Zip-TS1 Cutter Slitters-THERM-O-TYPE Corp.

THERM-O-TYPE Zip-TS1 Cutter/Slitter is a heavy duty programmable cutter/slitter featuring a Windows XP touch screen control and a unique tooling station that provides cross sheet scoring, perforating, die cutting and blind embossing capabilities.

The touch screen computer control allows a high degree of automation with fast set up, and job program storage and retrieval. All set up and operational screens are easy to view and use with ample space provided by the 10.2" full color display.

Sheets can be registered using either the lead edge of the sheet or a registration mark. Switching between registration modes is a simple selection on the touch screen computer.

The Zip-TS1 feeder can handle coated and un-coated, laminated and UV coated sheets. In-feed paper guides are adjustable with a single knob to the centerline of the machine. A second knob provides micro side-to-side registration adjustment. Non-marking wheels and rollers are used to feed and convey paper through the machine.

Programming a new job format is quick and easy. The operator goes to the Set Up screen and enters five pieces of information. These include: lead edge or registration mark mode, number of pieces being cut from each sheet, finished size of pieces being cut from each sheet, lead edge trim off and, if a crosscut gutter is required, the size of the crosscut gutter. The tooling station controls are accessed from the Set Up screen. Programming typically takes less than a minute and programs can be stored.

Guillotine crosscutting can be programmed for a "scissor" or a variable width "gutter" cut. A minimum product length of 1 1/2" makes the Zip-TS1 ideal for tickets and other small format products. Competitive models require significantly larger minimum product length (3.35" for example) limiting the ability to format products efficiently or, in some cases, to run the products at all.

Zip-TS1 rotary tooling cassettes are unique and offer many advantages over competitive designs.

Each slitting blade/hub assembly removes a .125" (1/8") gutter. This eliminates the need to "stack" two sets of scissor cut blades to remove a gutter. This allows a thinner gutter (0.125" Vs. 0.19685") which decreases product "spread" cross the width of the sheet. Standard Zip-TS1 slitting blades can slit products as narrow as 1" wide. Various gutter cut slitting blades widths are available, for special applications, as an option.

Preconfigured rotary tooling cassettes also ensure the tightest possible finished size accuracy. Unlike competitive models that can vary product width accuracy by as much as +/- 0.3 mm (+/- 0.0118" or 0.023622" total variation), Zip-TS1 business card slitting width accuracy is +/- 0.0127 mm (+/- 0.0005").

The Zip-TS1 is the only cutter/slitter that offers semi-slit (slit-score) tooling for customers who semi-slit the fold line on greeting cards, and similar products, instead of scoring. This is especially important for graphics that bleed across the fold line of the card.

The ability to crosscut then inline rotary slit and semi-slit allows popular greeting card formats (11 1/4" by 7 13/16", 9 5/8" by 6 15/16", etc.) to be run two-up on 12" wide stock. No other programmable cutter/slitter has this important capability.

The Zip-TS1 is the only cutter/slitter available with a cross sheet "tooling station". The tooling station allows cross scoring, perforating, die cutting and blind embossing on multiple up products. The tooling station has been designed for quick set up. Mounting and removing tools is quick and easy. Alignment pins ensure that tooling is uniformly positioned, allowing stored program information to be used without adjustment.

Business cards are typically run in 24 or 25-up formats. The Zip-TS1 can handle either configuration in bleed or non-bleed formats. Using the tooling station, with a low cost blind embossing die/counter, the Zip-TS1 can crosscut, slit and blind emboss business cards in one pass.

The combination of short guillotine cut off length (1.5" minimum) with inline slitting and perforating make the Zip-TS1 ideal for tickets. No competitive cutter/slitter can offer a similar single pass production capability.

Die cutting on the tooling station can produce a wide range of finishing applications. Hole punching, peek window, decorative edge and interior die cutting are common applications. THERM-O-TYPE has also developed a unique system to produce round cornered products on the Zip-TS1 without edge nicks. Using this system, round corner business cards and playing cards can be produced in a single pass finishing process.

While the Zip-TS1 die cut area is limited, a die cut "step and repeat" feature dramatically expands the range of die cut applications. For example: using a 2" x 7/8" die, a window can be added 2" by any length. Step and repeat die cutting can be programmed to overlap (to create variable size windows, for example) or spaced apart (so a row of stars or hearts can be die cut along the edge of a card, for example).

The step and repeat function can also be used for blind embossing applications. Emboss designs can be programmed to imprint once at the top of the sheet and twice at the bottom of the sheet to create two different embossed designs (for example). Programmable emboss position and repeat spacing on each sheet allows a wide range of effects to be created with each blind embossing die/counter.

Step and repeat die cutting and blind embossing provides maximum flexibility and minimizes the total number of dies required for various formats and designs.

A delivery conveyor is standard equipment on the Zip-TS1. The conveyor eliminates delivery problems associated with bins and allows product collection while the machine is running. This eliminates the need to stop production while removing product from the bins. Bins can be a particular problem on cutter/slitters running small products like business cards and tickets, because the small finished size tends to flip and/or jam in the bins. To deal with this problem, most bins for business cards are shallow. Shallow bins minimize card flipping and/or jams but must be cleared by the operator after every few sheets are fed through the machine (each sheet creates rows of 5 to 8 individual cards at delivery so the finished stack builds up quickly). The conveyor can be attached or removed, without tools, in a few seconds.

As you can see, the Zip-TS1 is a unique production machine that is ideally suited to finish a wide range of multiple up digital products quickly, accurately and reliably. For additional information on the Zip-TS1 programmable cutter/slitter, contact THERM-O-TYPE.