Product of the Month: AGS’s Aoke sample-maker

What does it do?
This is a simple digital cutting table for making mock-up samples for materials like paperboard, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, corrugated board, leather and also for cutting offset blankets. The sample-maker comes in several variants based on the cutting requirements. These variants can handle materials as thin as 2mm to as thick as 50 mm. The Aoke sample-maker can be coupled with a router to cut harder materials like acrylic and MDB boards.

When was it launched and what market is it aimed at?
AGS started marketing and supporting Aoke machines in India from April 2014. It is aimed at different segments including packaging, digital printing, large-format printing, corrugation, gaskets, and rubber among others.

Who’s using it?
Our customers are packaging printers, digital printers and corrugators. Today, we have more than 65 installations. Some of the key names include Rich Print, Award Offset, Velpack, Kalapi, Printmann, Dhingra Graphics & Packaging, R-Pac, Sagar Color Pack, Prefect Packaging (Vasai), Perfect Packaging (Dahisar), and PM Digital, to name a few.

How does it work? 
The machine has a simple technique of working. The input file is a DXF file that can be produced through Corel Draw or any other AutoCad software. This file has all the keyline information of the design file that needs to be cut. This file in then imported into the digital cutter’s control software from where it is transferred to the machine for the actual cutting. If the file to be cut is a pre-printed one then the DXF file should also have the cross marks so that same can be matched with the actual print to cut the exact image from the sheet with 100% accuracy. There are laser registration systems and camera systems to do this.

What support is available?
AGS takes responsibility right from the ordering stage (whether it is an Indian Rupee purchase or direct US Dollars) to the site inspection and providing the pre-site requirements. AGS helps in the installation and commissioning of the machine and provides training to the users on the software and the machine itself. AGS provides complete warranty and post-warranty AMC support for the machines including the needs of the consumables.

What’s the USP?
The USP of this machine is that is has made digital cutting affordable to the industry. The machine produces high-quality results and this is backed by the service support of AGS. AGS stocks most of the spares and consumables and has deployed its engineers across the country to service and support the machines. This I believe is the biggest USP.

How easy is it to use?
Today, most of the companies who buy these machines are doing some of the other design and sampling jobs. The machine and its software is a very easy-to-use tool. We provide complete training to the users for a period ranging from two to five days depending on the learning curve of the company. Then we keep helping them throughout the year as and when required.

How much does it cost?
We have a range of products that we deal in depending on the requirement of the customer. The price range would start from Rs six-lakh and above depending on the model chosen by the customer. This price includes the machine, tools for cutting, creasing and drawing, blades, vacuum pump, laser registration system, and control software.

What support is available?
AGS takes responsibility right from the ordering stage (whether it is an Indian Rupee purchase or direct US Dollars) to the site inspection and providing the pre-site requirements. AGS helps in the installation and commissioning of the machine and provides training to the users on the software and the machine itself. AGS provides complete warranty and post-warranty AMC support for the machines including the needs of the consumables.