Printvision is a business that was conceived in a bedroom by two budding entrepreneurs, Ash and Krit Patel. Twenty one years after the ambitious brothers made the bold decision to found Printvision as co-directors, the company has just invested over £1.5million in two 3m wide digital printers, a 3.2m wide digital cutter from AG/CAD and a new 14,000sq/ft facility.
The journey to this latest investment has seen Printvision follow business trends and exploit opportunities for over two decades. This has noted the Leicester company undertaking everything from graphic design and the printing of flyers, leaflets and brochures through to packaging, stationery, indoor and outdoor signage, LED light boxes (Tension Fabric System), exhibition stands, FSDUs, flags and fabric production, and much more.
When the business received an enquiry for roller banners and pop-up display units at the start of the century, Printvision bought its first large format printer. Since then, Printvision has invested in litho and further roll and flatbed digital printing technology from HP, Mimaki, Epson and Oce, as well as laminating equipment. Entry into the exhibition sector has seen Printvision double, and in some cases treble its year-on-year turnover consistently for over a decade. The phenomenal growth is testament to the commitment and dedication of the staff and the strategic vision of the management team, all backed by the latest technology.
Fabric for Success
This vision has seen the company carve a niche in fabric and textile printing and displays, something that first took-off in 2016. Then, in October 2017, as part of a concerted effort to seal its position ahead of its competitors as a truly niche manufacturer specialising in wide format roll media, Printvision installed a EFI VutekFabriVu3.4m wide digital fabric printer and a 3.2m wide Mimaki UJV55-320.
With the new investments printing flags, tablecloths, gazebos, and various textiles for exhibition stands and displays at speeds never before thought possible, staff could no longer manually cut fabrics at the pace the printing machines could complete their tasks. This meant some cutting being outsourced and additional staff being deployed to hand cutting to help keep control of the bottleneck. However, precision, control and lead-times were also becoming a cause for concern.
Enter the DYSS
Printvision anticipated the need for a digital cutter solution and spoke with AG/CAD about a DYSS X9 at the 2017 Sign & Digital exhibition. Commenting upon the decision process, Managing Director, Ash Patel, says:
We were outsourcing some of our cutting work and the remaining work was already beginning to overwhelm our staff, creating a bottleneck. The recent arrival of the Mimaki UJV55-320 and the FABRIVU 340 would have compounded all the bottleneck, labour and outsourcing issues even further if it wasn’t for the timely arrival of the DYSS X9.
We looked at the necessary technology at the Sign UK show and AG/CAD and their DYSS brand stood-out for us. We liked what the DYSS had to offer, we liked the approach of AG/CAD, the price was attractive, the build quality was outstanding, and we realised the technology available would be a genuine asset to our business.
As our experience with the cutter grows, we have also come to realise how important after-sales service is and that is where AG/CAD has really excelled, helping us overcome issues and guiding us along the way. Assistance is available immediately without waiting for a ticket or a call-back, and when we have had minor learning curve issues that needed AG/CAD to visit, the next day service has been brilliant.
High-End DYSS Cutter for High-Throughput Print
Printvision opted for the top-of-the-line spec. DYSS X9-3230C digital cutter with a 3.2m by 3.2m bed, the UK’s first X9 installation of this size.
With two 3m wide high-output printers, we needed a very capable cutting machine. With the DYSS X9, we have that machine.
The DYSS X9-3230C incorporates a revolutionary motion control system with state-of-the-art drive technology that gives control, speed and power. The innovative drive technology also eliminates backlash to improve precision and repeatability.
The new FABRIVU 340 is currently printing 490 tablecloths in a day; this would have previously taken 10 days. We are also producing a batch of 532 flags that are printed both sides. These 2m flags for fuel station forecourts now take 3 days to produce instead of around 3 weeks. The DYSS X9 has no problem keeping pace with these high production speeds. Not only has it removed our bottleneck, it has also eliminated our outsourced cutting costs and freed up staff from manual cutting tasks.
It’s a Material Thing
The DYSS X9-3230C has a 3-tool Combo head with a reciprocating knife tool, a powered rotary blade tool specially designed for flag mesh and textiles, plus ahigh-frequency router spindle. It is also equipped with the K-CUT Vision system that enables Printvision to process everything from Vinyl, Acrylic, DIBOND®, CORREX® and fluted boards through to more challenging materials such as flags, display polyester and tent fabric with unparalleled precision.
AG/CAD flies the flag for fabric cutting
The powerful high-frequency routing spindle and the high-speed reciprocating knife tool have a reputation for carving through the toughest materials with ease. However, the unique characteristics of fabrics and textiles, especially media for flags, pose an entirely new challenge.
For general customers that process standard roll-fed materials like paper, plastic films and vinyl, roll unwinding is normally provided by a relatively simple passive Roll-Off device. However, the potential wrinkling and stretching of porous textiles are a totally different proposition. AG/CAD overcame this perplexing challenge with a sophisticated dynamic tension roll-feed solution on the DYSS.
Fitted to the rear of the DYSS X9, the auto tensioning system applies a constant tension to fabrics and dynamically adjusts the forces on the material as unwinding takes place which eradicates creases and wrinkles forming. Different materials and roll widths require different tension levels, so to cater for this the system has an almost infinitely variable tension control feature allowing quick and simple adjustment by the operator for each material. By cutting fabrics and textiles with the consistent tension specifically required for each, Printvision ensures unsurpassed cutting precision whilst preventing any deformation that could compromise the precision and cut quality.
Completing the package for the fabric cutting process, AG/CAD also added a pull-out collection device at the front of the X9-3230C for catching the processed roll media without disrupting workflow. Concluding on the acquisition of the DYSS X9, Mr. Patel says:
The investment in the DYSS X9 and the wide format printing technology is already opening new doors for our business and changing the way we look at future opportunities. We envisage the new print and DYSS combination will grow our business by more than 60% in a short period of time. The new machines have extended our capabilities massively whilst giving us a unique market position for extra-wide large format work and of course specifically for the printing and cutting of roll media and fabrics. The DYSS is the perfect complement to our wide-format print machines; and we are extremely pleased with our purchase.
