US label printer Catapult Print has invested in new plate room, coating and core cutting machinery at its Florida plant, which it said will enable it to continue supporting its customers’ increased need for shorter lead times and a more responsive service.
An overhaul of the plate room brings in “next generation” kit and automation from Esko, streamlining workflow to enable platemaking in half the time, it said. As well as delivering shorter lead times, this means that all platemaking activity can be kept in-house to keep costs down. The AI-enabled equipment will help to calculate the most efficient plate layouts, saving time, avoiding waste, and reducing cost.
Also new is a Ravenwood Com 500 Coater, Catapult’s second such machine, making it the only label printer in the US to deploy two of these machines simultaneously. The new coater doubles Catapult’s capacity and enables the printing company to offer customers a choice of traditional or glue gap linerless labels with its Linerless+ service.
The Com 500 Coater enables simultaneous application of pressure sensitive adhesive and UV curable silicone lacquer. It can accommodate variable line widths from 3mm to 45mm, and slits and rewinds multiple lanes into finished reels, in a single pass. It has a coating speed of up to 130 m/minute.
Lastly, fully automated core cutting machine from Parkland International completes the equipment investment, enabling Catapult to produce bespoke core sizes in-house. The system uses an efficient and cost-effective process that will contribute further marginal gains for keeping pricing as low as possible and reducing lead times, the company claimed.
CEO and co-founder of Catapult, Lewis Cook, commented: “At a time when it seems the price of everything is going up, we’re committed to keeping costs as low as possible for our customers. Investing in our capabilities to increase capacity, slash lead times, deliver on quality, and remain agile enables us to keep our promises.
