TECHNOLOGY
Gerber Introduces New Paragon Cutting Platform
Tolland, Conn.–based Gerber Technology introduced its Paragon cutting platform in September at the China International Sewing Machinery & Accessories show in Shanghai.
The modular system promises higher efficiency, reduced energy costs, easy operator training, and tools to manage and monitor workflow.
“Paragon customers will no longer need to hold on to outdated technology due to fear of retraining experienced operators or spend months training new operators only to lose them in a competitive labor market,” said Mike Elia, Gerber’s president and chief executive officer, in a company statement. “Paragon’s elegant, breakthrough user interface, which we call KERI, is simple enough for any operator to use efficiently and accurately from the start—it’s as easy as click-click-cut.”
The system is shipped in modules, rather than as one larger piece, eliminating the need for costly rigging equipment or big trucks to transport and install, and because it’s modular, the system can be easily installed on any floor in the factory. According to the company, the Paragon cutting system is designed using “a space-frame concept rather than a traditional solid tub,” making it rigid and durable but “up to two tons lighter than some multi-ply cutting systems.”
The system features Gerber’s patent-pending Ever Sharp technology, which allows customers to quickly replace knife-sharpening stones and, according to the company, “get up to three times more usable life than traditional stones.” The cutter is quiet and has a high-efficiency design that “reduces energy costs by up to 20 percent.”
The Paragon system easily integrates with Gerber’s AccuMark pattern-design software and the GerberSpreader automated spreading system. Plus, operators and cutting-room managers can generate reports about individual jobs and daily output to boost efficiency and streamline the cutting-room workflow. For example, operators can monitor total cutting time versus idle time as well as time between cuts and total units cut. The system monitors operations down to the number of parts cut per job and the cutting time per job.
There are two Paragon versions, the L-Series, which cuts up to 1 inch of vacuum-compressed material, and the V-Series, which cuts up to 2.8 inches of compressed material.
For more information about the Paragon system, visit www.gerbertechnology.com.
