| Adding new equipment to your business is an exciting | | | | between tasks. Employees shouldn’t have to |
| undertaking. It represents new business opportunities, | | | | walk anywhere to reach their weeding tools or to |
| the potential for new customers, and, hopefully, new | | | | find masking material, for instance; it should be all |
| levels of profitability. All of this is especially true with | | | | within arm’s reach. |
| cutters and printer/cutters, which present such | | | | |
| enormous decorating potential. | | | | Tips to maximize efficiency |
| If you’re adding a cutter or printer/cutter to | | | | Of course, getting the most out of your equipment |
| your business, get ready for an influx of new types | | | | means more than just putting it in the right place: |
| of orders, and get the business ready to handle | | | | It’s also about using it intelligently. For example, |
| those orders by laying out your new equipment in | | | | when the design is at the unit being cut (or print and |
| the most efficient manner possible. But before | | | | cut, as the case may be), the most efficient thing |
| moving any new equipment into the business, | | | | for you to do is to busy yourself elsewhere, with |
| you’ll need to give some serious thought as to | | | | another task, such as weeding and masking designs |
| how you’ll physically arrange it, and doing that | | | | you’ve cut previously, rather than watching the |
| requires understanding how the work actually flows | | | | unit and waiting for it to finish. Other tips for |
| through the decorating process. | | | | increasing productivity include: |
| Go with the flow | | | | - Be specific – Make sure every job has an order |
| With cutters, everything begins at the computers, | | | | sheet with all necessary information including due |
| where the design is created, manipulated and | | | | date; file name; image size and location; type of |
| prepared. That said, you’ll want to keep the | | | | garment and so on. |
| computer as close as possible to the cutter. On some | | | | - Chunk it up - Break up runs on roll stock into |
| units, the controls are on the right; by placing the | | | | manageable chunks. For instance, if you have a |
| computer on the right side of the unit, near the | | | | uniform order for 200 pieces, you might send only 50 |
| controls, you can easily reach over to the | | | | at a time to the cutter. This allows you to check |
| cutter’s controls while staying seated at the | | | | quality on the run midway instead of at the end, and |
| computer. | | | | you can busy yourself with weeding and masking |
| If you’re using a printer/cutter, you’ll first | | | | while the next batch is at the cutter. |
| print the design onto the material; if your unit is a | | | | - Keep it manageable – Depending upon your |
| conventional cutter, then you’ll obviously skip this | | | | production volume, the length of your design |
| step. After the unit cuts the design, you’re | | | | groupings on the cut material will vary depending on |
| ready to weed away the excess material. Next, | | | | the designs and jobs themselves; you should avoid |
| you’ll mask the design by laying onto it a piece | | | | sending designs through your system that total more |
| of clear, adhesive material – it looks rather like a | | | | than a metre of material at once. Keeping segments |
| huge piece of Scotch tape. Bend the adhesive | | | | of material at this length will prevent them from |
| material in the middle slightly so the middle hits the | | | | getting so long that they become difficult to |
| design first, which will help you avoid air bubbles. You | | | | physically handle. You can always “tell” the |
| then need to run a squeegee across the adhesive | | | | cutter to cut pieces automatically so that you |
| material to push out the air, the first pass lightly, then | | | | don’t have to do it by hand using scissors. The |
| a second pass with additional pressure. | | | | pieces will then either drop onto the floor or into a |
| Leave the protective backing on the weeded and | | | | catch basket (desirable, depending upon your |
| masked designs so you may stack them up and take | | | | situation and housekeeping). |
| them in bulk to your heat press area. This is a more | | | | - Weed smart – Whether or not you should |
| efficient process than actually applying each design as | | | | weed designs one-at-a-time or in groups depends |
| you weed and mask it, because you’re grouping | | | | upon the designs themselves. If you’re doing |
| together similar tasks rather than jumping back and | | | | large ones, you’ll probably want to weed |
| forth between dissimilar ones. Use a cart if needed to | | | | one-at-a-time instead of fighting with a large piece if |
| move those pieces over to the heat press area. | | | | material with multiple designs. If you’re doing say |
