Gerhardt USA has risen, quite literally, as a Phoenix from the ashes.

A devastating fire in November 2009 was a serious setback for the market-leading manufacturer of die cutting tools and other flexible tooling solutions. Now, less than one year later, Gerhardt has unveiled seven new flexi die innovations, which will be showcased at the upcoming Labelexpo Americas 2010, which takes place from September 14 to 16 in Chicago.

The new line of flexi dies will be delivered from a newly and completely rebuilt facility in Dallastown, Pennsylvania.

Ian Bates, Gerhardt USA President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “This is the most important Labelexpo exhibition ever for Gerhardt USA. This year’s trade show is our rebirth.

“We look forward to presenting our seven new flexi dies, and demonstrating to our customers how these products would improve their business. The flexies are cost-efficient, and they would open up new business opportunities in sectors such as automotive, medical devices, electronics, and small packing.”

Cost savings and green go hand in hand

According to Gerhardt, there is a clear trend towards use of thinner liners. Said Mr. Bates: “Using a thin liner requires precision tooling, which the normal solid die is not equipped to provide. Our flexi dies meet the challenge, because they are high accuracy toolings.

“They are also especially designed for the recently launched, very thin synthetic liner. We believe this concept will gain market share, because synthetics can be recycled, unlike paper coated with silicone, and it saves costs thanks to less consumption of material.”

Besides being in tune with emerging green trends, Gerhardt’s seven new innovations are also designed for a variety of markets. This versatility would be on display for visitors to Gerhardt’s stand 729 at Labelexpo.

Adding a new texture to fine wines
Aimed at the luxury label and wine industry market, the new Texture Flexi embosses high quality textures and lines on labels. It is the alternative to the traditional embossing method of using solid dies, which is a costlier and less flexible solution. The textured flexible die is already gaining in popularity in wine-producing regions in the United States, thanks to the fact that it has come to be seen as extremely cost effective.

Convert thicker materials faster and at lower cost
The High Blade Flexi enables narrow web converting of materials with a caliper up to .035”, as well as some materials as thick as .200” (if compressible to .035”). This ensures cost-effective converting for applications like foamic constructions, high caliper boards, gasket materials, booklet labels, and medical devices.

Flexible carton dies provide “out of the box” solution
Converting board into folding cartons is one of the major advantages of a new line of male/female flexi dies. The dies cut and crease the most common paperboard types and laminated materials. According to Gerhardt, a set of rotating male/female flexi dies is much more productive than the traditional flat-bed steel rule dies, thanks to the ability to perform continuous die cutting with a speed of up 260 feet per minute.

Tenfold improvement in abrasive material die cutting
Onyx is the name of a new flexi tool treated with a long-life coating on a molecular level. It is developed for continuous converting in abrasive materials like thermal paper and thermal cardboard. Test runs show a performance improvement amounting to some 1,000% in comparison with ordinary laser-hardened flexi dies.

Micro-milling removes the devil from the details
In many settings, even the smallest details have to be taken into consideration. Gerhardt has risen to this need. Deployment of new technologies like chemical, micro and slot drilling in the production of flexi dies means that extreme details – e.g. holes down to a diameter of 0.01” – can be converted.

No matter how adhesive, nothing will stick
The new non-stick coating works exactly like the material that makes cooking in a non-stick pan such a joy. Nothing is migrated to the flexi die, and the coating allows constant die cutting while using open-face adhesives, like conversion of double-sided self-adhesive pads where the cutting has to be done directly through the adhesive layer.

Shock…and awe: Air-Flex provides optimal mix
Air-Flex, the patented flexible air die, combines the benefits of the flexible die and the existing Shock Air System that Gerhardt launched in 1989. The system removes the waste, ensuring that the converting machine remains free of contamination without the need to spend time cleaning laboriously. The new Air-Flex system can replace solid Shock Air dies in up to 80% of the jobs. All other of the unique Gerhardt flexible die features can be added when applicable.