CS Labels has invested in a Grafisk Maskinfabrik (GM) laser cutter, designed to speed up short print runs of printed labels by removing the need for a physical die.
The cutter is the first of its kind from GM to be installed in the UK and its specification was commissioned by CS Labels. It was officially unveiled at the Xeikon Cafe event hosted at CS Labels’ manufacturing facility on 17 June. It will be used to cut printed labels to any size and shape using its powerful laser, including very technical, decorative, perforated or metallic labels.
Managing director Simon Smith, said, ‘At CS Labels we are now making very good headway capturing the accounts of longer print runs as people make the switch from flexographic printing to digital. The market is changing rapidly. However, we still also focus on shorter runs, which are super-quick with digital and can also be great for promotional marketing campaigns to enhance your brand.’
‘We specified our special requirements as regards the laser cutter to GM and they came back with a very nice piece of machinery, designed to speed up the finishing aspect for some of these shorter run label jobs. Efficiency is a large part of our growth plan, optimising the order-to-delivery lifecycle as much as we can for the customer, but without compromising on quality in any way; the cutter assists this. It is a compliment to our new fast Xeikon CX-3 press. Set up times are extremely fast and the machine can also properly cut peel and reveal labels which are traditionally difficult to cut with a laser.’
Uffe Nielsen, director of GM, said, ‘The laser cutter is truly high end. Laser technology is advancing constantly and this model is scalable to match the requirements of CS Labels as they continue to grow. This laser cutter works instantly, with no need for separate tooling; you just drop in a file or choose a pre-set template and you are ready to go… seconds later you have accurate, attractively shaped printed labels.’
The investment comes shortly after the company announced its manufacturing facility expansion to include a high level BRC (British Retail Consortium) accredited zone for food labels and packaging.
