Digital print manufacturer Xeikon has launched a software add-on for the Xeikon X-800 digital front-end that eliminates operator intervention at the diecutting stage.

Unveiling its patent-pending Xeikon Vectorizor at Labelexpo Americas 2012, Xeikon claimed that the new software would cut operator time, reduce substrate wastage and increase productivity for label printers.

The Vectorizor, which is only compatible with the Xeikon X-800, works by creating a vector-based file from JDF or PDF files generated by a MIS or ERP system.

The vector-based file holds data about the label shapes or "frames" which is transferred automatically to the laser die cutter.

Bar codes are simultaneously printed next to each label space, which are then read by the die cutting device, telling it which "frame" or shape to cut.

Xeikon’s director of product marketing Jeroen van Bauwel said: "I don’t think any other products on the market are capable of automatically directing a digital press to calculate the different diecuts and then automatically driving the label die cutter in this way."

Xeikon claims the Vectorizor software, which is currently in beta-testing and will be available from Q1 in 2013, will create genuine savings for its users.

Van Bauwel said: "With standard diecutters you lose material between jobs but with this kind of system, if you add the marker, you can cut from one centimetre to the next with no waste

"It opens up a whole lot of possibilities in terms of gaining time and substrate costs and automating production which is vital today."