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Improvements to product in the blind machinery sector continue apace, with suppliers well positioned to make the most of the market’s return to form, when it happens. Belinda Smart reports
RAYTECH
The Raytech designed X Series Cutting Table has taken four years to develop, says the company’s Chris Hart, adding that the latest version of table features either a glass deck (12mm thick) with crush and ultrasonic cutting tools for sealing or a plastic deck and pizza blade cutting.
“One important feature of the table is the auto moving clamping gantry – a separate gantry to the cutting gantry,” says Hart. “This holds fabric in tension for lengthways cuts and it provides additional automatic fabric hold-down for the cross cuts. For tables of eight metre processing length and longer we add a second automatic clamping gantry so there are then three gantries all moving independently and in fully automatic sequences.”
Hart confirms the numerous benefits of the new design cutting table:
“We know of no comparable product to the X Series table anywhere in the world,” he says. “We are the first to offer moving hold down gantries and we have patented the process. And the X Series with its powerful sealing tools is equally ideal for processing internal or external products as needed. The full pull out happens automatically and this is also important in time saving but also in saving operators handling heavy materials in common tasks, which can lead to repetitive strain injuries.”
“The programming in the table will allow blinds to be nested to save fabric. This table is really the Green Machine in terms of lowered running costs, lowered fabric waste and also in eliminating plastic overlays.”
“In the post-CoronaVirus world we believe that Australian consumers will be more attracted to locally made products. And if this results in greater volumes then it’s important to reduce the skills necessary to make blinds very accurately and fast and the X Table does this. And with the government offering serious incentives to invest in capital equipment, this may be a great time to go forward with high efficiency machinery.”
Hart adds that live online demonstrations are available, so any manufacturer interested can see the table “one on one from the factory direct to a laptop or desktop computer screen.”
Meanwhile, the new Australian designed and made U Series Ultrasonic welder from CNC design offers automatic hands free welding for any length. “Eight metres or even longer welding is no problem, says Hart. “It is designed for easy, fast alignment of attachments like keder, zip and spline. There is no heating up time – the welder starts immediately. The U Series bond is incredibly strong and because the welding motion is always vertical the common problem of puckering of the edge is eliminated. Beautiful flat overlap welds are no problem. The machine features easy access on both sides.”
“For manufacturers of mesh awnings it has traditionally been common for a manufacturer to purchase a high frequency welder of 700 or 800 mm length and the operator would laboriously reposition the product and the attachment, which resulted in the product being very operator dependent,” Hart explains. “In this process inaccuracies can emerge in the product, a source of quality problems. This welding area can easily become a serious bottleneck in production. Finally, this type of welder has also been known to leak radiation into the work area.”
“As an alternative, bigger manufacturers often acquired a four-, five- or or six-metre Impulse welder. This item is expensive to purchase, expensive in electricity and sometimes doesn’t have the onboard memory for all different fabric settings, so again becomes operator dependent. Many of these take time to ramp up to temperature, and most (excepting the patented Matic impulse welder) cannot control the heating and cooling of the electrodes independently so weld appearance can be poor or variable.”
“The U Series welding is a big step forward in labour saving, neatness, safety and efficiency. It’s another green machine as it runs on 240 volts so you don’t need a substation next door to run it! While a weld is in progress an operator can be doing another task and the lights on top of the machine tell the operator when it’s ready for the next weld. As well as being a lot cheaper to run, the U Series Welder generally has a lower capital cost compared to Impulse welders.”
Live online demonstrations will be available shortly, with interested parties invited to contact Chris Hart directly on 0402 963 696 to make an appointment.
ULTRACUT INDUSTRIES
Ultracut is set to expand its offering significantly this year with a host of new machinery, confirms Director Garth Jacobs. Ultracut has secured the sole distribution rights in Australia and NZ to the long standing Vertical blind machine VB01 from Micro Pneumatics in the UK.
“Many of these machines are in circulation and we look to provide supply of new machines and in addition provide our quality level of support for existing machines. Our first shipment is in transit along with all required spares for any issues users may have.”
“In addition to adding this machine to our range will be the Ultrasonic Vertical Blind welder. It facilitates fast and quality welding of pockets without the need for sewing. Also supplied from Micro Pneumatics UK.”
“Our long awaited DuoWeld impulse welder with a 6.4 metre long welding width is finally in full production. After all the feedback from the Super Expo 2019 we have refined the design and will be shipping the first batch of three shortly. This machine is in a unique position due to the patented Dual Width welding capability. It has the ability to weld 10mm and 20mm and change at the push of a button.”
“It uses a custom multifit Kedar clamp to allow easy, consistent welding of kedars like no other. Our system is fully programmable and has active temperature control, which ensures consistent welds even with fluctuating temperatures and workloads. We see this welder being a great fit as it eliminates the need for two welders of different sizes or the need to change bars. It has a semi-automated joining process that can produce perfect joins time after time with minimal setup or skills required. All these features save time, money and importantly improve consistency on quality.”
Jacobs says the Vectrocut Sono with its introduction of the larger capacity for the externals market “has proven itself over and over to many customers in Australia and NZ as a reliable, easy to use cutting table with outputs that rival traditional plotter cutter style machines for less floor space and cost.”
“It is now capable of cutting 3.3 x 5.3mt skin sizes on both Ultrasonic and Crush cutting with a proven benchtop system that leaves NO tagging whatsoever. Our cutting surfaces are so good in fact we have not replaced any, with over seven years being the oldest machine cutting a staggering 300,000 blinds and still without a surface change and minimal maintenance.”
“On the opposite end of the scale our entry level crush cutter, the ‘Sabre’, has been selling and performing well. We recently upgraded our options so it has the ability to work with a digital automatic backstop. This machine is a cost-effective, high performing solution to get you cutting for minimal dollars. It has an easy to assemble design which has enabled customers to assemble themselves saving even more dollars. It is the highest spec machine on the market for the outlay and is gaining traction as we see a rise in more start-up companies earlier this year.”
“For anyone looking for proven, reliable machines that are locally built with a track record of performance and great customer support, think Ultracut.”
“With quiet times ahead of us, Ultracut has many new innovations in the pipeline and we will be utilising this slow period to bring these machines to market when the climate improves. All our upcoming designs are based on improving quality, speed and automation to further advance the industry as whole.”
“We hope everyone in the industry stays safe and we look forward to chatting once we have all weathered this unprecedented storm.”
