eurolaser Cutting Systems: A Partner for Ongoing Success

High-precision laser cutting of printed acrylic – clean edges and exact contour alignment for perfect visual results. | Credit: eurolaser

Laser cutting systems have become an increasingly popular choice from companies serving the sign and wide-format graphics space, offering higher quality, enhanced production speed. Among laser cutting equipment manufacturers, eurolaser has established itself as a solutions provider.

Germany-based eurolaser was founded in 1994 with the goal of establishing laser technology as a solution for materials processing in various industries, including the graphic arts, automotive, and industrial textiles. In the more than three decades since its founding, eurolaser has become one of the world's leading manufacturers of CO2 laser machines for non-metal cutting and engraving.

eurolaser has been active in the U.S. market for nearly 30 years and has more than 60 laser systems installed there. Its systems excel at cutting a variety of materials including acrylic, wood, textiles, plastic foils, plywood, MDF, leather, polyester, polycarbonate, PET, and PET-G, thus enabling wide-format producers to expand the abilities and offerings.

Additional Layers of Flexibility

In addition to the inherent benefits of a quality laser cutting system, users can choose between a variety of optional system add-ons to strengthen quality and expand cutting options:

• POSITION+ professional, an optical system that can increase precision and reduce processing.
• The ability to add mechanical milling, where mechanical cutters and knives can run parallel to the laser. Ultrasonic cutting is also available.
• PICTURE+ opens the capability of raster engraving to create 2D and 3D reliefs with a resolution of up to 1200 dpi, in up to 256 shades.
• Other options include label and ink printing/marker modules.

Part of the beauty of these optional extras is producers can choose to get only what they need: not paying for features they don’t intend to utilize.

Automation for Efficiency

Increasingly, signage and graphics producers are looking to automate their systems to increase throughput and quality and reduce labor costs. Automation options offered with eurolaser cutting systems include:

• A shuttle system to easily load and unload with maximum utilization and minimum downtime.
• A twin-table system for loading material on one table while cutting happens on the other. When shuttling, materials remain in place due to vacuum pressure, preventing movement or slippage.
• A conveyor system to move rolled substrates through the machine, and to ensure a higher level of accuracy.
• Pick and place robotic systems optimize processes and reduce downtime.

Probo: Maximizing the eurolaser Advantage

Probo, a for-the-trade printer located in Dokkum, The Netherlands, serves as a textile printing-focused production house for print service providers (PSPs) in The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. eurolaser cutting systems have enabled the company to meet its quality and production goals.

Large-format laser system 3XL-3200 handling a printed roll exceeding 125.9 inches in width – ideal for soft signage and textile applications. | Credit: eurolaser

Probo first invested in eurolaser in 2017, when it chose a 125.9 inches wide 3XL-3200 system to not only cut its 100% polyester substrates, but to also seal the edges of the textile to prevent fraying. The results of that first eurolaser placement quickly led to a second purchase to add finishing capacity. “Integrated after printing, the systems allow us to cut with high precision and efficiency,” says Jordy de Jong, marketing and business development manager at Probo. “They help us speed up production, reduce waste, and improve precision.”

Probo purchased its eurolaser systems with an optional conveyor feed feature, which enables continuous production from printing to finishing. It also uses eurolaser’s LaserScout software – which works in conjunction with a camera system to aid in the positioning of substrates and their cutting. It is easy to integrate into existing print and cut workflows.

About Probo’s quest for finding a solution to edge fraying, de Jong reports that eurolaser cutting has “absolutely” addressed this primary pain point and has “significantly improved both the quality and efficiency of our textile production.”

After using eurolaser systems for roughly eight years, de Jong says Probo has experienced better processes, more reliable results, faster completion of work, and strong reliability. “It leads us to operational excellence,” he adds. “You’ll notice the difference as a customer: In reliability, speed, and better margins.”

Asked if Probo would choose eurolaser for a future investment, de Jong says, “If needed, yes. But even more importantly, we would like to further develop the entire production line together, focusing on robotics and making smart, future-oriented choices.”

Tsjitse de Haan (left) and Jordy de Jong, both of Probo, with one of the company's eurolaser units. | Credit: Probo

For Probo, which runs three shifts, the decision to invest in eurolaser proved to be a strong one. “We are very satisfied with the quality of the eurolaser systems,” de Jong says. “For the future, we hope that the next version will offer even higher cutting speeds.”

ZF LIFETEC: Production-focused Benefits

ZF LIFETEC, a leading passive safety technology provider that develops, manufactures, and distributes airbag, seat belt, and steering wheel systems to enhance occupant protection, relies on eurolaser systems in its two U.S. facilities, as well as in Mexico. The company uses the systems in prototyping to create airbag pieces that are then sewn together. The two North America-based eurolaser systems, operating in Romeo, Michigan and Chihuahua, Mexico, are both G3-2XL-3200 models and have been in place since 2017.

According to Julie Schoenherr, prototype manager - North America, ZF LIFETEC takes advantage of LaserScout software in production, along with ink and marking systems, which enable the cutting system to apply, for instance, part names or numbers on a cut piece, or to show patterns and sew lines. This feature, she says, was a key element in the choice of eurolaser technologies.

Asked whether eurolaser helped meet the production needs of ZF LIFETEC, Schoenherr says they are reliable. "We have had good luck with that for sure," she says. “It does what it needs to do. We compare cut parts back to a 1:1 template and it does well." She also applauds the fact that eurolaser system is an open unit, allowing users to make easy adjustment to both table and material.

ZF LIFETEC has also been able to use its eurolaser systems to create sewing fixtures in house, which has resulted in both cost savings and quicker turnaround. "So very beneficial," she adds.

As a partner, Schoenherr says eurolaser has been excellent to work with. "They want us to succeed," she shares. “We value the relationship and expect continued collaboration."

More Competitive, More Efficient

In today’s sign and graphics industry, the quest to stay competitive and maintain margins requires making the right decisions for the business. As signage, graphics, and other applications have continued to expand, it has become clear that the right choice of finishing systems is critical in quality, efficiency, and expansion into new or enhanced product areas. The right system also enables the use of numerous available substrates, thus creating options and driving creativity.

eurolaser’s strong commitment to the North American market – and its technologies – will be on display at the 2025 PRINTING United Expo in Orlando, Florida (Oct. 22-24), Booth 2855, and at the Advanced Textiles Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana (Nov. 5-7), Booth E1832. For more information on eurolaser’s technology portfolio, visit eurolaser.com.