Jitendra Patel, managing director, Excel Machinery, says, “We are the pioneers to introduce automatic die-cutting machine in India. The awareness towards having automation in post-press division has surged in recent years and hence we have seen 12 installations of Maxima last year.”

Some of the key users of Maxima are Yamir Packaging and Canpac Trends in Ahmedabad; Color Point and Dot Graphics India in Vadodara; Gurgaon-based Grand Prints; Shri Nijanand Graphics in Indore; Sain Packaging in Rai (Delhi); Hyderabad Security, Hyderabad; and BK Impression in Bengaluru.

Targeted at mid- and large-sized packaging firms, the Maxima is available in 25x35.5inch configuration which is capable of accommodating almost all sizes of jobs available in the Indian environment. The versatile machine is suitable for small quantities as well as mass production.

Patel further adds, “We have added features which assist smooth operation and self-diagnosis for faulty set-ups plus various safety measures to the machine.”

Features

The automatic die-cutting machine is capable of die-cutting 5,000 sheets per hour.  “With high speed presses in the market, the printing speeds have increased however  manual post-press hampers the delivery schedule. The Maxima can replace four manual die-cutting machines and thereby increase production speeds as well as save labour costs,” says Patel.

The machine can handle various substrates such as paper, paperboard, laminated sheets etc with thickness ranging from 0.1mm to 1.5mm. It punches with maximum pressure of 180 tonnes which can be adjusted with simple turning of wheel. It is equipped with PLC control system for self diagnosis of faulty set-ups and defect detection.

“We have taken special care to incorporate operator safety in the machine. The ball clutch of main drive stops the machine in case of emergency," adds Patel.

The front lays and side lays of the feed table are equipped with photo sensors which can be adjusted at micro level for precise positioning of substrate. Also, the delivery section is capable of automatic piling and counting of sheets.

Thanks to low maintenance, operator friendliness, accuracy and flexibility of the machine, it has seen 11 repeat orders with some of the customers using three machines at their facility.

Zero gripper system 

The machine can be equipped with an optional feature of zero-gripper system which is useful for punching large sized cartons especially for textile packaging.

Generally 7-13mm space is reserved for gripper margins, which ultimately goes into wastage. According to Patel, the large sized cartons require less grippers and hence the grippers which disturb the punching can be removed and the gripper margins can be utilised as flaps. “It helps in reducing wastage caused due to gripper allowances and makes the printer more productive,” adds Patel.

Customer Testimonial

Established in 1982, Gurgaon-based Grand Prints, which specialises in cartons for pharmaceutical and cigarette packaging, has three Maxima Exb 35 in its arsenal.

“Initailly we had 13 manual die-punching machines which we replaced slowly and steadily with the Maxima machines. The Maxima is a hassle free kit which is totally maintenance free,” says Pavan Anhal of Grand Prints.

He further adds that the machine is operator friendly and that they trained the operators of manual machines to operate the Maxima. “We provide one week’s onsite training for our customers after the installation and our engineers are available for online assistance over the telephone,” says Patel.

Going ahead, the company plans to launch a bigger size of the same model. "We are looking at a 28x40inch size, depending on the market demand," concludes Patel.

SPECIFICATIONS

Max sheet size                 905x635mm

Min sheet size                  355x305mm

Max cutting size               895x620mm

Paper thickness              0.1 to 1.5mm

Max cutting speed          5,000 sph 

Contact     Excel Machinery
                   Jitendra Patel

                   +91 2764 286307

                   excel_maxima@hotmail.com

                   www.excelmaxima.com