The Evolve Air&Wedge Welder was developed to fill a gap in PlastGrommet’s lineup of banner-finishing equipment.

The new welder features both hot air and hot wedge, enabling users to make different finishings such as hem, webbing tape, pole pocket, hem with cord, and banner joining at speeds of up to 20 linear metres per minute.

The machine, which is commercially available immediately and additional to the company’s portfolio, features a material puller, which PlastGrommet said is useful on long welds, and has a precise head positioning system with stepper motors. The built-in table is said to ensure optimal material handling and offers the option to add an additional L-shaped table.

Rafa Menendez, head of sales at the Spanish manufacturer of finishing equipment for banners and fabrics, told Printweek: “The new high-speed welder is something that was missing in our range.

“We had machines for hemming and eyeleting, but we didn’t have a tool to join banners, so with this we can now makes hems and also join banners. Our customers have been asking us for this kind of solution.”

He added the company’s R&D team had worked for almost two years to bring this machine to the market.

PlastGrommet is also using Fespa to present kit including The Finishing Station, which offers welding and eyeleting in one step; the All in One, an automated banner finishing system that offers hem welding, eyeleting, and slitting; and the Roll2Roll Eyeleting Pro, which features an automatic eyelet setting on both sides of a roll with a motorised cutter to cut banners to a specific length.

Atech is PlastGrommet’s sole UK distributor.

Fespa Global Print Expo runs until Friday (22 March) at the RAI in Amsterdam.