Finishing & Screen Printing

Townsend cuts it with IOC from Kocher+Beck

Wednesday 03. February 2010 - James Townsend and Sons of Exeter has shaved days off its turnround times for customers labels by installing a Kocher+Beck IOC (Inline Offset Cutting) system on its Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102-8+L press.

Wet-glue label specialists Townsend provides a wide variety of complex stick-on labels for DIY and craft outlets as part of its product range.
“We were nervous at first. Putting inline die-cutting on a multi-million pound press is daunting, but now we want to do more. We’re investigating what else we can produce because the system is so easy to use,” said Paul Morris, works manager.
“Having spent a year looking at two different products we came to the conclusion that fixing individual die pieces to a plastic base grid was too time consuming. We find the IOC dies are accurate and simple to fit. We also like the idea that Kocher+Beck make everything themselves. They don’t rely on a third-party to produce the actual die.”
He also claims that the IOC system is less expensive from the start. “Because we run full-out images, the cutting can be quite intricate, so we benefit massively in time to press by not having to makeready dies offline. The plate fits in the same way as a blanket or coating plate. Compared to other cutting methods, the IOC system is really proving its worth.”
The IOC die can fit onto a print unit, but according to Mr Morris the coater is easily transformed into a die-cutter simply by raising the anilox roller out of the way and fitting protective jackets onto the impression cylinder.
Kocher+Beck is a leading specialist in die-cutting for the labels, envelopes and commercial printing market. Its UK base is in Coalville, Leicestershire.