THE DATA FRONT

56 | l&l
The Spartanics Finecut laser cutting
system will be on display at Labelexpo
Europe in Brussels in September
Partnership
The two-day open house at Systec’s Bielefeld facility attracted dozens of visitors,
both screen printers and narrow web converters, from seven European countries.
The event also displayed a stand-alone slitter which can handle materials of
up to two meters wide at 100 m/m, and the Fineprint cylinder screen printing
line, featuring electronic controls which eliminate manual adjustments, which
can handle materials as thin as 12 microns, automate adjustments for shrink or
stretch, and position web material within 0.1mm.
The Fineprint reflects the cooperation between Spartanics and Systec. After the
Rolling Meadows, Illinois-based company acquired Klemm Technology in 2005,
a business with expertise in screen printing and laser technology, it saw Systec,
then named TSI, as a company whose background in screen printing further
complemented the group. The partnership began in 2007 and branding is divided
between technology areas: Spartanics for cutting systems; Spartanics-Systec for
screen printing and drying systems. ‘The partnership has been very beneficial,’
reveals Reinhard Zimmermann, owner and founder of Systec. ‘Spartanics has
great expertise and we’ve been able to integrate its technology into our systems.’
Mike Bacon agrees: ‘It’s the best of both worlds. We’ve traditionally been
focused on the finishing aspect of production, but through Systec we are now
involved in the whole printing line.’
Spartanics has been in the die cutting business for 40 years. Founded in Sparta,
Wisconsin, cutting name plates, the company developed optical systems which
allowed its systems to read a wide variety of different materials. It then moved into
the credit card market, which now makes up fifty percent of its business.
"We’ve traditionally
been focused on the
finishing aspect of
production, but through
Systec we are now
involved in the whole
printing line"
Future integration?
Mike Bacon returned to Spartanics, for
whom he had previously worked for eight
years as western regional sales manager
and international sales manager, in October
2008. Part of his new remit is to look into
the possibility of integrating the Finecut
system into a narrow web press line.
Indeed, the idea of laser cutting
integrated inline with a narrow web
press – and perhaps an inkjet unit too –
is an exciting prospect which may just
represent the best cooperation between
digital and conventional technology in
the near future. With around ten Finecut
systems already installed, and it sure to
be a major draw at Labelexpo Europe,
laser cutting is coming of age. As Mike
Bacon says: ‘We have only scratched
the surface.’
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