Founded in 2003, Minnesota-based Podiumwear started with two employees, producing only Nordic ski apparel. The business has grown significantly since then, requiring new systems to increase production capacity. They have invested in Summa’s L1810 to help manage their cutting workflow.
For a long time, Podiumwear used another brand of laser cutter to handle its product manufacturing. But from the moment the company started to manufacture soccer gear, they noticed a bottleneck in their existing cutting workflow. They concluded that a faster solution was needed.
Reid Lutter, owner at Podiumwear explained, ‘Soccer apparel is manufactured in much larger quantities than cycling and ski apparel. Consequently, we were confronted with a bottleneck in cutting, preventing us from meeting demands. So, we desperately needed a solution to speed up capacity. When we saw the L1810 in production during a trade show in Dallas, it dawned on us that this piece of fine engineering might just be the solution we were looking for. Now, we can produce vast quantities of soccer gear effortlessly and with incredible speed.’
With Covid-19 on the rise, Podiumwear felt the need to put their new equipment to good use. Summa’s laser division – CadCam Technology – helped Podiumwear to start producing mouth masks with the L1810. By creating a workflow with registrations marks, the system allows a bleed on the masks. This enabled them to do edge-to-edge cutting extremely fast without the need to sew the masks together.
Podiumwear stated that it is thanks to Summa’s L1810 laser cutter that the company now has an increase of about 10% in yield on fabrics. One of the features they find a true perk besides the speed, is the possibility to produce products without the edges fraying. According to Reid, this avoids the creation of hard cut lines that would cut the skin. Instead, the L1810 finishes the edges perfectly and allows a very adjustable and flexible workflow, tailored to the specifications of the job.
The installation of a laser cutting machine remains a challenge due to the highly specific configurations adapted to the customer needs. ‘Summa America, as well as CadCam Technology, kept in touch the entire time and never let go until the L1810 was all set up and ready to perform and create astonishing products. Of course, there is a learning curve in any new situation. This is good because then you find out what the machine is truly capable of. But especially when dealing with minor issues, continued customer service – as we experienced with Summa America and CCT – is of great importance.’
SUMMA
https://www.summa.com/
