Laser Cutting

K & W’s Finishing Processes Mesh Like Gears in a Fine Timepiece

September 16, 2024

By Liz Stevens, writer, PostPress

K & W Finishing, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, earned the gold award for best use of foil/embossing – business card/stationery and the bronze award for best use of laser cutting (decorative) in this year’s FSEA Gold Leaf Awards. The company’s entry was a set – a business card and a capabilities brochure. The set features a warm, dark gray cover stock with fine gold and silver intermeshed gears amid plenty of negative space, and with further embellishment in gold, silver, white and burgundy. The pieces feature precise foil stamping and extensive intricate precision laser cutting. Judicious embossing adds a subtle haptic effect. Jordan Levine, customer service rep/account manager, filled PostPress in on details of the project.

The company created the brochure as something tactile as a visitor’s take away or a leave behind when K & W attends meetings. The brochure was designed to highlight the company’s array of finishing services. “We used a graphic design firm that was recommended by one of our customers,” Levine explained, “and let the designer have creative freedom with the design while focusing on our business. After visiting our shop, the designer decided to focus on the industrial machinery aspect of what we do, taking care to make the design very artistic and to use four colors that could be foiled (white, gold, silver and K & W burgundy), plus embossing and laser diecutting.” The business card was created later, after the company saw the great reaction to the brochure. “At the time,” said Levine, “we had a fairly plain business card that featured our branded colors in print on nice card stock, but aside from scoring and folding, it didn’t show off the kind of special finishing that we can produce.”

Levine described the step-by-step of production for the brochure. “First, we chose a graphic designer, had that individual visit our shop and later approved the design offered,” Levine said. “We picked out a Gruppo Stardream cover stock in a nice darkish gray with a shimmery pearlescent metallic finish; along with burgundy, dark gray is one of our brand colors. We did not use printing for these pieces – only stamping and diecutting.”

The graphic designer used timeless typefaces – including the K & W brand’s sans serif and a very readable serif font that looks good in white foil – that were above the point requirement for creating stamp dies. “The designer also did a great job of thinking in three dimensions with the final product in mind,” Levine explained. “The brochure has laser diecut elements that overlay on top of each other, almost like a pop up (which we do a lot of on the laser.) The business card uses the same set of elements, simplified, but still using multiple levels of graphics that fold on top of each other.”

The company purposely chose to not use print on brochures or business cards. “We thought it would be great,” said Levine, “to focus on the finishing aspect in both pieces.” The design features a mix of metallic and pigment foils to convey brand identity. “We used Kurz Luxor alufin matte silver,” Levine said, “which is good for readability as it’s not too reflective. It has a nice metallic effect that emphasizes our industrial machines, yet it feels classy.”

“Once in production,” said Levine, “we stamped the brochures using copper dies, letterpress – scored them and used laser for the diecuts. The brochure also has a very cool embossed element that looks like a strip of metal with screws, joining two parts of the card. It almost looks like a piece of machinery. And the brochure features razor thin but still structurally sound laser cut negative space.”

K & W used one of its Kluge presses for stamping. “We stamped multiple-up and were spinning the sheet ‘work and turn’ basically,” Levine explained, “so it didn’t need more than one makeready for each color. Next, we letterpress scored and then laser diecut. These pieces combine work made with a 100-year-old machine with work done using one of the most cutting-edge pieces of technology in the 21st century! Lastly, we hand-folded the pieces and packaged the brochures in a lovely translucent envelope of Glama Natural.”

The cutting-edge equipment that Levine refers to is a PaperOne 5000 laser system made by SEI. “We have been early pioneers in sheetfed laser diecutting,” Levine said, “bringing in the first SEI laser system in the country – and still one of the only systems in the country – to be operated by experienced print finishers. Some people have trepidation with the laser, as they may have had bad experiences with a laser company. We were finishers first, and we know what it takes to make something as high quality and efficient as it can possibly be.”

Levine said that there were challenges to overcome during production of these pieces, but nothing beyond K & W’s capabilities. “Stamping four separate colors, plus diecutting and scoring, is a pretty cumbersome task, but it’s a challenge that our press operators take in stride,” he said. “And when you’re showing off what you do, it’s no time for half measures. Greg Ruby, one of our press operators, dialed in the temp on the heat just right to get the white of the type to stick while not filling in small details. And it was the same thing with applying pressure; hitting as light as possible while getting everything to come through clearly.” Registration for these pieces was critical because they were not only four color, but front and back on each side of the sheet. “Rule ups were made,” Levine said, “and Greg would take sheets to the laser to run a quick test, making sure the registration was perfect on all colors. We got strip dies made of the different names for the gold layer of the business cards, so we could basically run them all at the same time or, at the most, with two makereadies.”

