Need Advice On Flatbed Table Applicator

[tomence]

I am looking to add a flatbed table applicator which i think/know will speed up my production time by a lot, and am trying to see if anyone has one and which brand and what their pros and cons are.

This flatbed applicator will be used for masking, laminating and mounting. I have looked at the RollsRoller and that's about it. I think I saw one few years ago at an expo and the name was i believe CWT if i am not mistaken, which looked promising at the time.

Size needs to be at least 5' x 12'

Any help will be much appreciated.

 

[Grafix]

I'll be following this thread as I'm also interested.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

CWT and RollsRoller are the most popular here. We decided to go the China route and have been very happy but another member has a horror story with the same manufacturer. Our table is made by Yinghe and it can mount 67" x 146", they also make one that is 67" x 200" with 2 gantries for not much more than we paid.

To put it simply, getting a flatbed applicator is one of the very best decisions we have made. Mounting full panels is a breeze, 2 sided registration is great for backlit, and laminating short panels is easy too.

Only negative we have found on our table is the lights are not very bright so we swapped them for some LEDs that are 2x brighter and it helps significantly.

 

[tomence]

CWT and RollsRoller are the most popular here. We decided to go the China route and have been very happy but another member has a horror story with the same manufacturer. Our table is made by Yinghe and it can mount 67" x 146", they also make one that is 67" x 200" with 2 gantries for not much more than we paid.

To put it simply, getting a flatbed applicator is one of the very best decisions we have made. Mounting full panels is a breeze, 2 sided registration is great for backlit, and laminating short panels is easy too.

Only negative we have found on our table is the lights are not very bright so we swapped them for some LEDs that are 2x brighter and it helps significantly.

What do you use on top of the table, is it thick glass or rubber mat?

And what is the quality compared to the Rolls and CWT if you have seen any of these two in person

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

What do you use on top of the table, is it thick glass or rubber mat?

We use a standard cutting mat as it's translucent. The glass on ours is roughly 20mm thick with a matte texture on the bottom. Chinese glass though is not very good and standard blades eventually scratch it which is why we chose the cutting mat.

 

[ikarasu]

We use a standard cutting mat as it's translucent. The glass on ours is roughly 20mm thick with a matte texture on the bottom. Chinese glass though is not very good and standard blades eventually scratch it which is why we chose the cutting mat.

I think all glass would get cut up when using a Razer.

We have a rolls roller, and we use a thick cutting Matt on it. We recently broke our glass (got a huge crack somehow) and had to replace it. Was around $2000 just for the glass... So I'd recommend a cutting mat on any flatbed applicator.

Mind if I ask how much the Chinese flatbeds cost?

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

Good glass is very scratch resistant, we have a piece that is 5+ years old that has barely any scratches in it.

All in we paid $9800 or so delivered, the dual gantry model would be roughly $500 more.

 

[tomence]

Good glass is very scratch resistant, we have a piece that is 5+ years old that has barely any scratches in it.

All in we paid $9800 or so delivered, the dual gantry model would be roughly $500 more.

Did it come pre assembled or did you have to assemble it yourself, also do you need a dock for the delivery or can it be delivered via straight truck with a lift gate.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

Did it come pre assembled or did you have to assemble it yourself, also do you need a dock for the delivery or can it be delivered via straight truck with a lift gate.

It was fully assembled... It is way too big for a lift gate and requires a flatbed trailer and forklift with 86" extensions

 

[tomence]

It was fully assembled... It is way too big for a lift gate and requires a flatbed trailer and forklift with 86" extensions

Do you know what was the problem with the other member that got the same flatbed table. And do you know how much you saved over a new Rolls or CWT in the same size?

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

He got a older model and the table was not true. He has issues with bowing and dips in the glass so it doesn't make good contact.

We got a similar sized table with similar options priced from CWT and it was about $24,000 after freight. So we saved close to $15,000. Going back the only thing I would change is upgrading to the dual gantry to be able to mount 2 boards at the same time.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

He got a older model and the table was not true. He has issues with bowing and dips in the glass so it doesn't make good contact.

We got a similar sized table with similar options priced from CWT and it was about $24,000 after freight. So we saved close to $15,000. Going back the only thing I would change is upgrading to the dual gantry to be able to mount 2 boards at the same time.

I forgot there is another table out there that showed promise and was distributed from graphics the called the bubblefree. It had some interesting options but was around $20,000. Bubble Free Applicator | Laminator for sale | Bubble Free Laminator

 

[tomence]

When I met CWT at the Expo in Orlando, I believe was about 2-3 years ago their tables were selling for half the price what they are selling now, and it pisses me off to know the introduction price and then a year or so later they doubled it, which is not pretty. That is a big jump and thinking maybe they are in the RollsRover league which I think they are not but want to charge the same.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

When I met CWT at the Expo in Orlando, I believe was about 2-3 years ago their tables were selling for half the price what they are selling now, and it pisses me off to know the introduction price and then a year or so later they doubled it, which is not pretty. That is a big jump and thinking maybe they are in the RollsRover league which I think they are not but want to charge the same.

Happens a lot in this industry now.

 

[tomence]

Imagine if i or you doubled our prices, probably will lose half of the customers lol

 

[ThatGuy]

We have had our CWT table for a year now. It has not had any issues. It has been the best purchase we have made for the production area and the first thing I would purchase if we started over.

Ours has a clear rubber mat over glass. I agree that brighter LEDs would be better but only when we layer reverse mounted prints on 2nd surface of acrylic/polycarbonate sheets. We can turn off the production area lights and eliminate this issue.

I looked at all the available manufacturers and preferred the CWT setup. The biggest difference between the Rolls Roller and the CWT was the gantry over the roller present on the Rolls Roller. I prefer not having the gantry as I believe it could be a hindrance when flipping material across the roller.

The unit came shipped in pieces. This was a plus due to getting the unit into our production area. We paid for the unit to be delivered and assembled. I would highly recommend paying for this service as it was worth every cent.

After paying for the shipping and assembly, the CWT price came up to the same as the Rolls Roller.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

Imagine if i or you doubled our prices, probably will lose half of the customers lol

It would make for a tough explanation to our clients.

 

[ktyler1320]

We have a Roll-X application table, it is made by rolls roller. I have no complaints with it, it came assembled we just had to move it into the room.

 

[FatCat]

We bought a CWT about this time last year at the NBM show in Indianapolis. We bought the demo table there, which they gave us a heck of a deal on and then I had it shipped via flatbed that night to our shop. I can tell you it is a very valuable piece of our equipment that has helped speed up production and minimize errors in our shop. Great table and I know we would never go back to not having one.

 

[tomence]

We bought a CWT about this time last year at the NBM show in Indianapolis. We bought the demo table there, which they gave us a heck of a deal on and then I had it shipped via flatbed that night to our shop. I can tell you it is a very valuable piece of our equipment that has helped speed up production and minimize errors in our shop. Great table and I know we would never go back to not having one.

What made you buy the CWT over the others, have you checked any other tables like the Rolls, Rollover and whatever else is out there. Was it the price or the built quality as well.