Masterwork Graphic Equipment has announced the worldwide launch of the MK1450ER, which is said to be the first Chinese-manufactured large format die cutter with stripping and blanking capability.
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The 5,000sph machine, which is manufactured at Masterwork's factory in Tianjin, can die cut up to 1,450x1,050mm with an accuracy of ¡À0.15mm and a maximum die cutting force of 600 metric tonnes.
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In addition to cutting carton board from 0.1mm to 2mm thick, the MK1450ER can handle corrugated board up to 5mm thick. It has a maximum pile feed height of 1,600mm and a delivery pile height of up to 1,350mm.
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Masterwork's European sales manager Ken Farnsworth told PrintWeek that the company already offered a smaller format (B1) die-cutter with stripping, the MK1060, but that the MK1450ER was the first machine to feature stripping and blanking.
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This means the machine not only die-cuts, but also removes all the excess material, with only the finished product arriving at the delivery pile where it is immediately ready to be transported to the folder gluer.
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An interleaving station inserts sheets of card between the die-cut products to maintain pile stability for runs of say 300 or more. The MK1450ER can be operated by a single employee, via an easy-to-use touchscreen control.
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The new machine, which costs from around ¡ê800,000 will be available in Europe within six months, with the first two machines due to be shipped to two companies in Italy.
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Masterwork will be exhibiting at Ipex later this month (N4-D375) where it will hand a European debut to its MK420Q MINI high speed carton inspection system.
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Another new die cutter, a variation of the MK1060 called the MK1060E/S - which has been developed specifically for the European markat, will be running at Masterwork's European demo facility in Wakefield, West Yorkshire throughout Ipex (24-29 March).
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The first MK1060E/S arrived in Wakefield around three weeks ago and Farnsworth reported that the company had already had interest from a number of UK-based buyers. Pricing for the machine starts from around ¡ê245,000.
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Farnsworth described Masterwork's manufacturing facility in China as "one of the most modern plants in the world for the manufacture of post press equipment".
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"The products launched over the past few years have really pushed the boundaries of what can be achieved in terms of versatility, registration accuracy and sheer productivity," he added.