Press Release

Blackman & White cutter guarantees CrazyFly Kiteboarding the precision needed for a safe flight

9 November 2016

Blackman & White, the UK's only manufacturer of CNC blade and laser cutting machines for the marine industry, has been operating in the industry for more than 50 years.

The company will be showcasing its Orion 2200 cutter at METS this year(Stand CMP 40EL, 15-17 November, Amsterdam RAI)but the case study below from CrazyFly Kiteboarding highlights that this isn't their only machine suited to marine and related industries.

Case study - CrazyFly Kiteboarding

CrazyFly Kiteboarding, based in Trencin, Slovakia manufactures kiteboarding products and currently supplies more than one hundred countries. The brand has been built on high quality manufacturing in the heart of Europe and exceptional customer service.

In March 2016 they purchased a Blackman & White Genesis 2200 Laser Flatbed System.

Pavol Bukovcak said: "We are extremely proud to be the first and only kiteboarding brand producing all of our products in our own factory. This gives us unlimited opportunities for improvements and the implementation of innovative materials and technologies, which in turn give our products a competitive edge resulting in year-to-year growth.

"Involvement of high tech machines such as the Genesis and highly skilled people is vital to get a precisely made kite with the best possible shape and flight characteristics."

Because the kite is a flying object, it needs to be produced as close to the computer design as possible, for the highest aerodynamic efficiency and good flight characteristics. Kites consist of around 350 cut-out pieces which are all put together to create the final product.

Pavol says: "Just imagine a 1mm misalignment on a few panels, whether during cutting or sewing; such misalignments could result in 2-3cm difference from the design. This would also cause misbalance of the kite and negatively influence its flying characteristics."

Pavol explained that they invested in the Blackman & White Genesis after considering the financial ‘ceiling' for their products and building up their knowledge of the cutting techniques and machines available. He says that Blackman & White was the best option due to the price to performance ratio, including the speed, precision and cutting table offered and the number of customisation options.

"Blackman & White also offered better payment terms and the best communication with our team.

"The service, installation, and training were all excellent. If we could evaluate with numbers, we would give ten out of ten. The installation was very professional and everything that we needed to know was explained and shown to us. Even afterwards, if we had a problem it was addressed and solved quickly. Overall we have been very happy with the service."

CrazyFly uses the laser cutter for cutting textile fabrics, mainly for inflatable kitesurfing kites, but also for kite and accessory bags.

Pavol explained the process of kitemaking and the various materials used: "The manufacturing process starts with the Genesis laser cutter. We cut the Ripstop material for the canopy of the kite and Dacron material for the inflatable skeleton, plus Markcloth material for the ultimate synergy between the heavy duty Dacron and Ripstop. Lastly, we cut Arptex material which is one of the top abrasion resistant materials and protects the kite in the most abused areas while launching and landing on a beach.

"Afterwards, some of the materials are screen printed then the kite panels are sewn together and we insert PU bladders to make the kite inflatable. The last step is to install bridles on the kite, and the kite is ready to be packed and shipped to a customer.

"Installing Blackman & White's Genesis cutter was one of the key elements to successfully manufacturing kitesurfing kites in Europe. In fact, without the laser cutter, it would not be financially viable and would result in losses instead of profit. Compared to human hand cutting the machine is much faster and allows for quicker production of kites.

"At the same time, the laser cutter ensures consistent, maximum precision of all cut parts and minimizes off-cut waste of fabrics. Our kites are therefore made with highest precision resulting in proper balanced flight."

Looking to the future

Looking to the future, Pavol said: "In general, the latest industry numbers show that purchases of new kite gear are growing 2-3% a year. While this is a slow growth for an industry, we believe that starting the kite production in Europe was a key move for the success of our company.

"We believe that with the latest technology, including the laser cutter from Blackman & White, we are producing the best kites on the market and we hope to increase our sales and market share at a rate which is higher than the industry growth.

"Also, having our own kite production has opened up unlimited possibilities for implementing never before used materials and revolutionising the kite construction. This can help us to differentiate our products even more from the competitors whose kites are produced in factories used by multiple brands."

For more information go towww.blackmanandwhite.comor for Crazy Kites go towww.crazyflykites.comorhttps://vimeo.com/178061460, call 00421 32 743 42 72 or emailpalo@crazyflykites.com

Visit Blackman & White at METS - Stand CMP 40EL, 15-17 November, Amsterdam RAI

ENDS

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Photo caption 1: The Blackman & White Genesis cutter offers CrazyFly Kiteboarding the ultimate in manufacturing precision

Photo caption 2: From left, Ing. Jozef Bukovcak and Pavol Bukovcak of CrazyFly Kiteboarding

For press enquiries, please contact BRPR, Berni Raeside, telephone 07970 509758 or emailberni@brpr.co.uk