Polar has announced the newest version of its Compucut software.
The high-speed cutting machine manufacturer has worked at developing automated cutting for over 30 years. It sees a trend for an increase in job changes coupled with a simultaneous decline in print runs, resulting in increased requirements for the operation of the high speed cutters.
The company claims that its Compucut software solution can eliminate increased set up times. It explains that, using prepress file formats such as JDF and PPF, the software can create, from the data, an optimum cutting programme with the most efficient succession, before sending the cutting programme to a networked high-speed cutter.
If a company runs several high speed cutters, it can initially transfer the programme to an external memory programme manager and then assign it to the relevant machine according to free capacity. As soon as the programme gets called up, the machine automatically moves up to the first cutting block and onto the next cutting block after each cut. The graphical or real time image of the printed sheet layout, displayed on the machine, shows in which direction and in which sequence the sheet must rotate.
Compucut consists of Compucut Go, Compucut Control and Compucut Auto Control versions. Compucut Go, the basic version, can create cutting programmes for D or N Plus machines. This version has some restrictions. For example, it cannot display a real time image and cannot modify the sheets.
Compucut Control includes the complete range of functions, including real time image display and the option to manually modify the sheets.
Compucut Auto Control also provides a function to create cutting programmes fully automatically without any manual intervention. This prevents operating errors, providing that the prepress data is correct.
The newest software version 5.0.8. focuses on Autoturn gripper coordination, the core of the Pace automatic cutting system. It features a new option to programme a lint cut, which corrects any unclean cut edges through countercuts.
