Strong Enterprises, located in Orlando, Florida, was founded in the 1960s by Ted Strong — the man who penned their motto, “a parachute company with an imagination”. There are few products where quality production is more important than when making parachutes. That’s why, in 1994, Strong purchased their first Carlson Design Pro-78 Plotter/Cutter, with aContinue reading “Strong Enterprises: 20 Years of Trust”
Category Archives: Travel
Len’s Awning – Getting Started Smart
Len’s Awning wanted a Plotting/Cutting/Patterning solution simple enough to automate basic projects TODAY, but advanced enough to allow them to start building a digital pattern library, designing awnings and canvas in CAD, and eventually integrating 3D Digitizing over the course of the next year. They found that simple and affordable solution with the Carlson Design Pro PT-72″ Plotter/Cutter and T-Bar Pattern Digitizer.
Maxair Trampolines – “Life is going to be so much better.”
MaxAir Trampolines‘ New Year’s resolution is, “No more hand cutting!”. In January 2015 we installed our WT-174″ Plotter/Cutter at their manufacturing facility in Grand Rapids, MI to help cut trampoline mesh and PVC gymnasium pads. We knew this was going to significantly improve their work-flow and grow production — what we didn’t expect was by how much!Continue reading “Maxair Trampolines – “Life is going to be so much better.””
Oshkosh Tent and Awning – 138 Years of Quality
Founded in 1876, Oshkosh Tent and Awning has been around only 100 fewer years than the United States. A lot has changed at OTA over the last 138 years, but not their commitment to providing quality custom canvas products. The company has a diverse product offering ranging from agricultural canvas to awnings to athletic gear,Continue reading “Oshkosh Tent and Awning – 138 Years of Quality”
Isavela – Passionate About Textiles
Jaime Muriel, president of Isavela Compression Garments is passionate about textiles. He is using a Carlson Design Plotter/Cutter to expand opportunities in the custom medical garment business. They will be saving time by digitizing physical patterns, saving material with autonesting, and improving quality and repeatability by computer cutting.
TLC Kanvas – Saving With Every Cut
For 30 years their motto has been — no job is too small, or too big, we do it all! To help with their thriving business they wanted a cutter that was as simple, reliable, and affordable. They chose the Carlson Design PT-108″ Plotter/Cutter on a home built 40′ long table. This system will help them more accurately cut wider material, decrease plot/cut time, and improve sewing time. They estimated a one year ROI!
Ultser PVC – Automating a Competitive Edge
Ulster PVC automated their curtain wall and PVC cover cutting with a Carlson Design WT-172″ Plotter/Cutter on a 58′ long table. Automating saves time, material, and gives them the competitive edge they need to delivery high quality, custom covers quickly and at a reasonable price.
Undercover Canvas is Over-the-top-excited
Undercover Canvas, in Barbados, is the island’s premiere awning and canvas shop. Owner and founder, Nigel Richigings, has patiently waited since 2006 to automate his shop. Now he CAN’T wait to show up in the morning, ready to take on bigger and more impressive projects than ever before!
Columbus Canvas Products – American Made Growth
Columbus Canvas Products manufactures high quality canvas and vinyl products in Columbus, Ohio. With demand growing for their American made sewn goods, they needed an in-house solution for quickly, accurately, and very repeatably marking and cutting their fabrics. The Carlson Design PT-84″ plotter/cutter was the perfect cost effective solution for increasing production, decreasing waste, and turning marking and cutting into an entry level position.
Our Plotter/Cutter is Wider than Yours.
Go big or go home. Bydesign, a luxury safari tent making company in Nairobi, Kenya, purchased the widest Carlson Design plotter/cutter to date at 14.5′ (4.41m). They knew they needed to automate to meet the growing demand for their amazing products. To accurately cut their tent panels from pvc, ripstop, and mesh, they needed a 4m wide working area. We provided a turn-key 14.5’x28′ system to shave weeks off their cutting time.
Rolly Tasker Sails – “Same Same, But Different”.
“Same Same, but Different”. This common Thai expression perfectly sums-up the installation of our SECOND Pro PT plotter/cutter at Rolly Tasker. For one week in March, 2014 we updated their 2007 PT-78” plotter/cutter AND installed a new 2014 PT-72” plotter/cutter. We also introduced NEW autonesting software and best-practice training.
Taco Metals – Sitting Pretty
Taco Metals, one of the most trusted name in marine hardware, also fabricates beautiful marine pedestals, seats, and benches. They offer premium upholstered products, and with the help of a Carlson Design Digitizer and Plotter/Cutter, they will be able to offer better quality, higher repeatability, and increased capacity to service larger boat OEM’s and dealers.
Chair Care Patio – “Let’s cut everything!”
Chair Care Patio started in the late 80’s out of Deb and Steve Martz garage. They have since grown and evolved the company to meet a wide variety of industry demands. Their shop is filled with lots of fabric, patterns, sewing machines, and one web-savy serial entrepreneur. Add our Carlson Plotter/Cutter and T-Bar Digitizer to the mix and they are looking to cut everything they can! To start, we examine how they automate cutting samples, patio slings, chairs, and marine upholstery.
3Form – Rolling Forward with Carlson
3Form uses A LOT of different interlayer laminates. They were looking for a CNC cutting system they could roll in front of their existing roll racks. The cutter needed to be light enough to roll, robust enough to run two shifts, simple enough for anyone to operate, with custom modifications to work in their existing environment. Oh, and at an affordable price! What does all of this spell? CARLSON. After the first month they reported: “The cutter is working awesome. Everyone, from the guys cutting the material, to the guys using the material loves it.”
