rotary system, for greater speed. Heidelberg says the Speedmaster XL 105-DD system is well-suited for processing labels using foil materials. Whereas flatbed systems can process labels measuring up to 400mm, whereas a rotary system is not faced with this limitation.
Heidelberg also claims tooling savings of 50 percent over flatbed systems and a makeready time of only 15 minutes, compared to up to five hours using flatbed. This is because the inline rotary system does not require a separate adjustment process to ensure alignment.
The XL 105-DD system can die-cut labels at speeds up to 10,000 sheets per hour. The die-cutting cylinder is fitted with a clamping system that is identical to that of the coating blanket cylinder. The process of changing the die-cutting plate is semi-automated in that the clamping process is performed manually, while the press positioning and pressing roller functions are automated.
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