Kongsberg Finishing Tables Helps Cober Evolving Solutions Keep up with Digital Presses

Cober Evolving Solutions installed the EskoArtwork (Booth 435) Kongsberg i-XP 24 along with HP (Booth 3210) Designjet L25500 and Scitex FB 700 printers, following a move to a larger space and the decision to bring wide-format production in-house.

At its open house this past June, the one-stop graphic arts shop showed off the capabilities of its new equipment. “We were printing off the two wide-format devices to let customers see how the workflow happens,” explains Peter Cober, CEO. “It took 30 to 40 minutes to print, but only one and a half to two minutes to cut. I had to slow down the machine. It just flies.”

The i-XP 24’s speed stood out from the get-go. “As soon as I saw the XP, the speed blew me away,” says Cober. “It was really impressive. We have a lot of pressure to turn around our jobs, which is why we brought wide-format work in-house. The XP helps get things out the door.”

Smooth installation

The installation went smoothly, in spite of the pressure of an open house looming. The i-XP 24 was installed on a Monday, and the open house was that very next Thursday. “It was a fast learning curve,” notes Cober. “We also had an EskoArtwork person to help. There were 300 people at the open house here [in Ontario, Canada]. It was a surprise to our clients because they did not know we were buying the table. One of the reasons we had the open house was to announce our wide-format capabilities.”

In addition to its speed and accuracy, the fact that the Kongsberg table is from EskoArtwork is also key. “It’s more than just a machine,” says Cober. “It’s got a very good software company behind it, and we’re always looking for future opportunities. Also, we have a lot of HP equipment, and EskoArtwork and HP are partners. That was of interest, as there may be some synergies.”

One of the best features about the Kongsberg i-XP 24—along with its speed, is its flexibility, says Cober. “We’ve already used it with some challenging substrates—aluminum, plexi, Sintra, vinyl, foamcore—all of which it handled quite well.”

Handles all with ease

No two jobs are the same, and the Kongsberg i-XP 24 handles them all with ease. “We have cut aluminum 4x8' sheets to rout out shapes in the middle,” says Cober. “We have even cut and scored prototypes produced on our Indigo presses. Before we had to have the prototype/sample work done by hand and it was not as neat. We do diecutting for presentation folders. We even use it for shorter sheetfed runs.”

For one of Cober’s biggest clients—a global leader in wireless technology—the shop produces a lot of pop-up display stands. “We could never have done this job before because of the turnaround time, but having these capabilities in-house we can do jobs much faster than outsourcing,” says Cober.

The Kongsberg’s quality and speed have let Cober Evolving Solutions jump through hoops to meet customer demands, a competitive advantage in a competitive market.