Automation is redefining the packaging industry. Converters and brands are seeking innovative ways to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and meet the growing demand for flexibility. Digital die cutting is part of this transformation — a technology revolutionizing post press production of folding carton and corrugated packaging and display.

With digital die cutting, tasks once dependent on traditional methods are now streamlined through automation. The result? Faster setup times, reduced waste, high precision, and the agility to handle shorter production runs.

Why Digital Die Cutting is Essential

Traditional die cutting relies on physical dies, leading to long setup times and substantial costs for small-run production. With the digital transformation of die cutting, most of these obstacles are eliminated. Here’s why digital die cutting matters for packaging converters:

• Faster Turnarounds – Digital die cutting enables on-demand production, eliminating the delays associated with creating physical dies.
• Cost-Effective Short Runs – Businesses can now profitably cater to smaller batch sizes without being constrained by high initial setup costs.
• Reduced Waste – Digital workflows optimize material usage, improving sustainability and lowering costs.
• Seamless Integration – This technology works in tandem with both analogue and digital printing processes, ensuring compatibility across production setups.

By leveraging digital die cutting, businesses can achieve greater agility, customization, and a faster response to fluctuating market demands.

How Highcon’s Digital Die Cutting Enhances Automation

Highcon’s advanced digital die cutting solution seamlessly integrates automation into packaging production, minimizing manual labor and increasing efficiency. Here’s how:

• Automated Creasing with DART Technology – Highcon’s DART (Digital Adhesive Rule Technology) digitally replaces traditional creasing tools, offering unmatched benefits such as faster setup times and minimal downtime, more precise, consistent creasing across various substrate types, simplified adjustments without requiring retooling. With this innovative approach, converters can tackle complex projects with minimal downtime.
• Precision Laser Cutting for the Box and Complex Designs – Highcon’s proprietary laser cutting system provides high-speed, high-accuracy cutting with the following advanced features: Multiple CO₂ lasers working simultaneously for optimized efficiency, intelligent algorithms that distribute cutting tasks efficiently. This means manufacturers can deliver high quality products, including complex layouts, with fine details that would be difficult – or incredibly costly with traditional methods.
• Integrated Digital Stripping for Waste-Free Finishing – Highcon automates stripping through its digital stripping unit, ensuring a smoother production process. Benefits include Stripping without additional tools, efficient waste removal without manual intervention and more continuity in workflow, ensuring faster output. Together, these features enable packaging converters to deliver higher-quality packaging consistently and efficiently.
• Enhancing Workflow Efficiency with Highcon’s Digital Workflow Package (DWP) – Highcon’s Digital Die Cutting Workflow Package (DWP) allows converters to automate operations, bringing workflow efficiency to the next level. Key features of the DWP include:
  • AI-Based Imposition with Esko Phoenix: Optimizes material usage and layout, reducing waste and costs, and enables efficient job ganging for improved production workflow. In addition, automated nicks and strip line creation ensures consistent stripping without manual intervention.
  • Last Minute Editing Suite: Eliminates production delays by enabling quick layout modifications without needing to send jobs back to pre-press.
  • Hybrid’s PACKZ software: Streamlines job preparation, design modifications and XML export by providing full PDF support for faster and error-free setup.

Eurographic Group’s Experience

The industry impact of how digital die cutting is impacting automation is demonstrated by companies already leveraging it for success. Eurographic Group, an early adaptor of the Highcon’s Beam 3 digital die cutting solution, highlights the immense value digital die cutting can bring. According to Bartosz Nowakowski, Poland Country Manager at Eurographic Group, the company utilized Esko modules and automated aggregation to significantly cut costs. By optimizing their workflow, they reduced manual input and made better use of their resources. These changes resulted in more efficient production cycles and lower overall expenses, showing the financial benefits of automation.

“With Highcon’s laser cutting, we can achieve intricate designs that would be extremely costly and time-consuming with analogue methods. The automation eliminates tedious manual setup, and the production quality is indistinguishable from traditional die cutting. Our ability to handle orders ranging from one to 100,000 packages within 24 hours demonstrates the power of digital automation,” said Nowakowski.

Why Your Business Should Invest in Digital Die Cutting Now

Automation is no longer a future goal—it’s happening now, and businesses that don’t adapt risk falling behind. Traditional die cutting methods create bottlenecks, drive up costs, and slow production. Digital die cutting eliminates these inefficiencies, giving you the speed and flexibility to stay competitive.

Here’s why you need to act now:

• Accelerate Production: Automated setups drastically cut lead times—meet tight deadlines without delays.
• Expand Capabilities: Take on short runs and prototypes profitably before competitors do.
• Reduce Costs: Cut labor, minimize material waste, and improve margins.
• Eliminate Workflow Delays: Digital processes streamline operations, keeping production running smoothly.

The industry is moving forward—waiting means losing out. Don’t wait until inefficiencies cost you more. Contact us today to see how Highcon’s digital die cutting solutions can transform your production.Contact us