Intec SC6000
Intec has produced a new digital sheet cutting machine to fit into its range of digital cutting equipment. Brian Sims finds out what there is to know about this new kit, from its dual tool head to small footprint
Principal consultant, Metis Print Consultancy
Wednesday, 08 Mar 2023 13:20 GMT
The SC6000 is capable of kiss-cutting and profiling materials up to 320 microns in thickness
Sharp in looks and operation
Intec has a wide range of sheet-fed and flatbed digital cutting equipment, and the company has come back to present a new version of the combination digital cutting machines, the SC6000. The earlier model, the SC5000 was a well-received product that has gained plaudits over time for being a novel combination of flatbed and sheet-fed processes.
The SC6000 has been redesigned with a new sharp overall look with a better working height than the SC5000 at 1,240mm high in total. The digital cutting equipment is capable of kiss-cutting and profiling materials up to 320 microns in thickness at nearly one metre per second (960mm/min).
The machine is designed to fit into a busy factory with a footprint no more than a desk but a work rate of many. The SC6000 is designed to be left unattended running quietly but reliably with a feeder table able to feed card, vinyl, and even laminated sheets which are difficult to run.
The feeder can hold up to 900 sheets of material and to ensure it can be left running on its own, Intec has designed a very reliable feed mechanism. The feeder automatically rises and falls depending on the substrate within it and as the sheet separates, there is an automatic air stream that blows into the stack separating each sheet from the other.
The feeder automatically rises and falls depending on the substrate within it and as the sheet separates, there is an automatic air stream that blows into the stack separating each sheet from the other”
At the front of the stack, there is an air blade that fires a powerful jet of air into the front of the stack at the point when the automatic vacuum table drops to collect the sheet. To finally ensure reliable single sheet collection, there are a series of fingers that dislodge any sheet not intended to be lifted.
All in all, Intec has considered a series of points on the most troublesome aspect of printing or post-press production – substrate feeding – meaning the SC6000 can be safely left alone.
At the heart of the machine is a cutting engine that can hold four cutting blades in a dual tool head.
At the heart of the machine is a cutting engine that can hold four cutting blades in a dual tool head
A 30° 1mm blade is intended to be used for thin and very soft material, a 45° 1mm blade for thin card up to 0.35mm, a 60° 1mm blade for thick vinyl, and finally a 1.5mm blade with a 45° angle which is intended to be used on thicker card-based products up to 0.35mm.
The 1mm blades are made of cemented Tungsten Carbide which is one of the sharpest cutting materials used with the 1.5mm blades made of industrial high-speed steel.
Cutting with force
The knives themselves will be of little use unless they can be applied and driven both accurately and effectively.
The SC6000 cutting engine places a force of up to 750g to each knife when needed for both cutting and creasing applications. What is most important is how the blades are driven and this as with a number of other Intec products is completed by the Intec ColorCut Pro software.
The ColorCut Pro software in the SC6000 automatically applies greater or lesser pressure whenever and wherever it is needed to produce the final first-class product.
Whilst the blades are driven accurately around the vector path to scope out the shape needed, underneath the substrate is the patented technology consisting of the revolutionary cutting strip, technology taken directly from the flatbed equipment.
Intec has invested heavily in this area of the cutting engine. It is vitally important to have an optimal surface for the kiss-cutting or creasing and the SC6000 has this. The cutting surface drives the substrate throughout the cutting engine with what Intec calls a Grip and Drive feed system holding the sheet on both sides but at a position that allows cutting almost up to the edge of the sheet.
SmartMarks technology
Being able to feed sheet after sheet with surety it will not fail, the star factor of the SC6000 is the continued use of the Intec SmartMarks technology. Each sheet has a QR code printed on it which is scanned as the sheet is fed into the cutting engine by a clever Vision3 camera with an 8th-generation HD sensor reading either a black or white barcode. This latest generation of the sensor has enhanced sensitivity and is capable of reading white ink on even dark substrates.
The Vision3 reads the relevant file from the job library for each sheet and automatically translates the data drawn down to complete the profile needed for the job for the sheet in question even if it is 180° out of position, and for each sheet or 900 of the same sheet. Change one sheet halfway through the stack, and SmartMarks recognises the change and alters the cut profile required.
If you need more processing power, Intec can provide an optional ColourCut Pro Server Station which can enhance productivity.
Once all cut and processed, there is a newly designed space-saving retractable catch tray which can be set out and angled for longer sheets or lifted and slid back into the machine for the smaller substrate sizes.
An extendable tray can handle media up to A3+
Piloting the SC6000 is easily accomplished via a new 5-inch immersive touch screen which has all the control tabs needed to run the machine and it can be pivoted to suit operators of all sizes.
The new 5-inch immersive touch screen has all the control tabs needed to run the machine and it can be pivoted to suit operators of all sizes
The scope of what the SC6000 can process is wide and varied. It is very well adapted for the production of point of sale or packaging products, or if needed, labels and other such promotional items.
The size of the machine makes it very versatile and it can sit comfortably in even the smallest of print shops. That being said, it really does pack a punch.
Statistics
- Standard media sizes: A4, A3. SRA3 & A3+
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Media thickness: 0.14mm/0.35mm
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Feeder capacity: 85mm (900 sheets at 80gsm) or 15kg
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Size (W x D x H): 820mm x 880mm x 1240mm
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Weight: 115kg
Brian Sims Principal Consultant, Metis Print Consultancy, www.metis-uk.eu
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