Ottimo Digital has invested in a Kongsberg C60 Edge digital cutting table and 1.6m Mimaki UCJV300-160 UV LED print-and-cut machine. The C60 Edge joins an existing Kongsberg C64 and will help erase a log jam, while the new Mimaki will handle the daily volumes of print and cut vinyl production.
The company – which has taken on new staff in production and account handling due to the explosion of work it has experienced within the exhibitions industry – is now hoping to expand its fabric printing operations. While exhibition graphics remains its main service offering, director Nick Lindwall said: “We’re interested in the whole fabric side of things, more textiles, and soft furnishings, it’s a matter of having the time to explore the opportunities and get into it properly.”
While the recent two most machines – bought from CMYUK – have plugged gaps in Ottimo’s production, the company is now seeking a second industrial sewing machine. “This has been another bottleneck. With our single sewing machine, we can finish 35-40 fabrics a day depending on size. A second one will double that, which is great as the FabriVu is more than capable of printing out as much fabric as we would ever need,” said Lindwall.
Ottimo Digital purchased its first Kongsberg cutter five years ago. This time, the company opted for the C60 model that has a working bed size of 3210 x 1600mm compared to the 3210 x3200mm of the C64. “It’s half the size of our first table because we didn’t have the floor space for anything bigger,” said Lindwall. “We had a slight concern about being able to cut the same size fabrics with all the shrink and stretch that you can get with dye-sublimation printing but it was unfounded, the smaller table is able to cope with accurate cutting.”
The UCJV300-160 is the first Mimaki printer for Ottimo, which predominately services the exhibitions market. Prior to the arrival of the Mimaki, vinyl was being output on solvent printers and then transferred to the Kongsberg for kiss cutting.
“It was just one more thing to add to that long list of work that we were pushing through the Kongsberg. However, with the Mimaki we can print and cut inline, and because its UV rather than solvent there’s less need for lamination, and of course no need to degas as you do for solvent prints. It just churns away in the background and does everything that it’s supposed to do,” said Lindwall.
Ottimo’s print kit includes a 3.2m EFI Vutek LX3 Pro hybrid printer, 5m EFI Quantum 5LXr UV LED roll printer, and a FabriVU 340i roll-to-roll dye-sub printer with inline heat fixation.
“These were our big investments that we bought over three consecutive years. We’ve got all bases covered from a 3.2m high speed flatbed to a dye-sub, which we see as the big growth area. We are busy on all fronts, but clients are moving towards textiles for a recyclable and reusable solution. Modular stand systems are also becoming far more popular, which are carriers for fabric graphics with stitched edging,” said Lindwall.
