Digital production is born of the industry’s requirement for short run, on-demand labels. While digital imaging technology enables the printing, the new iTech Centra HS digital system provides the means of converting short runs with custom shapes and quick delivery.
A star turn at the Holmesglen digital label demonstration was the new iCentra HS label finishing equipment. The impressive utility machine, which has proved very popular with the buyers of the AccurioLabel 190, allows label printers and converters to die cut any custom shape on demand, without the inherent costs, delays and limitations of more conventional die cutting processes.
The US-made iCentra HS is a high speed roll-to-roll digital converting system that enables users to laminate, die cut, strip and slit custom labels in one production pass. It can create shapes right from Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw using the same vector file that would normally be sent out for die manufacture.
Using the branded optical registration system, multiple registration marks can be scanned to automatically adjust the cut file compensating for any skew or scale issues that may have been caused by the output device or the material. The cutter is also capable of cutting multiple depths within the same cut file, allowing for perforations or multi-layer applications.
The compact machine can convert printed materials from most digital or analogue print platforms including inkjet, thermal printers and conventional flexo presses. With no need for dies or make readies the iTech Centra HS virtually eliminates waste, delivering true on-demand converting capabilities.
The machine has been on the market in Australia for some years, but seems to have been ahead of its time. The arrival of the AccurioLabel 190 has kickstarted interest with more being sold in the past year than in all the previous ones. The combination appeals to label convertors who want a short-run digital output, as well as small, vertically integrated industries looking to brand their own production.