Me & My: Sodhisons Longhua 1050 DS auto die-cutter

Please describe your company.
Established in 1960, Dimple Packaging was established by Ram Das. He was later joined by his son Jagdish Kalra. Today, the company is run by the third generation of Kalra brothers. Komal Kalra, the eldest, looks after the entire business, Kapil Kalra looks after the marketing and Pankaj Kalra is responsible for production. Dimple Packaging manufactures mono cartons and corrugated boxes.

When did you start using the Sodhisons Longhua auto die-cutter?
We have been using the machine for the last couple of months. However, we are associated with Sodhisons Mechanical Works from 1970.

What are the properties of the die-cutter you like?
The machine is economical with good quality production. It can cut sheet sizes from 400×360-mm to 1050×750-mm at the speed of 7500 sheets an hour with 580 tonnes of cutting pressure.

Did you look at other similar products?  
Being a capital-intensive post-press equipment, we evaluated all the available options in the market and found Sodhisons Longhua 1050 DS auto die-cutter to be appropriate for our needs.

What are the features that tilted the favour in this?
It’s a heavy-duty construction — 600 tonnes of pressure with heated platen for special deep embossing. The machine also offers 3D embossing; die-cutting of plastic cartons, 3-mm kappa board puzzles and multi-ups duplex board folding cartons in full sheet size.  

How much have these features helped you in your production?
Our production capacity has doubled after the installation of the die-cutter. Now, we can offer varied and complicated jobs to our customers.

For what applications is the die-cutter used?
We are using it for die-cutting and other post-press operations.

Is there anything that you do not like or can be improved about this?
No, we didn’t face any issue. The installation and training process was smooth and it was handled by professional service engineers who were well experienced.

What’s the quality like?
The Sodhisons Longhua auto die-cutter construction quality is robust, which is essential for the long run of the machine. The machine is equipped with 12 heated temperature areas in the die-cutting platform with temperature controller function. Each area can be controlled separately. It adopts hot deep embossing, die-cut plastic cartons and so on. The hot press honeycomb plate can be removed easily by switching off the hot press function to use the cold die-cutting function.

How easy is it to use and handle?
If a packaging printing company wants to make its post-production fast, especially die-cutting, then this machine can be a good solution.

Would you say that it offers value for money?  
Yes, it offers value for money. We have die-cutters from other brands as well, but this die-cutting machine provides less turnaround time; faster production and minimum downtime, and these features have improved our production efficiency.

Were there any difficulties experienced during the use of the die-cutter?
We already have many products from Sodhisons, such as die-cutters, hot-foil stampers, paper guillotines, fully automatic rigid box machines, high-speed dry lamination machines, and we never faced any difficulty in any of the products with respect to functioning, service, and spares.

Who do you think the die-cutter is right for?
Any packaging and printing company who deals in paper and board.

Under what circumstances would you recommend it to others?
We definitely recommend all products from Sodhisons, especially because they have the experience and the technical expertise to offer excellent service support.