Lake Geneva, WI (USA) – i-cut, Inc., an EskoArtwork OEM business unit, will run live demonstrations of its new Vision Pro 7.0 software at SGIA booth 427, from October 7-9, 2009. To support its launch, the company has created an online store – www.icuttools.com– where customers can order the new Vision Pro software, obtain technical information and product support, and buy cutting consumables, such as bits, blades and conveyor belts. In addition, the company is demonstrating a high-speed material-handling prototype at the EskoArtwork booth (1931).

Vision control is necessary with digital finishing systems because all printed materials contain size, rotation and scaling distortions that produce inaccurate digital die cutting, if not corrected. "Only i-cut offers the power of proven full non-linear distortion correction, a simple, intuitive user interface, and full prepress and RIP integration so that jobs are quickly prepared and sent to the cutting device without error or miscalculation," comments Steen Mikkelsen, EskoArtwork Vice President. "And, in particular, i-cut Vision's patented means of distortion compensation enables digital cutting systems to produce error free results. Print runs from just one sheet to thousands are contour-cut reliably, precisely and economically."

i-cut Vision Pro 7.0: more production tools and easier to use
Using Vision Pro 7.0, print material specifications are taken from the work stream – including cutting keys that supply operators with optimized tool settings and blade/bit recommendations – and are processed with preset cutting parameters. This makes the finishing set-up even easier and simplifies the tasks necessary for starting each unique job. Subsequently, set-up times are minimal – and in many cases, virtually eliminated.

In i-cut Vision pro 7.0, by eliminating a pen lift with multi-pass routing, jobs are completed faster. A new registration algorithm-including the ability to read all registration marks before cutting-delivers improved quality with placement registration. A new tool offset algorithm handles close curves as one unit, while improvements have also led to smoother cuts. A new, advanced help system is available from all dialogs, with multimedia teaching videos, schematics, and animations.

Visitors can see i-cut Vision Pro 7.0 in action in the i-cut booth (#427). i-cut Vision Pro 7.0 is expected to be delivered before the end of Q4, 2009.

The complete i-cut product family on display
During SGIA, i-cut, inc. will demonstrate its complete product line, underscoring i-cut's continued commitment to technology and product development that benefits sign and digital finishers and its OEM partners. It addition to i-cut Vision Pro 7.0, this includes:
    •    i-cut Camera, a high quality CCD camera, lighting, optics and integrated housing with adjustable f-stop, zoom and focus settings.
    •    i-cut Auto-Feeder, which automatically loads and delivers almost any printed graphic material to a digital cutting plotter.
    •    i-cut workstation, a high-performance modular workstation for use with the i-cut system.
    •    i-script, providing the protocol interfaces between printing and cutting equipment to share design, scale, rotation, layout, registration marks and materials information-passed directly from the prepress RIP station to i-cut.
    
High-speed material handling prototype previewed on Kongsberg i-XE10
At the EskoArtwork booth (1931), a working high-speed feeder and stacker prototype system, sized for the Kongsberg i-XE10 finishing table, will be demonstrated. The new i-hs high-speed sheet feeder is perfect for small-format, digitally and screen printed materials. It can automatically load a variety of flexible materials, including paper, folding carton, pressure sensitive vinyl, and polycarbonates. Its extremely short set-up time assures that jobs are ready to be processed quickly.

The feeder system is complemented by the i-hs high-speed part stacker system, ideal for stacking small format cards, cartons, decals, nameplates, and other cutout graphics. It picks up cutouts or entire sheets from a cutter conveyor, and stacks them neatly on a lift table. Sixteen suction cups can be positioned for any sheet size.

The prototype technology is planned for Q1 2010 shipment.

Retail web store launched
i-cut has also launched an i-cut online store, icuttools.com, to help printers equip themselves with the best possible cutting software and consumables. With more than 15 years' experience in the sign, display, advertising and packaging markets, i-cut has conducted extensive research into all materials common in these markets, and has created tools specifically for each type of material. The store carries accessories for many of the i-cut enabled cutting machines on the market, as well as consumables for printers' everyday cutting needs – from blades, router bits and conveyor belts through to i-cut software upgrades.

In addition to sales, the icuttools.com store offers excellent advice and support. Users can contact the Tool Support Helpline, which takes the guesswork out of cutting speeds for new materials. Also, the Materials Testing Service lets users test their material in i-cut's facility for free. The company tests different tools and speeds before providing users with a detailed report on how it should be cut. Plus, registered users can take advantage of the new Resource Center, which allows them to download software, updates, documentation and guides.

"Commercial printers, digital printers, sign makers and screen printers that digitally finish their products using any of the popular XY cutting tables are using i-cut technology to visually prepare jobs. Operators with limited or no computer skills are able to produce precision-cut graphics after only a few hours of training. Owners and managers can rely on razor sharp reliability and efficiency-without spending time worrying about costly mistakes or missed deadlines," explains Mikkelsen. "However, we're not stopping there. Our high speed stacking and feeding prototype system acknowledges the increasing speed of cutting systems and the importance of making the entire process as hands off as possible. In the future, the sign and display industry can expect more, innovative, control systems from i-cut to assure that finishing solutions keep up with their digital print counterparts."