The Leicester-based independent supplier of thermoplastic plastic sheet materials for POP and POS invested circa-£40,000 in the machine, which was installed at the end of June. It was supplied by Nottingham-based Terry Cooper Services (TCS), who confirmed the machine was the first of its size to be installed in the UK since it revamped the CCM Premier range in 2014.
Acting as an addition to Eagle’s guillotine roster, the machine will allow the 14-staff business to take on jobs for plastics under 1.5mm thick for the first time.
Eagle general manager Darren Clarke said: “Seven or eight years ago we purchased a Biesse Sector Beam Saw, which can cut all materials except anything from 1.5mm and under. We were trying to see if there was something we could do and if there was a market out there that we could try and hit.
“We spoke to TCS and asked if there was any new technology they had come across. They knew we had a Beam Saw before so they did work their end as well and have advanced no end from when we were speaking to them six or seven years ago.
“A lot of plastic is sold to the vacuum forming trade, and for vacuum forming accuracy doesn’t have to be as good, we can do it with the old machine, but for fabrication for heat bending and that side of things it needs to be completely accurate. We gave away a lot of business before, so this machine has done fantastically.”
The 1,680mm-wide Premier has a deep clamp opening, which accepts a higher volume of substrates to reduce overall cutting time, and infrared slimline light barriers. It also has an LCD colour touchscreen display for ease-of-setup and an optical cutting safety line, along with an auto knife function for repeat cutting.
“It’s really the accuracy and how many it can cut a minute, all that side of it, which was most attractive to us,” added Clarke.
The firm is now looking to boost sales from £2.6m to around £3m by the end of this year. Along with the Beam Saw, it has also retained a 20-year-old Wohlenberg guillotine, and can now handle a wide range of materials that includes acrylic, PVC and recycled polycarbonate.
