Blackman and White has broadened its portfolio of entry level machines with the addition of the Graphtec FC8600 series of roller cutting plotters.

The Graphtec machine is a high performance cutter/plotter with a small footprint, making it an ideal choice for the digital print house with limited floor space. Available in widths from 0.6 to 1.6 metres, and handling material lengths up to 15metres, the Graphtec machine has an optional dual head which can hold both a pen and a blade so cutting and plotting can be achieved without changing tools.

Despite its compact size, it can operate at speeds up to 1.485 metres per second with an accuracy greater than ±0.1mm for both short and long production runs. The drag blade has a high cutting force so it can easily handle a wide range of materials including papers, cards, thick films and vinyls. As well as full depth cutting, the cutter can also carry out perforated cutting, half cut or incorporate fold lines by varying the pressure of the blade during the cutting process making it suitable for self-adhesive signage or label media as well as indoor and outdoor signage

The FC8600 series has USB, Serial and Ethernet interfaces, so it can be shared by multiple users over an established network.  The inbuilt ARMS software has 4-axis alignment and auto registration detection which ensures maximum precision, optimum speed and ease of operation. It also increases production efficiency by allowing multiple copies of downloaded files to be created without a PC. Automatic mark compensation, expanded effective cutting area and an auto cross-cut facility means the machine can deliver repeatable high precision alignment for long length print and cut operations.

Blackman and White’s managing director, Alex White comments, “Our top range of flatbed cutters are tailored to the large format or high volume print house, so the addition of the Graphtec range means we can help the smaller digital sign and screen graphic print house with limited space and budget to automate production, which will improve productivity, increase efficiency and enhance profitability.”