Academy Awning
Carlson Design recently installed our PTi-126″ Plotter/Cutter at Academy Awning, a Los Angeles based company with over 100 years experience making awnings and canopies. They are using their Carlson to “marry” their sales and manufacturing processes to create a world-class product.
Oldcastle BE Atlanta – 60 day ROI
After six months of productive, waste reducing, and problem free cutting in LA — we were contacted by Paul Johnson, the CFM of Oldcastle BE’s Atlanta, GA glass plant. As their finance manager, Paul saw a clear opportunity in the numbers. They were spending, on average, $150,000 a month for laminate with a 60% yield. The new nesting package their ERP software provider, PMC Software, was offering, called “Lamimate”, was promising 88-95% yields for their glass laminate. If they could achieve even a conservative 20% decrease in material usage it could save $30,000/month. That’s 2-3 month ROI!!
Laurel Awning: System’s for Success
Laurel Awning, located in Apollo, PA — a suburb just outside of Pittsburgh — has made over 25 miles of cuts after only three months with their Carlson Design PT-96″ plotter/cutter. That’s a lot! President Greg Schmieler reports, “We’re down to 1.25hr to 1.5hr to process, draw, and cut a canopy job. That used to take us on average 6-8 hours”. The speed at which they adopted this new technology is not only a testament to the simplicity of our hardware and software, but the value of establishing a good system. It’s also just the beginning…
Automating OldcastleBE L.A.’s Glass Lamination Room
Oldcastle BE has the glass industries largest national foot print of manufacturing locations, which is why we were so excited to automate one of their premier plants lamination rooms with our PTi-108″ plotter/cutter. Our system will be cutting thousands of feet of PVB and SGP.
Prodesign: automating a custom canvas shop
Prodesign, run by Marie Omann and her son Joe have automated their pattern digitizing and automated their plotting and cutting.
Our “Studio” in their studio @ Parson’s New School
Parson’s New School opens the doors of automation to many departments with the fast, light, and affordable Studio STx-72 plotter/cutter.
Litania Sports, decimating cut times.
Litania Sports group is one of the oldest names in track and field equipment, but has it’s eye on the latest and best practices for innovative manufacturing.
Carlson visits Peter Green Sails in Melbourne!
Carlson Design makes a quick stop in Melbourne, Australia to say, “Hello” to long time sailmaking customer Peter Green.
Adavanta automates in Australia
Adavanta automates their plotting and cutting for the production of office furniture in Western Australia
Carlson Attends NECPA Trade Show
Carlson Design attends the 2012 Marine Canvas and Awnings trade show hosted by the North Eastern Canvas Products Association in Springfield Massachusetts.
Marco Canvas – old brand, new tricks
Marco Canvas is a 3rd generation canvas and upholstery shop with a dynamic look to the future.
Glass Glass Glass – Carlson automates cutting glass lamination
Carlson Design installs “Lami Cutter” in two new clean rooms used for glass lamination.
Carlson Design exhibits at IFAI 2011
Carlson Design exhibited at IFAI in 2011 in Baltimore.
Glass Build America 2011
Carlson Design attends Glass Build America 2011– exhibiting with Salem Distributing.
Mobile Production Unit
Need to preform a lot of cutting right at the job site? Advanced Insulation decided to bring their plotter/cutter to the action by creating a mobile production unit. They installed their PT-60″ plotter/cutter and 5’x32′ vacuum table in a 40′ long insulated shipping container.
Upgrade LTA projects – new = 5x faster
Carlson Design upgrades LTA Projects 1999 CP-101-72 with new CTx-78″ plotter/cutter. Wider, 5x faster, more accurate, and many more convenient features!
Aerojet Install
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to operate our equipment, but if that’s all you have…install at Aerojet’s rocket factory in Camden AR.
Carlson Design Attends WCPA/SWIFA Trade Show
Carlson Design travels to Phoenix AZ to exhibit at the WCPA and SWIFA joint conference for fabricators and suppliers in the awning, shade sail, and canvas industry.
Breathing Systems, Training and Service
Carlson Design visited Pensacola, FL the beginning of 2011 to provide training and service for Breathing Systems. Breathing Systems is using the PT-72 for prototyping a new medical device. They installed their own system Jan. 2010 and now familiar with the system, asked us to visit for advanced training.
Glass Build America Trade Show
Carlson Design attends the Glass Build America Trade Show in Las Vegas, 2010 to demonstrate the advantages of automated cutter for glass interlayer.
Carlson Design Meets with SMAR AZURE
Summer 2010 Thomas Carlson meets with the Sabrina and Alessandro from SMAR Azure sailmaking software in NYC to discuss SMAR Azure’s compatibility with Carlson Design Plotter/Cutters.
CD Visits the West Coast
Carlson Design heads to the west coast to install a packaging cutter and visit old and new customers.
Onsite Commissioning in Thailand and Dubai
In May, CD helps install and train customers in Thailand and Dubai to cut tension structures and pipe insulation respectively.
SWIFA Convention April 2010
CD attends 2010 SWIFA Convention in Little Rock — Great show — Great People.
Carlson Design Upgrades Lake Geneva
Carlson Design upgrades all the Lake Geneva Sail Lofts to their latest and greatest.