Flatbed Plotters: What Materials They Cut?

The success and appeal of flatbed plotters have been on the rise in recent years. These cutters have many different features and are available in a wide range of formats.

 

Flatbed plotters are called "flatbed" because, in contrast to roller plotters, they use a beam to move the tool over the material, rather than allowing the material to move under the beam, and place the same material on a flat surface.

 

The main feature of these machines is that they allow the operator to cut multiple substrates without using a traditional die cutter. Thus, these machines process the raw material by giving it a defined shape. There can be precise shapes for different types of applications: depending on the capacity of each machine, the raw material can be turned into boxes, stickers, signs, or many other applications.

  Vinyl Plotter

Flatbed plotters are distinguished mainly by the applications they can implement. The applications are decisive because they define the reference market for a single model.

 

Another essential element that helps to distinguish the type of plotter is the tools that can be installed on these machines. In fact, the tools are very important in determining the applications that a plotter can perform and how they can be performed.

 

People often mistakenly believe that size is the most important factor. To be honest, this is the last aspect we should consider when evaluating a plotter. First, we should make sure that the plotter is capable of handling the material we want to work with. The choice of machine size will be closely related to the size of the material to be handled and, if printing, to the capacity and maximum print size that can be achieved.

 

Another factor that determines the type of digital plotter is the software application. This is not because the machine does not have them, but because they are able to manage multiple file formats, which in a way will also determine the work that will be done.

 

If we receive a . DXF file, it is more likely that we are dealing with the world of material cutting and modeling. Finally, there are specific files from third-party programs that are not part of the machines on the market and may have proprietary formats.

 

 Vinyl Plotter

Flatbed plotters: what materials they cut

Flatbed plotters can cut different types of materials. The workability of the material is closely related to the choice of tools with which the machine is equipped.

 

However, flatbed plotters are often used to work with soft materials such as paper, cardboard, adhesives, fabrics, foams and all those materials that have a low resistance to processing.

 

When we talk about these materials, we can distinguish between those that can be cut with a drag knife, an oscillating knife or a rotary knife.

 

In terms of hardness, the most difficult material to cut is PVC Forex®, which is the upper limit of what a flatbed plotter can process.

 

Usually, the flatbed plotter not only makes the cut, but in the case of boxes, a second tool is needed to make the crease, or in the case of adhesives, a half cut. materials more suited to the signage market such as Alu-dibond, high-density Forex®, Lexan or Plexiglas, MDF, etc. require an additional cutter.

 

As you may have guessed, there are many options and customization possibilities for each specific business need.

How To Choose A Flatbed Cutter?

The art of cutting doesn't need to be complicated, time-catching, or expensive. With current flatbed cutting machine technology, you can easily achieve a higher level of finishing. In this article, we will introduce you to the configuration of a flatbed cutter and how to choose a flatbed cutter.

The flatbed cutter is ideally suited for designer and prototyping in offset printing, digital printing, packaging industry, road sign production, stone, and glass sandblasting, and etching. Flatbed cutters use a large, flat work surface and XY cutting head for cutting, creasing, embossing, scrap stripping, and blank separation of materials such as paper, vinyl, cardboard, textiles, glass, and other materials.

Print Media

Configuration of a flatbed cutter

The exact configuration of the flatbed cutter will vary from application to application, but relatively speaking, the elements that may be present are: flatbed cutter

• Feeder or loader: uses a suction head or pushes the system to transport the paper from the stack to the machine feed

• Feeder: controls each sheet and aligns it to the cutting tool using mechanical or dynamic alignment

• Platen section: This section combines the cutting die and the cutting plate under pressure. The sheet is sandwiched between them and the sheet can be punched, creased or embossed, depending on the application or the substrate

• Stripping section: Internal waste, and sometimes side and rear trim is removed using an upper stripping tool, central stripping board, and sometimes in lower stripping pins

• Blank separation section: This unit pushes individual cartons from the sheet, creating a pile of flat blanks ready for further processing or for transfer to the customer. A blank separation unit has its own delivery unit

• Delivery: On machines with no blank separation section, the delivery creates either a pile of full sheets or of blanks attached to each other by nicks.

• Blank separation section: This unit pushes individual cartons out of the sheet to form a pile of flat blanks ready for further processing or transfer to the customer. The blank separation unit has its own transfer unit

• Delivery: On machines without a blank separation section, delivery produces a pile of complete sheets or blanks interconnected by indentations.

Flatbed Digital Cutter

 

How to choose a flatbed cutter?

Jobs come in all sizes - in all sizes - and they all require proper finishing. However, whether it's a small, complex job or one that's larger than its actual size, it takes a lot of time, effort, and skill to complete by hand. This is where a flatbed cutter can "come in handy" and save you not only valuable time but also money.

 

With the current technology, you can get excellent accuracy with automatic cutting systems. A flatbed cutter will be your best bet, especially if you want to cut a wide variety of substrates and applications. Gunner's range of flatbed cutter sizes can work for everyone, so how do you decide which size is best for your type of business?

 

Ask yourself the following questions.

What is your core business; are you focused on a specific application or as many applications as possible?

How much flexibility do you want to have in providing new applications/solutions?

What are the material sizes you handle most often?

How much money do you want to invest?

How much space do you have for a flatbed cutter?

Is there anything else you'd like to consider?

If you need personal advice to help you make a decision, don't hesitate to contact our experienced sales team.

For more information about the advantages of flatbed cutters, welcome to contact us.