Award-winning cutting software rounds out digital printing automation

LAS VEGAS, NV - Konica Minolta, a provider of business and industrial imaging products, partnered with Scissor Hands, a cutting automation software and 2015 Must See ‘Ems Award Winner, at this year’s Print 17, the largest display of live running print equipment in the Americas held Sept. 10-14 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Scissor Hands’ cloud-based enhanced JDF automation was demonstrated on a guillotine cutter at Konica Minolta’s theater spanning 16,000 feet. Its ability to augment existing guillotine, die cut and laser cutters fits into Konica Minolta’s overall strategy to provide fully automated digital printing processes.

One visitor exclaimed, "Our current system is good for elementary cuts, but (Scissor Hands) seems to allow for just about anything that may come up for us."

“The industry is moving in a new direction in which print processes that were once segmented are now packaged to create turnkey printing solutions,” said Viktoria Vasileva, product manager, Scissor Hands. “Scissor Hands is a major part of this by connecting pre-press processes with post-press finishing through its intelligent cutting automation technology.”

The software was installed onto an Itotec eRC-137DX paper cutting machine with cutting demonstrations of common marketing materials, such as bookmarks; 4x6, 5x7 and 6x9 postcards; mini business cards; and jumbo mailers. Cutter operators were trained on the spot through Scissor Hands’ innovative guided animations.

In addition to delivering optimized cut programs, Scissor Hands’ step-by-step guidance for completing a run significantly reduces total training time from months to hours, lowers labor costs and diminishes the need for specialists. The software also decreases operator errors and slashes cutting times by 60 percent.

Completing its first sales following a successful Print 17, Konica Minolta is offering Scissor Hands’ cutting automation software along with installation and initial training. Scissor Hands can integrate with Polar-Mohr, Itoh, Triumph (MBM) and other industry leading guillotine, die cut and laser cutters.

For more information, visit scissorhands.net.