Gent (Belgium), March 17, 2008 – EskoArtwork, the global market leader in innovative design, pre-production, collaboration and finishing solutions for the packaging, commercial printing and sign and display industry, announces the introduction of the Kongsberg XP series of digital cutting tables, offering a new level of productivity far above comparable solutions available in the market. Positioned as true production machines, the three models in the Kongsberg XP series are targeted at corrugated packing companies and manufacturers of POP and permanent in-store product displays that need a fast and highly reliable solution for short run production. These companies will specifically benefit from the dramatically increased level of productivity and efficiency.

The Kongsberg XP series digital cutting machines are the first to be specifically designed to operate continuously in a 24/7 production environment. "We have brought the new XP product line to market primarily for two reasons. With these new tables, production capacity can be increased up to twice as what is available on any machine currently on the market. Secondly, the Kongsberg XP is specially designed to handle the combination of corrugated board and other rigid materials used for packaging, POP products and product displays," explains Tom Erik Naess, EskoArtwork CAM Product Manager. The Kongsberg XP series will be complementary to the very successful Kongsberg XL and i-XL series targeting the packaging and sign & display industries.

The new Kongsberg XP models can be used effectively to convert a wide range of packaging and display materials, including all grades of corrugated board, display carton, corrugated plastic, foam boards, and all corresponding rigid display materials such as MDF, plywood, acrylics, ACM and Forex. The machines can be equipped with an optional automatic optical registration system for matching the structural design with the graphic elements.

Simple setup and excellent productivity

The Kongsberg XP series is available in three sizes: the Kongsberg XP24 (working area 1680 x 3200 mm); the Kongsberg XP44 (2200 x 3200 mm); and the large format Kongsberg XP46 (2200 x 4800 mm). With a maximum cutting speed of 100m/min and an acceleration of up to 1.5 G, these machines set a completely new standard for digital cutting productivity. They have been designed to endure the continuous, high-speed manufacture of products made from the most demanding packaging and display materials.

The Kongsberg XP series includes several new functions and features to further enhance productivity. Some of the most important are:

•    Automatic Tool Leveling, a built-in unit that automatically calibrates the tool level, enabling a very swift exchange of tools, and ensuring that the machine performs with consistent accuracy, preventing expensive operator errors.

•    An Automatic Registration System, that detects printed registration marks at the corners of the graphic elements, and positions the cutting lines so that they are aligned with the printed graphics. The ARS is available as an option.

•    Multiple Vacuum Zones: to assure the ability to hold down materials in any given location of the table, the Kongsberg XP can optionally be equipped with up to eight vacuum zones.

•    A new operator workstation developed specifically for the Kongsberg XP, containing the controller PC, the table control panel, and storage slots for tooling. The workstation can be easily rotated 90° to provide optimal ergonomics for both job set-up and continuous operation.

The Kongsberg XP tooling system consists of a wide variety of separate tool units that can be quickly mounted and prepared to cut and finish a specific job, assuring exceptional quality and prompt delivery. For the processing of corrugated materials, the tooling family includes a heavy-duty crease tool unit with 150 mm wheel diameter capable of a creasing pressure of 50 kg. The reciprocating knife tool unit can quickly cut boards with a high content of recycled paper. Further, the Kongsberg XP series can be equipped with a high-power milling tool unit to handle materials up to 50 mm in thickness.

The RE-board toolset includes a number of V-notch knife tool-heads ranging from 15° to 45°, capable of processing different folded angles in 16 mm material-or thinner-substrates. A variety of straight edge knives and drill tools can work with substrates up to 30 mm thick. Several versions of static knife tools will be available for various grades of rigid boards-like display carton, polypropylene, Forex, foam board and honeycomb paperboard.

In the future, EskoArtwork plans to make available different options for the automatic loading and unloading of materials, which will further increase the efficiency of the Kongsberg XP series.

At drupa 08, EskoArtwork will exhibit the 1680 x 3200 mm Kongsberg XP24 with the new operator workstation. The manually loaded version will be equipped with almost all available features and tools.