Laser die cutting: to promote the digitalization of the entire process of printing and packaging
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The application of laser die-cutting in post-press processing is not new. Ten years ago, when I was working in a well-known die-cutting and laser equipment manufacturing company in the industry, I used laser die-cutting for carton proofing. Since Haike Beam laser die-cutting technology has made a stunning appearance in drupa2016, and recently it has landed in a printing company in Dongguan, laser die-cutting has become a hot topic in the industry. Here, in the bold assumption of the principle of careful verification, the author on the laser die-cutting application and improvement direction, talk about personal insights.
Advantages of laser die cutting
Laser die cutting is a thermal cutting method that replaces a die-cutting steel knife with a focused laser beam. The slits and joints of the product are manufactured by continuous and broken pulses. It has two working modes: one is the vector path, the spot is cut along the product die-cut profile; the other is the progressive scan, which realizes the movement of the spot in different directions through the galvanometer system (that is, the motor drives the lens at high speed to realize the progressive scan). ). Both modes are used in laser die-cutting machines used in the packaging and printing industry.
The advantages of laser die cutting are obvious compared to conventional die cutting methods.
1. Removed restrictions on product design
Laser die cutting removes product design constraints, such as 0.3mm diameter holes and dense hollow designs. In the past, similar structural designs were either limited by mold making or limited by the waste-cleaning process, and laser die-cutting not only made it easy to break through these limitations, but also without mechanical pressure cutting to avoid tearing and stripping of the product.
2. Save the production cost and production time of the die cutting tool
In the traditional die-cutting method, the die-cutting plate and the supporting tools are required to be produced for a certain period of time, ranging from one day (laser die, resin base die, scrap version, etc.), for many days (sandwich steel mold, box mold, etc.) Production), which is not good for orders with fast delivery requirements; in terms of cost, the cost of die-cutting tools in traditional die-cutting ranges from several hundred yuan to several tens of thousands (depending on the requirements, quantity and type of mold) ), and laser die cutting consumes only a mixture of gases in the process (in fact, for long-term orders like cigarette packets, the cost of die-cutting and its plate making time is also insignificant).
3. Optimized the debugging mold program
In the traditional die-cutting method, mold debugging is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also has strict requirements on the technical proficiency of workers. Laser die cutting is a digital process that is simple to modify or edit and can be done on the device in just a few minutes.
4. Eliminate mold and maintenance replacement procedures
In traditional die-cutting, the pressure change of the machine and the service life of the mold will affect the state of the mold, such as the blade broken eagle, chipping, blunting, etc., which need to be replaced or maintained regularly, which not only increases the labor intensity of the workers, but also improves the production. Cost also reduces production efficiency. The laser die cutting eliminates the program and increases the production efficiency.
5. Breaking through the bottleneck of special products
The traditional die-cutting method always has a process bottleneck for the stripping of extremely designed products (such as the 0.3 mm diameter hole point and dense hollow design mentioned above). Laser die-cutting or cutting or etching can be done easily.
6. Removed mold inventory pressure
Traditional molds not only have the cumbersome work of inventory, maintenance, and management, but also have the risk of finding troubles and mistaking when used repeatedly. Laser die cutting is for repetitive orders, and job data is saved as a file without pressure from inventory.
Insufficient laser die cutting
Of course, everything has two sides. Laser die-cutting is not all good for the traditional die-cutting. There are still some areas for improvement, and some are not tolerable in certain products.
1. The incision is yellowish (black) with residue
Since laser die cutting is hot cutting (ie, blown or blown), it is inevitable that there will be residue left in the slit, so the slit is yellow or black (depending on the paper fiber), which is on a specific package. Never allowed, such as food packaging, medicine bags, cigarette packets, etc.
2. The slit is inclined, not vertical
As mentioned above, the working mode of laser die-cutting is divided into two types: vector path and progressive scan. Although the laser beam is cut along the vector path, although the slit is vertical, its speed is far from being able to meet the needs of high-speed die-cutting. The progressive scanning of high-speed die-cutting inevitably has a cutting angle (the thicker the printing material, the more obvious the inclination of the slit), and the same product at different positions on the printed sheet, the incision angles are inconsistent, which is automatic for consistency requirements. Packaging or packaging that has vertical requirements for product cuts is unacceptable.
3. The indentation effect is not full
For a long time, one of the main factors restricting the application of laser die cutting in actual production is that the indentation effect is not good. Even today's Haike, its patented technology DART - digital viscose indentation control technology can not reach The full effect of the traditional indented steel wire and the bottom mold groove. Moreover, in the Haike DART process, the digital indentation line is written on the DART film of the machine, and the corresponding indentation pad and the digital indentation are formed by the physical pressure between the upper and lower axes by the indentation line and the traditional indentation. The line is also far from the crease stiffness, and can not meet the needs of the robotic arm of the automatic packaging machine.
4. Efficiency needs to be improved
The efficiency of laser die-cutting has been repeatedly criticized by the industry. The initial laser die-cutting uses a vector path mode of operation, and its efficiency is of course less than expected. Even if the speed of the Haike Beam is now 5000 sheets/hour, there is still a big gap compared with the speed of the traditional die-cutting of 6500-7000 sheets/hour.
5. Impact on the environment
As mentioned before, laser die cutting is thermal cutting (ie, blown or blown), and combustion fumes are inevitable. Although the indoor suction system can be used to make indoors free of smoke, its pollution to the outdoor atmosphere is indeed Objective existence. Today, when everyone talks about environmental protection, this puts pressure on the company's carbon emissions and environmental assessment.
In short, the author believes that the laser die-cutting technology is feasible, the key technology is still not mature, and it is still in the trial stage, and there is still a certain distance from the mainstream production. It is a necessary supplement to the traditional die-cutting method, rather than subverting the revolution. Its most important significance is to realize the digitalization and intelligence of the whole process of the printing industry, and open up the Internet + printing and packaging (especially online personalized orders). The final barrier is also of great significance to packaging and printing companies that are currently based on short-run jobs. Packaging and printing companies should choose whether to use this type of die-cutting method according to their own needs, attitudes, and caution.