overview
What is a digital cutting machine?
A digital cutting machine is a computer-controlled cutting system that uses digital job data to drive cutting, creasing, routing and finishing operations. Instead of relying on physical tooling or manually entered settings, the machine works directly from the information contained within the job.
The word digital refers to more than the cutting process itself. Geometry, tooling, material settings and production instructions all travel with the job, allowing the machine to know what it needs to do before an operator touches a control panel.
That changes the way production works. If the job exists as data, it can be stored, recalled, duplicated, revised and shared without rebuilding the setup each time. Kongsberg digital cutting machines are operated through i-cut Production Console, which manages that information and turns it into something the table can execute.
THE RIGHT SOLUTION FOR YOUR NEEDS
Every challenge deserves the right answer
A cutting table has to hold up against different demands at once. Here is how our cutting tables answer each of them.
Benefits
Why choose a digital cutting machine?
When job information travels with the work, production moves faster and more consistently. Setup shrinks, operators spend less time entering settings manually, and recurring jobs return exactly as they ran before.
- The job carries its own settings, reducing setup time and minimising manual input.
- Barcode-driven setup. Kongsberg tables read QR, Data Matrix and Code39 formats to retrieve tooling and production settings automatically.
- Automatic setup decisions on the X Series, covering tool selection, table settings and cutting sequence.
- Intelligent cutting sequence optimisation on the Ultimate, improving efficiency before cutting even begins.
- Job history recall and My Job List keep recurring work organised and accessible.
- Consistent output across operators, shifts and locations because the process is driven by the same job data every time.
Compare
Digital cutting, die cutting, CNC router, or manual cutting?
Every cutting technology has strengths. The difference is how much flexibility, setup and throughput it delivers.
Digital cutting vs die cutting
- Die cutting is highly efficient once the die exists.
- Every design revision requires a new physical die and additional setup.
- A digital cutting machine stores the job as data, making prototypes, short runs and versioned production much easier to manage.
Biggest benefit
No dies, so design changes and short runs remain cost-effective.
Digital cutting vs CNC routing
- CNC routers are designed primarily for routing rigid materials.
- Routing is only one process, while many jobs also require cutting, creasing, kiss-cutting or finishing.
- A digital cutting machine combines multiple processes on one platform, reducing the need for additional equipment.
Biggest benefit
One machine handles a wider range of applications and materials.
Digital cutting vs manual cutting
- Manual cutting depends heavily on operator skill and available labour.
- Consistency becomes harder to maintain as volumes increase.
- A digital cutting machine delivers repeatable results, improves productivity and scales more easily with demand.
Biggest benefit
Consistent quality and higher throughput with less manual effort.
Cutting Systems
Which Kongsberg digital cutting machine fits your production?
All three are digitally driven and run on i-cut Production Console. What differs is how much intelligence sits in the machine and how hard you can push it.
Digital production at maximum throughput
The Ultimate turns job data into output faster than anything else in the range. Intelligent cutting sequence optimisation plans the path before the head moves, and eight vacuum zones hold the sheet across the full working area while it runs.
- Built for: high-volume corrugated and display production
- Typical work: long, complex corrugated and display runs
- Strength: intelligent cutting sequence optimisation with eight vacuum zones
- Max. linear speed (XY): 167.5 m/min (2.8 m/s), acceleration up to 2.74 G
Precision and power for tough production challenges
The C Series is built for floors where jobs arrive constantly and setup time is the enemy. Scanning a barcode brings in tooling and production settings, so the machine configures itself for each job as it comes.
- Built for: 24/7 digital production
- Typical work: continuous mixed-job packaging, signage and display output
- Strength: heavy-duty construction and advanced motion technology
- Max. linear speed (XY): 100 m/min, acceleration up to 1.72 G
The most versatile flatbed cutter on the market
Balancing tight deadlines, varied materials and the need for consistent quality? The X delivers precise, high-quality cuts across a wide range of materials, so one table covers a lot of ground.
- Built for: varied work with frequent changeovers
- Typical work: mixed short runs, samples, recurring jobs
- Strength: the widest application range on one platform
- Max. linear speed (XY): 50 m/min, acceleration up to 0.56 G
Applications
Where digital production changes the day
The benefits of digital production appear wherever setup time, job variation or repeatability affect profitability. These four applications see the biggest impact.
Signage & print
One workflow across multiple substrates
Modern signage production often combines rigid boards, vinyl, acrylic, ACM and foam-based materials. A digital cutting machine adapts quickly between applications, reducing setup time while maintaining consistent quality across a wide variety of substrates.
Real Impact
Proof from the production floor
Different materials, different volumes, different tables, same result: less handling, more output.
Czarnowski Collective
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Trade show exhibit & display fabricator
“The accuracy on your Kongsberg? Legitimately, I don't know how you get better!”
Speed and precision of the Kongsberg C64 empowers creativity, productivity and customer service for Czarnowski
- Speed of the C64 enables completion of jobs just hours after receiving designs
- Increased productivity means improved profitability
- Ease of set-up, use and changing of tools maximizes uptime
DS Impressions
|
Large-format digital print manufacturer
“We had to think one, two, three years ahead. That is what led us to choose the Ultimate.”
Automation, output and growth: how DS Impressions scaled finishing operations with the Kongsberg Ultimate
- Monthly output achieved in 15 days
- Dramatically reduced machine downtime through parallel workflows
- Production capacity secured for the next several years
next step
Common questions about digital cutting systems
What is a digital cutting machine?
What is a digital cutting machine?
A digital cutting machine is one where the entire job, including geometry, tool choice and production settings, arrives as data the machine acts on directly. Kongsberg digital cutting machines run through i-cut Production Console, which holds that job information and passes it to the table.
What makes a cutting machine digital rather than automated?
What makes a cutting machine digital rather than automated?
Automation moves material, while digital control decides what happens to it. On the Kongsberg X Series the machine selects the tool, applies the table settings and determines the cutting sequence from the job data itself.
How does a digital cutting machine reduce setup time?
How does a digital cutting machine reduce setup time?
Setup shrinks because the settings travel with the job instead of being entered by hand. Kongsberg tables read QR, Data Matrix and Code39 barcodes to pull tooling and production settings automatically, so a scan configures the machine.
Can a digital cutting machine repeat a job exactly?
Can a digital cutting machine repeat a job exactly?
Yes, because the job exists as stored data rather than as a physical setup. The Kongsberg X Series offers job history recall and My Job List under a personalised operator login, bringing a previous job back with its original settings.
Which Kongsberg digital cutting machine should I choose?
Which Kongsberg digital cutting machine should I choose?
The Ultimate for the highest throughput with intelligent cutting sequence optimisation, the C Series for continuous barcode-driven production, and the X Series when automatic setup and job recall matter most. All three share the same i-cut Production Console workflow.