HEIDELBERG CutStar Generation 4 offers cost benefits and added productivity for printing labels and package inserts

The CutStar sheeter from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG) is in high demand from print shops. After all, operators are leveraging cost benefits and boosting productivity thanks to the new CutStar Generation 4.

The sheeter is now available on the market in its fourth generation. Compared to the previous generation, this latest version offers the advantage of the Push-to-Stop concept from HEIDELBERG, meaning it offers more automation, simpler handling, and easier maintenance. By taking automation to the next level, CutStar Generation 4 can save up to 50 percent on makeready times when integrated into the Prinect workflow. Extensive preset values for different substrates ensure significantly accelerated makeready times when changing materials. Manual adjustments such as format length settings are no longer required. For example, CutStar Generation 4 can be used in the pharmaceutical sector and in label printing to boost the production speed for thin substrates by 30 percent and considerably expand the range of uses for especially thin materials (films from 40 μm and paper from 30 gsm). This means HEIDELBERG is able to dependably meet a major market requirement, particularly in these segments. Two thirds of the systems that have been supplied so far are being used to print labels and packaging inserts. What’s more, the proportion of sheeters in use in the commercial printing sector has increased dramatically in recent months due to the associated cost benefits in paper procurement.

HEIDELBERG continuing to develop CutStar technology in line with market requirements
HEIDELBERG launched the first CutStar sheeter onto the market at drupa 2000 and has continuously developed the technology ever since, adapting it to the growing market requirements regarding automation, suitability for integration, and productivity. The technology combines the productivity and cost benefits of roll-fed stock with the flexibility of sheetfed offset printing and is used with the highly automated Speedmaster XL 75, CX 104, and XL 106 models.

As a sheeter, the CutStar is the ideal addition for processing thin materials at high production speeds. “Growing customer requirements, particularly for processing thin substrates such as label papers, in-mold films, and papers for package inserts were the catalyst for developing the fourth-generation CutStar,” explains Markus Höfer, Head of Business Development Label at HEIDELBERG. “Integration into our Push-to-Stop concept and the Intellistart functions of the press make CutStar unique.”

HEIDELBERG delivers 50th CutStar Generation 4 to Seaway Printing Company in the USA
Having launched the system in summer 2020, HEIDELBERG recently sold the 50th CutStar Generation 4 to Seaway Printing Company, a commercial print shop based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Seaway Printing supplies (publishing) customers across the whole of the USA with books, brochures, catalogs, magazines, and educational materials: “Here at Seaway Printing, everything revolves around quality, reliability, and speed,” says Kevin Heslin, President at Seaway Printing. “Having understood our requirements perfectly and worked on appropriate automation solutions, HEIDELBERG has become an important partner that helps us fulfill those promises. By utilizing cutting-edge CutStar technology in combination with the high-end configuration of our Speedmaster XL 106-8-P, Seaway Printing has been able to considerably boost productivity.”