Avanzado finds tremendous upside with second new Colter & Peterson PRISM paper cutter

Nearly two years ago, Detroit area digital print provider Avanzado had two aging Baum 31.5-inch paper cutters being fed more work on a daily basis. They replaced one with a compact yet heavy duty 36-inch PRISM® from Colter & Peterson, and immediately experienced improved efficiency and better cutting results. Taking on more sophisticated work since then led to the installation of a second PRISM unit, a 45-inch warrior, in mid-January.

Both paper cutters were purchased new and are outfitted with the Microcut® Plus electronics system. Although the second paper cutter has been in action for less than a month, combining it with the game-changing and automated back gauge program has elevated work and output to greater levels in Avanzado’s finishing department, says Bindery Manager Tom Jurney.

“It’s been a win-win for us, especially since adding the 45-inch PRISM last month,” said Jurney, a 30-year industry veteran. “It’s a bigger and heavier machine. In addition to providing more availability, the knife cuts thick stocks like butter. The Microcut program saves us time and makes us more efficient. It really hit home for us because it impacts everything we do.”

And they do a lot of direct mail work, says Gregg Gabbana, VP of Finance and Operations for one of the Midwest’s largest digital print communication solutions providers. They also develop content for email and social media programs, but direct mail campaigns for ad agencies, co-ops, real estate companies and others turn the wheel more often.

Gabbana indicated they saw improvement nearly overnight with the 36-inch PRISM delivering cleaner, faster and more efficient cuts. Jurney, who oversees two full shifts of cutting five days a week, agreed and said the new cutter has improved upon those margins.

“The 45-inch machine has a larger stack lift by two inches, so we can cut up to six inches of material with it. The majority is 80 to 100-pound cover stock, and we also can cut a broader range of sheet sizes. We raised productivity with the 36-inch cutter a sizeable amount, and I would imagine we have improved exponentially by another 20-30 percent with this machine.”

Jurney says the road to greater productivity begins with the Microcut program.

“The automated program has the back gauge cycle right through to the cut line of the knife, so the PRISMs really chew into production time,” he said. “With the jump drive, we were able to take 300 different cutting programs from the 36-inch cutter, plug them in and have all of information transferred to the new machine. Considering we have so many jobs that measure 4-by-6 inch, 6-by-11 inch and 8-1/2-by-11 inches, it saved us a tremendous amount of time.”

Gabbana noted how the clamp pressure on the 36-inch PRISM – at 7,500 pounds it is triple compared to the Baum cutters – was a huge improvement. Jurney concurred and says it is even better with the 45-inch PRISM.

“At 9,200 pounds, this is where the new cutter is even more powerful for us,” he explained. “We do lots of jobs that require UV coating where the clamp pressure is absolutely critical. For example, the direct mail pieces we do for real estate companies always have pictures of homes. Toner can build up on the blade but the PRISM cuts so much cleaner and sharper than the Baum, there is no pulling or mooning effect. Those property photos really pop off the page and it’s really so much more of a superior machine.”

With a 15-inch touchscreen attached to the Microcut system, Jurney is sold on his new PRISM.

“It’s easy to use and I like it better than the Polar paper cutters. They rank very high on my list but the PRISM is so much simpler. You can change the functionality with the touch of a button, and adjust the back gauge or clamp height and speed. The blade is pretty heavy but when you need to change it, the process is simple, straightforward and safe to do. I appreciate having this machine.”