Laser Diecutting: A New Approach

High-speed lasers in the label and packaging markets use a set of mirrors called galvanometer heads (galvo) that redirect the laser beam around the cutting path of a given job. The laser diecutting machines of today can not only cut ovals, squares, circles, and rectangles similar to traditional diecutting equipment, they can also achieve high-quality, intricate cuts for custom applications at high speeds. Aside from the obvious advantages of savings in tooling costs and "uptime" on the press, there are many unseen advantages to laser cutting technology. Printing companies are finding new business opportunities outside of their traditional markets by differentiating their label portfolio from the competition. Also, customers are transferring job set-up responsibilities to existing prepress operators, therefore reducing the number of machine operators on the shop floor. Finally, customers are increasing their profit margin on short-run jobs by using the automatic changeover capabilities available on several laser diecutting systems.