The thoughtful design, the choice of paper stock and foil colors, and the careful attention during production really paid off for K & W. “We get great reactions to the brochure and business card,” said Levine. “It’s nice to have the brochure for times when that is appropriate, but also to have a mini brochure in our business cards for other times. We made the business cards with our company’s website, address and names and email addresses for each of K & W’s employees. Inside the folded card is a list of our current services.” Levine said that potential customers benefit by leaving the K & W shop with something they can hold in their hands. “The meeting/tour/handshake and conversation may be the first impression,” he said, “but for a lasting impression a brochure or a card – something so special that it is hard to throw away – is something they may keep around to show colleagues and customers.”

K & W features a video of the laser diecutting process for the brochure on its website home page. “This machine running is one of the things we love to show visitors,” said Levine, “and having them come away with a physically lasered piece to feel and think about later is wonderful. The effect of this process is literally burned into the finished product.”

For more information, visit www.kwfinishing.com.

Exploring Laser Cutting Technology

June 11, 2021

PostPress

Laser cutting is making its mark as both a decorative and functional technology for the graphic arts industry. It is used to create detailed decorative designs on greeting cards and invitations and also is used to cut short- to medium-run folding cartons, where cartons can be cut and scored inline without the use of any type of tooling or dies.

PostPress talked with Michael Aumann, senior vice president with LasX Industries, to provide further details on laser cutting technologies today and their applications.

What advantages does a laser cutting system provide?

Laser cutting systems provide many advantages, including the elimination of costly mechanical dies and expensive setup times. Laser cutting expands design and functional features with the capacity to create intricate patterns, shapes and etched images that are not achievable with traditional mechanical cutting techniques. Short runs can be produced efficiently and economically due to digital file management and the elimination of costly tooling and makeready. The precise X/Y registration is ideal for digital print which “floats” on the material. This minimizes waste at changeover and provides a higher degree of accuracy than traditional diecutting, which only can adjust in the X direction
(down web).

What is the difference between fixed-beam and steered-beam galvo systems?

An X/Y fixed-beam system delivers the laser beam straight down and requires moving the mass of the fixed-beam head and optics above the material. A galvo system delivers the laser beam to the material by sitting above the material and steering two mirrors. The mirrors are lightweight with much less mass than the fixed-beam system. This allows the laser beam to travel faster and allows laser cutting while the material is moving. This results in a much higher throughput than a fixed-beam system.

Furthermore, the galvo system is ideal for processing thinner materials, which will have an angled beam delivery at the edges. The fixed-beam is better for cutting thicker materials since it is cutting straight down and will have no bevel.

What paper stocks work best with a laser system? Are there limitations with paper stock weight?

The laser can process a range from lightweight paper to heavyweight paperboard. The thicker the material, the slower the laser process is to cut. Not all paper and paperboard are created equal. The paper pulping process varies, and some lasers cut cleaner than others.

For example, chlorine can be heavily used in the pulp so when the laser interacts with the material, it can create a more yellow edge than others. So, it always is suggested to test the material to see if it is clean. Just as printers have better-performing papers, the same exists for laser-process papers. Some paper vendors have developed specific papers that perform well under the laser.

Are plastics or vinyls appropriate materials for laser cutting?

Polyester, polypropylene and BOPP are great with the proper laser. Vinyl is not laser friendly. Laser processing vinyl will yellow the edge badly and produce an off-gassing that essentially creates a HCL acid gas – not good for the operator, the exhaust equipment or the environment.

How can a laser system help to streamline operations and reduce waste in a facility?

Systems equipped with digital workflow features support instant order change and network connectivity and will support multiple file types. They can eliminate mechanical die setup and teardowns. Systems equipped with vision allow for automated cut-to-print registration, and integrated robotic handling can eliminate waste stripping and automate stacking and batching.

What file types work with a laser cutter?

Entry-level systems may require proprietary file structure. Sophisticated systems are capable of using vector files – such as PDF, DXF and DWG – as well as image files for rastering and etching – such as JPG, BMP, PNG and TIFF files.

What features are a “must” for processing digitally printed materials?

Camera registration: If processing digital print, operators must have a system that uses a camera register to print fiducials. This allows the laser to adjust both in the X and Y directions to compensate for the print floating on the material. Otherwise, the operator will have to monitor the registration all through the run, which will result in higher waste quantities.

