Starleaton has just completed the installation of two Zünd D3 2XL-3200 machines with BHS150 systems at Billboard Media – the first installation of its kind in Asia-Pacific and only the second time two units have been installed in a single business worldwide.
Starleaton CEO Ben Eaton told Sprinter that the installation marks the “largest Zünd installation” for the business to date since it took over the Zünd portfolio as its local agency several years ago.
The installation of the Zünd technology add on to the eight five-metre printers that Billboard Media had previously.
Billboard Media is one of Australia’s largest printing companies for large format indoor and outdoor media including billboards, banners, posters, cardboard, constructions wraps and more.
In the past 35 years, Billboard Media has built on its reputation as a quality printer to the retail, POS, exhibitions, advertising and media industries. The company is an existing client of Starleaton, with the relationship running over many years.
In recent years, increasing demand for outdoor media production from the advertising and media industries resulted in Billboard Media’s major investment in printers, technology and expertise to cater for this demand.
As it is the first of such installations in Asia-Pacific and the second time two units have been installed in a single business worldwide, Eaton said it highlights the benefits of introducing such automation.
“At Starleaton, we have put a huge amount of focus over the last couple years promoting these semi-automated and fully-automated systems from Zünd. This latest installation is one of the largest configurations of its type,” he said.
“We have got a number of these installations coming up over the course of 2021.Ultimately, businesses are either upgrading current cutting systems to add in the semi-automated systems or are looking at other fully-automated systems to improve their overall production efficiencies.”
Eaton also mentioned that Billboard Media made the decision to purchase two of these units as it was looking to upgrade its machinery to a model that was more automated.
“They had an ageing fleet of other smaller cutting tables and were looking to introduce automation into the business. The Zünd D3 2XL-3200 machines with BHS150 systems appealed to them as they are end-to-end automated cutting machines,” he said.
“It enables the business to cut pallet to pallet, having material stacked up to 1.5m, with multiple pallets at the entry point. With fully automated robotics to pick up the sheets, cut them and then move them to the other end without any human touch points, this is a true ‘lights out’ cutting solution.”
With its innovative dual-beam system, the D3 sets new standards in performance. The two beams can each be equipped with up to three different modules, doubling the throughput. The cutter controller optimally allocates the jobs to each of the two beams, aiming for maximum productivity.
The D3 Cutter is designed for precision as from drive system to blade, all components are coordinated, allowing users to produce jobs at the highest quality level, economically and efficiently.
It also features a modular design concept which enables users to put together a tailor-made cutting solution configured to meet specific production needs.
As for the BHS150 board handling system, it is an industrial-level manufacturing unit that uses highly automated production lines for users to produce around the clock while keeping personnel requirements to a minimum.
The BHS150 can efficiently process materials up to 4.3-inches thick and offers bridge-free stacking as its off-load conveyor and stacking system deposits cut sheets in a perfect stack on a pallet. Depending on the job, this stacking method eliminates the need for bridges to hold cut parts in place. This facilitates separating cut parts from waste.
In addition, the combination of 1.5m stack height, high production speeds, and extremely short set-up times is said to lead to considerable increases in productivity and profitability.
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