| Then, after the garments are decorated with the | | | | 24 tiny ones, you could weed them all at once. You |
| designs, they can be folded, stcaked back into the | | | | should develop a feel for the right approach in this |
| cart, and rolled over to the packing/shipping area. | | | | instance, knowing what’s manageable and |
| The work area | | | | what’s too cumbersome. |
| With a firm understanding of the workflow process | | | | - Weed different – For some designs – |
| for your cutter, you can lay out equipment in the | | | | especially smaller ones – you might find that its |
| most efficient way possible. Ideally you’ll | | | | actually easier to weed after you’ve done the |
| designate a 3m x 3m area for your cutter, giving you | | | | masking rather than beforehand, That’s because |
| ample room to operate the unit comfortably. | | | | much of the weeding will happen as a result of the |
| Embellishers with spacious production areas might be | | | | masking itself, leaving you with less actual weeding to |
| tempted to allocate even more room for their | | | | do manually. Any time you’re doing a new order, |
| cutters, but that’s not necessarily a good idea. A | | | | try this reverse method first; if it doesn’t work, |
| compact work area translates into efficiency by | | | | go back to the conventional sequence of weeding |
| putting within arm’s reach the tools and supplies | | | | first, then masking. |
| you need to stay productive. You’ll also want a | | | | - Gang up on them – Printers/Cutters typically |
| table nearby for weeding and masking; a standard | | | | use white media so there’s no need to change |
| 1.5-2m library type table should provide plenty of | | | | out material for specific colours. However, you will |
| room. | | | | need to change it based on the type of fabric |
| Devote your cutter area strictly to creating the | | | | you’re decorating. For example, you’ll use |
| designs, and handle the application of those designs | | | | one type of material for polyester and another type |
| using the heat press in another part of your | | | | for Nylon. Foe maximum efficiency, group jobs that |
| premises. In all likelihood, you’re already doing | | | | use the same type of material so you’re not |
| other types of heat transfer work, so there’s | | | | constantly changing it out on the cutter. Likewise, |
| no need to move the heat press into your cutter | | | | gang up smaller jobs so you’re cutting numerous |
| area. | | | | designs at once, not just one or two. Be careful, |
| (By the way, if you’re just now purchasing a | | | | though, as you don’t want to inadvertently put |
| heat press, consider at least a 40x50cm press so | | | | the wrong design on the wrong substrate – a |
| that you’re able to handle a larger variety of | | | | relatively easy mistake to make when you’re |
| sizes. Also, consider an air-assisted swing-away type | | | | batching together designs from different orders. |
| model, a versatile piece of equipment that allows for | | | | - Think BIG – For large runs, you may want to |
| custom platens, to handle odd shapes such as bags | | | | use a cold laminate, a piece of equipment familiar to |
| gloves and hats.) | | | | those in the sign industry. This unit puts an extra |
| Other equipment and supplies you’ll need include | | | | protective clear layer on top of the film. For |
| the media itself (the material that you will be cutting) | | | | decorating purposes, you would weed the designs |
| as well as squeegees, masking material, weeding | | | | then run them through the laminator with the mask |
| tools and scissors. Consider bin storage below the | | | | on top. This route is faster for large runs than using a |
| table to hold these supplies. | | | | squeegee, and it can provide better, more even |
| For a one or two person work area, consider | | | | coverage, thanks to consistent pressure. |
| arranging your equipment and supplies in a | | | | Whether you’re equipped with a printer/cutter, a |
| “U” shape. At the base of the “U” is | | | | simple cutter, or multiple standard heat presses, like |
| the cutter, with a 2m table to the right, and the | | | | most aspects of your business, creating the ideal |
| computer on the far left-hand side of that table, | | | | system for workflow is often a matter of trial and |
| next to the cutter. The rest of the table is used for | | | | error, so try these suggestions and see what works |
| weeding and masking. Your configuration may be | | | | best for you. With just a little experimentation and |
| different depending upon your particular needs, but | | | | some careful evaluation, you can create a workflow |
| the goal is to keep everyone working with no | | | | that gets the most efficiency and profitability out of |
| waiting, and a minimum amount of wasted energy in | | | | your equipment of choice. |