Support for PDF file processing: This format already is established as the standard for most art departments within print companies.

Instant order change: Instantly change from one job to the next with little to no waste. Eliminating the setup time of a job yields more throughput within an eight-hour shift. This allows for a much lower minimum order quantity and still maintains an adequate profit margin on the job.

Expandiblity: This provides the ability to add a laser in the future to increase throughput as the business grows.

Automated file workflow: The ability to automate the file preparation from the art department for the laser systems can free a skilled operator for other tasks. Files should be automatically prepared and leverage a barcode to instantly load and run on the machine.

How does the laser register the cut to the sheet?

There are three methods for registering a sheet. Traditionally, a sensor can provide lead edge detection and registers to the lead edge or to a print mark. The downside of this is that it only allows registration in the single direction. In applications of diecutting blanks, this is appropriate.

However, if registration to print is required, there are two methods which lead to different degrees of accuracy. If a single camera is implemented, then one can register to a corner of the material or to printed fiducials on the material and adjust both directions (direction of movement X and cross direction Y). A single camera can work for both sheets and a web.

The use of two cameras across the lead edge of a sheet or web allows for not only X and Y compensation but can compensate for skew of the sheet or the printed web, bringing an even higher degree of accuracy. This eliminates the need for upstream material handling to perfectly place and square the sheet. The laser can compensate for a slightly skewed sheet or print.

Are laser systems available to produce both decorative and production work?

For some companies, decorative work is their production. A laser does not need to be dedicated only to decorative work. The same laser cutter can work for more functional production work as well. Throughput of a laser is directly related to two variables: thickness of the substrate and amount of dieline. The thicker the substrate, the slower the laser must travel. The more complicated the dieline, then the slower the process.

Many people concentrate on rate (sheets/hour or feet/minute) of a process, but with the proper laser system the objective should be about throughput – the drive to maximize uptime, reduce set-up time and minimize waste when comparing the traditional process to a digital process. Sometimes the impact of a digital process is seen in how something is done two or three steps downstream.

A laser cutting system can be part of a digital finishing system that cuts, removes the part from the material, stacks, counts and delivers for the next process downstream. With an instant order change, operators can digitally print sheets in any order and quantity, and the finishing system can complement this.

Because of the digital nature of the laser, it allows automation at an entirely new level. The traditional diecutting process favors high quantities and long runs. This is directly related to the cost of the tooling and the setup time invested in the job. The digital process breaks the setup time barrier and allows a plant to run the quantity needed, reducing the warehouse inventory space required in traditional methods.

LasX develops and markets intelligent laser processing and cutting solutions for manufacturing innovations. In addition, it also provides contract manufacturing services for flexible packaging, medical and digital finishing applications. For more information on its line of laser cutting equipment and services, visit www.LasX.com.

All Wrapped Up – Tru-Cut Christmas Box Creates Holiday Magic

December 9, 2020

By Brittany Willes, editor, PostPress

“It’s a yearly tradition at Tru-Cut to do an end-of-year promotional piece that we can give to our customers,” remarked Sales Manager Andy Archuleta. “It’s something that we all get excited about because it gives us a chance to really show off our talents.” In 2019, the company decided to go all out on its end-of-year piece, wanting to showcase a truly one-of-a-kind Christmas box. According to Archuleta, this began the “crazy, difficult and rewarding journey to the incredible box we ended up with.”

The design and creation of the holiday box required a massive effort from members of the Tru-Cut team, as well as outside sources. The box would feature Tru-Cut’s print finishing, steel rule die and laser cutting abilities, along with a number of other specialty effects. “I wanted to incorporate micro-etching, embossing, combo stamping and spot UV coatings,” Archuleta explained. With that in mind, Tru-Cut Graphic Designer Scott Coggin began developing artwork using a combination of custom and modified stock images to create a final design that was “an absolute monster” in the best possible sense.

The box itself was designed as a large hollow-wall box with four cavities on the inside – three for ornaments and one for chocolates. Right away, this presented a challenge as it was discovered the box would not fit on a single 28″ x 40″ sheet. As a result, the box was built to require two sheets each. “Our main CAD designers for the structure, Kevin Goodrich and Nicole Farnsworth, really knocked it out of the park with a cool revealed-edge bottom and top that would wrap around the main hollow-wall box,” said Archuleta.

