Bunting® Launches New Flexible Die Division
September 12, 2008 1:28:00pm
The Bunting® Magnetics Company is pleased to announce the creation of a new Flexible Die Manufacturing Division. The Flexible Die Division will be located in a new, custom built facility in Newton, Kansas and will be solely focused on the production of 100% Chemically Hardened Flexible Dies.
“Our new Flexible Die facility has a layout that was exclusively designed for the manufacturing of flexible magnetic dies,” stated Mike Wilks, Bunting’s Flexible Die Division General Manager. “Within the manufacturing process, Bunting® has ensured that it is using the finest equipment in the world and has capabilities only a few companies in the industry currently feature.”
Bunting® wanted to meet the variety of requests from flexible die users. All of the state-of-the-art equipment has been designed to manufacture dies in widths up to 30 inches.
“This expansion of our product line perfectly complements our existing magnetic cylinder products,” Robert J. Bunting, President of Bunting® Magnetics, said. “This was a strategic decision to accentuate the strength and quality of our overall product offering to the printing industry. Our X-treme™ series Die-Cutting Cylinders are recognized as the best in the world and we are convinced that our X-treme™ Flexible Dies will reach the same level of performance. Simply put, to get the best cylinders and dies in the world, all anyone will need to do is call Bunting.”
The highlights of the manufacturing process include:
Computer-to-Plate (CTP) Technology
Bunting® is using the most sophisticated Computer-to-Plate (CTP) technology which eliminates the need for photographic film which is widely used by other flexible die manufacturers. The use of CTP technology eliminates one generation or “transfer” of the film image to the plate. This in turn increases sharpness and accuracy and also allows plates to be produced faster and more consistently.
100% Machine Sharpened and Nickel Hardened
Bunting® is one of a very limited number of companies that is using a CNC mill designed solely for sharpening flexible dies. This ensures the accuracy of our dies and as a result, only 100% machine sharpened dies are manufactured.
“With tolerances that mirror those of the tight tolerance X-treme™ cylinder, X-treme™ dies only need to be machined on one side,” Wilks stated. “No back grinding is needed to hit tolerances. The result is a better die edge produced more efficiently with the accuracy you can only get from an X-treme™ die.”
Unlike other flexible die manufacturers, Bunting® has chosen to produce only a top of the line, fully hardened die. No dies are sold that have not been 100% chemically hardened. This increases the life of the die exponentially without distorting the die edge as high temperature hardening often does.
Through Inspection
Following the hardening process, all dies are proofed with a precision die cutting module for accuracy and performance. Proof sheets are checked under a high power magnifier for cleanliness of cut and a special malachite stain test to examine the liner for evidence of unwanted liner penetration which will cause a die to wear out prematurely.
“For any printing operation needing incredibly quick turnaround and exceptional quality, Bunting® will be able to provide a solution,” Wilks stated. “We have the experience with a large variety of customers through our cylinder products so we understand their needs and will be able to get the order completed right and on-time.”
Visit http://www.flexdies.com/ more information.
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