Go, Speed Racer

So what can converters do? What’s out there for them to address these trends and not break themselves doing it? Michael Wilks, director of marketing for Bunting Magnetics, states that the trends having the greatest impact on the diecutting market are those involving “any technology designed to reduce set-up time, save cost, or increase capabilities.” Here, flexible dies can help. Wilks states that though popular in Europe (75 percent of narrow-web diecutting jobs are performed using magnetic cylinders and flexible dies), just 25 percent of U.S. jobs are performed using magnetic cylinders or flexible dies, with the remaining 75 percent using solid tooled cylinders.