With the overall structure in place, it was time to focus on the embellishments that would make the box stand out. “We knew, even at a small run of 350 to 400 boxes, that this was going to be quite an undertaking,” he said. In fact, the final box would require 13 passes through the presses. Four passes were needed to apply the spot UV – one clear and three colored coats. Two passes were required for the combo foil and embossed ribbon, with three passes for the main logo, a micro-etched foil stamp, print and emboss (plus the clear spot gloss), as well as a flat foil stamp on both the inside bottom and outside front. Finally, two passes were needed to emboss and deboss areas for the front magnetic closure with hidden sealed-in magnets.

“We decided on a black box that would allow all the embellishments to really pop,” Archuleta explained. “We got some uncoated 18-point black folding board and started experimenting.” After experimenting with satin, gloss, soft touch and aqueous coatings, the final design utilized three coats of soft touch.

“I was worried about the paper curling too much or becoming brittle, but the soft touch actually made it very supple and gave it a luxurious coated feel,” said Archuleta. “This saved us a great amount of cost and gave us a very workable and good surface to stamp and work on.”

As part of the Christmas theme, Tru-Cut adapted its usual logo featuring a laser burst and replaced it with a reindeer with a beaming red nose. The logo was printed 4-color offset on a Mitsubishi Diamond UV press and stamped with over-printed foil provided by Infinity Foils. A critical feature of the box, the logo also was micro-etched and featured a sculpted emboss that needed to line up with the graphics that were over-printed on the foil and sealed with spot gloss UV. Part of those graphics consisted of a hand-drawn, wraparound, combo foiled ribbon and bow that were matched up and fitted together seamlessly.

“Every single thing we incorporated on this box had to register perfectly to each other,” said Archuleta. To that end, Tru-Cut approached Universal Engraving, Inc. to make the micro-etch pattern die. “As soon as we saw the first stamp of silver with the micro-etch die, we knew we were onto something special. It looked amazing just by itself.”

Tru-Cut also reached out to one of its customers – International PaperBox – for assistance. “International PaperBox had the task of hitting this small patch of silver on a solid black sheet with a screened-back printed graphic to allow the foil and micro-etch to shine under the print,” said Archuleta. Once that was accomplished, Archuleta realized the ink would need to be protected. To do so, it was sealed with spot gloss UV, which allowed the ink to shine and pop off the paper.

Before the sheets could be embossed, the rest of the colored spot UV and combo foiled ribbon work had to be completed. “The ribbon running around the full box had to be combo stamped to make it look like the ribbon was sitting on the surface,” Archuleta stated. The process required some trial and error, but with the help of Universal Engraving, the sculpted foil and embossed detail was perfectly rendered.

With so many elements in play, it is little wonder the box presented some challenges. As Archuleta mentioned, the diecuts had to line up perfectly with the graphics, resulting in Tru-Cut designing and building two diecutting dies in-house. The boxes also had to be glued and assembled by hand, including inserting a clear window on the lid. “All of the gluing was hidden with folded-over panels to give a polished and finished look,” he said. Furthermore, to create the colored spot UV snowflakes, Tru-Cut had to get even more creative.

Using blue and white UV inks supplied by Graphic Inks, Archuleta began hand mixing the ink with Fuji clear coating, trying to get the right colors. “I had to get enough white in the mix to get the blue to show up on the paper,” he said. “I finally was able to get three distinct colors that were opaque enough to pop on the black and that matched with the colors that were printed on the main logo.”

The combo ribbon likewise presented its own special challenges. The etch on the die was fairly deep, and the combo foil/emboss would need to go over areas that were going to be scored and folded. “Anyone who has done combo work knows it is very easy to crack the paper on the edges of the stamp,” Archuleta remarked. “Plus, the paper wasn’t the most forgiving. It took us a bit, but we finally were able to get our pressures and temperature right to get a nice, clean stamp without breaking the paper.

In addition to the box, special Christmas ornaments also were created to fill the inside cavities. “Our CAD department had the idea to laser cut some ornaments out of all the wood we had lying around,” said Archuleta. After being laser cut, the ornaments were spray painted, assembled and tied with ribbon.

“We wanted to push the boundaries of what we usually see in this industry and invent new processes that could be repeated if customers wanted to incorporate these processes into their own pieces,” Archuleta affirmed. “It was a lot of trial, error and evolution through the process. Luckily, we have people with decades of experience and knowledge in all of these areas, and we knew many of our ideas were going to work if we pushed hard enough.”

