Gerber's new generation cutting system

1 December 2004




Gerber Technology, USA, announced the launch of Taurus XD earlier this year. This is their next generation Taurus leather cutting system which offers many new features that deliver increased speed, accuracy and reliability for the lowest cost per cut unit in the industry. &rtreturn;Taurus XD scans 15% faster than the previous generation and, depending on the application, cuts 10-20% faster to deliver a substantial improvement in throughput. New CutWorks 5.0 software drives the Taurus XD, and includes many important enhancements which deliver increased material utilisation, easier data exchange, improved nesting functionality and on-board capabilities to create and edit parts. &rtreturn;Taurus XD is also equipped with two operator panels, one on each side of the system, for improved ergonomics and productivity and four tool holders in the cutting head for greater flexibility. Several new design features increase the durability of the system, reducing wear and maintenance even in 24/7 production environments. &rtreturn;Gerber relied on feedback from the market to help guide the design and engineering of this new system. Jim McAloney, vice president of operations for Distinctive Designs Furniture Inc, a beta test site for Taurus XD, said: 'We have witnessed first-hand the evolution of Gerber's three generations of leather cutting systems, from the TLCS to the Taurus, and now the Taurus XD. Since installing the XD three months ago, we have so far realised a 15% improvement in output and are now cutting 13-15 hides per hour. Like us, I think new users will be impressed by its low maintenance requirements. We put it to the test by running it 24 hours a day - the Taurus XD proved to be a truly heavy-duty system.'&rtreturn;McAloney adds: 'With the new CutWorks 5.0 software we have been able to increase the size of our work orders which have led to increases in productivity and yield.' CutWorks provides managers with comprehensive production data on every hide cut, including, among other things, production output and nesting yields. As an additional benefit, the system calculates total hide area. Therefore, manufacturers are able to compare the system's scanned hide area to the area reported by the supplier, and identify any differences between the two.&rtreturn;The Taurus XD leather cutter is a modular cutting system featuring automated colour hide scanning, flaw capture and multiple nesting packages. It enables most users to reduce leather waste by 4-10%. &rtreturn;The Taurus XD also eliminates both the need for pattern templates and cutting dies and operator injury associated with manual hide cutting. The system also improves worker safety by eliminating repetitive stress injuries brought on by the handling of heavy dies.&rtreturn;A digital colour camera, mounted to the cutting beam, scans the entire hide, locates the perimeter and captures and identifies pre-marked flaws. Operators mark hides using different colours to represent individual flaw grades. The software then automatically distinguishes up to four grades of flaws based on these colour markings. The Taurus XD system supports fully-automatic nesting as well as manual nesting. &rtreturn;The Taurus XD delivers consistent, reliable cut quality and accuracy. As a result, users realise a reduction in recuts. Unlike manual leather cutting, cut details such as notches are guaranteed to be included. Therefore, sewing operators can complete the assembly process faster than when using leather parts cut manually. &rtreturn;Gerber do not just cater to the volume market but also supply a single-station Taurus XM, the most affordable automated leather cutting system designed to cut full hides. Taurus XM is designed for companies with low volume leather cutting demands, including those that do small order production cutting, production recuts, and aftermarket service and repair cuts. The XM is also the perfect solution for engineering and product development departments that make frequent sample and prototype cuts. &rtreturn;Taurus XM was developed using the core technology of Gerber's successful Taurus XD leather system reconfigured into a smaller, more affordable package. 'The XM is offered at a significantly lower price point than any other full-hide leather system available today', says Shawn Cole, Gerber's product manager for single-ply cutters. 'While working with our customers, we discovered that many did not require the full production capacity offered by larger, more expensive leather cutting systems.' The Taurus XM is the answer to these customers' needs.&rtreturn;Taurus XM offers flexibility on many levels. The XM has a small footprint and can fit in areas that larger systems cannot. It can be easily disassembled and moved when facility layouts change. Users can also install multiple Taurus systems sharing one centralised management database for the ultimate flexibility in balancing production demands and capital investment costs. Taurus XM enables customers to keep up with growth in demand without overextending their output capacity or their budgets. &rtreturn;For companies outsourcing leather cutting to overseas contractors, the XM is an ideal solution for in-house, high-speed sample making and prototyping. Traditionally, salaried designers and engineers have cut leather manually in this environment. This is both costly and time consuming. Taurus XM simplifies this process through automation and provides both time and cost savings. Many overseas contractors are already using Taurus technology for automated leather cutting. Taurus XM also facilitates CAD data exchange with contractors. &rtreturn;Taurus XM offers the power, flexibility and cost justification previously unavailable to a large segment of the leather cutting market. 'With this system, Gerber have designed the easiest-to-operate, most affordable and feature-rich system on the market today', added Cole. 'Through the introduction of XM, we look forward to helping more manufacturers automate the leather cutting process and increase profitability.'



Privacy Policy
We have updated our privacy policy. In the latest update it explains what cookies are and how we use them on our site. To learn more about cookies and their benefits, please view our privacy policy. Please be aware that parts of this site will not function correctly if you disable cookies. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy unless you have disabled them.