Help Needed with a Polar 76 EM

Hey,
Im new here,
So let me introduce myself.
Im Arshan and based in the UAE.
We are basically into swatch book manufacturing.
Uptill now we have been using using a chinese machine to do the post press cutting

as well as to cut Grey boards, Fabric etc.

So we are right now looking to buy a Used Polar 76EM, Model Year 1988.
SO what i wanted to ask you guys was:

1)will the machine be able to cut grey board stacks of 2400gsm/board
2)will the machine be able to cut fabric
3)what should i look for in the machine when i inspect it
4)any problem that are major in these machines
5)how reliable are they?
6)any signs of abuse i should look out for?
7)Anything i should ask the used machinery sales man?

Thanks again in advance

Arshan.

 

Hi shaheenarshan!

I will try to answer your questions
1)will the machine be able to cut grey board stacks of 2400gsm/board
If you cut every day eight hours big sheets (50 cm cutting width) I would say the machine is to small, because the material handling will not work. If you cut from time to time grey board, this should be no problem. If you cut every day grey board in a size of A3 and smaler, no problem at all.
Grey board is recycle material which will not be friendly for the knife. Best would be a HSS-knife and if possible cut the grey board if the has to be grind anyway. In other words, if you start after a knife change cutting grey board the knife will be doll very, very quick and you change again. An used knife has a bit of a round blade, because it becomes doll. You cannot see this but it helps cutting grey board, because it works like a different knife angle. Paper requires a knife angle of 23 degree, grey board should be cut with 25 to 26 degree.
2)will the machine be able to cut fabric
Fabric can be very different. Fabric based on cotton is easy to cut. In other words, normal fabric for cloth or comparable materials do not give any problem. Some materials which are based on plastic fibers can be tricky. But normal fabric should be okay. Can you go to the machine and you do a test?
3)what should i look for in the machine when i inspect it
This is hard to answer. I am 60 years old and I work now 28 years with cutters and I still cannot imagine what will be tomorrow. The most correct way to answer your question is: “way you don’t go to a confidential and trustable second hand dealer?”
4)any problem that are major in these machines
We are back to question 3
5)how reliable are they?
We are back to question 3
6)any signs of abuse i should look out for?
We are back to question 3
7)Anything i should ask the used machinery sales man?
Do second hand machine dealers tell the truth? Mostly they do not tell the truth.

Everything has two sides.
The good side is that you are looking for a Polar cutter. Polar has the highest prices, because everybody knows, normaly a Polar works for ever. The bad side is the age of the machine. What do you expect from a machine with an age 26 years. Would you buy a car with this age. How old is your car? Would you think a 26 years old car is new or should work like new? What was the price of the old machine before 26 years, when it was new? What is the price today? Would you think a 26 year old car needs some repairs and how much money do you calculate for repairs?

If you buy a second hand machine, you should go to a dealer which has a good reputation.
You should buy a machine from a dealer which cares about you. I mean not just words.
Good questions are in this case: Is the machine complete? Is the machine still original? Comes all documentation (spare part book, diagrams, operating manual) with the machine? Comes the machine with the complete tools (see last page in the spare part book)? The machine should come with two knifes. Who is installing the machine? Do this people know how to install a cutter? Who does the instruction for your operator? Does this person know how to cut your products? What happens if the machine breaks down the next day? Who will do the repair? Who will pay? Do you get any warranty?

And even if everything looks like perfect, buying a second hand machine is risk.

Good luck for you
Coloured paper