Pushing hard certainly paid off. Several Tru-Cut customers stated the box was one they won’t be able to throw away. For Archuleta, this represents an incredible accomplishment. “To create a box that people feel is too nice to throw away…We don’t get that honor too often in this industry. To have our company name and logo right on the front is pretty neat.”

Tru-Cut’s Christmas box was submitted for the 2020 FSEA Gold Leaf Awards where it received a gold award for Best Use of Foil/Embossing – Self Promotion (Holiday).

Q&A: Decorative Laser Cutting for the Trade

September 13, 2013

Decorative laser cutting is an emerging, innovative technology that not only provides flexibility in production but also enhances consumer appeal by improving functionality and shelf appeal. Decreased costs and better availability of laser cutting equipment have helped make the process a more feasible option for the print finisher to consider.

InsideFinishing consulted with industry experts at LasX Industries, Inc. to learn more about laser cutting technology and how it can potentially become part of a finisher’s offering.

Question: Has there been an increase in demand for laser cutting in recent years? What types of applications have seen the most growth?

Answer: Curiosity and interest in laser cutting have increased demand in recent years. Laser cutting can be used for a wide range of functional and creative print applications, including greeting cards, promotional materials, business cards, direct mail pieces, point-of-purchase signs, stencils and much more. The applications that have seen the greatest growth include product packaging, folding cartons and labels. These markets have benefited from the digital flexibility of producing only what is needed when it is needed, with no minimum run quantities.

Question: What type of room is needed for laser cutting equipment? Are there any special installation or ventilation considerations when installing a laser cutter?

Answer: Laser cutting systems vary in size but, generally, a basic stand-alone sheet-fed system requires an approximate 5×5′ area. Space can be saved on the manufacturing floor by integrating a laser module into an existing production line. In terms of installation requirements, fume exhaust and a water chiller/heat exchanger are necessary to keep the laser at a consistent temperature during processing. Look for laser systems that are certified as Class 1, which provide the highest level of safety during normal operation.

Question: What type of learning curve is involved for an operator of laser cutting equipment?

Answer: High-quality laser systems are designed to be user-friendly. The learning curve for a laser operator is approximately one week for those who have prior computer skills and a familiarity with a Windows operating system. Some manufacturers provide training to help familiarize new customers with laser technology and operating procedures.

Question: Is a laser cutter designed for decorating applications only or are there functional uses for laser cutting? For detailed work that may be able to be diecut, are there times when laser cutting may be a better option?

Answer: Although lasers excel at producing complex patterns and shapes, laser cutting is not reserved solely for decorative applications. In some cases, even if a pattern can be cut with a metal die, it still may be more cost- or time-efficient to use laser cutting. Examples of these circumstances include personalized or short-run jobs. In these cases, often the costs and lead times associated with creating a new die would be impractical or would lengthen critical timelines. Laser cutting may be a better alternative because of its ability to modify designs instantly on the production floor – there is no waiting for new dies to be created and no extra costs to create metal tooling.

So, even though the actual production time on-press may be longer on the laser cutter versus a conventional diecutting press, total in-house time may be less with laser cutting because there is no wait time for tooling. Additionally, laser technology allows for multiple processes in a single run, including laser cutting, perforating, etching and scoring. This offers production flexibility and efficiency by combining several finishing steps.

Question: What recommendations should be offered to a print finisher thinking of adding laser cutting as a new service?

Answer: Print finishers should consider the ways in which their business would benefit from providing laser cutting services. Not only does laser cutting offer expanded design features and the ability to create more complex, sophisticated patterns, but laser cutting also creates opportunities to enter new markets. In addition, no matter the application, laser processing makes low-volume production runs cost-efficient because die creation, tool wear and consumables are eliminated. On-demand, order-of-one laser processing decreases machine set-up, downtime and material waste, all of which stands to benefit print finishers.

There are a wide variety of laser cutting systems and configurations to choose from, depending on the needs. For example, LasX offers a range of sheet- and roll-fed laser systems, such as the LaserSharp® STP, a sheet-fed CO2 laser system that is ideal for print applications. Options such as barcode readers, vision cameras and automated material handling systems can be added to a laser system for increased productivity, or a laser module can be integrated directly inline with existing equipment as well.

InsideFinishing would like to thank LasX Industries, Inc. for its assistance with this article. LasX offers high-performance digital converting equipment and contract services using patented LaserSharp® technology. LasX delivers on-demand laser processing solutions that accurately cut, score, perforate, etch, weld or ablate components at high production rates. For more information, visit www.lasx.com.