AM.CO.ZA, also known as Advanced Machinery, recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. The company originally established its premises in Jet Park in Johannesburg, and has undergone rapid expansion ever since, including the start up of various sister companies. This is a sponsored article.
Warehouse spacing in Johannesburg grew so quickly that the company had to buy larger premises in nearby Sunnyrock, which currently occupies an area of some 6000sqm.
While the building in Sunnyrock is still undergoing the final phases of construction, it is very much operational, and includes a support floor, a showroom floor (which houses the company’s extensive product range), as well as a sales office and spare parts storage floor. The company’s shop houses various consumables and media. Adjacent to the shop is the company’s warehouse. A training academy (Ambitious Academy) is currently under construction, and will open in 2024. Textbooks for machine use will be included in the training, with a stronger emphasis on practical rather than theoretical training.
The building is powered with solar panels, with a back up generator for days with no sunshine, and it also has a borehole on-site. While the company specialises in CNC machines and large format printers, visitors can also see demonstrations of a range of other solutions in the showroom, which include vinyl cutters, heat presses, screen printing solutions, 3D printers, and much more.
Owner Eric Yin explained that while dye-sublimation printing has always been a popular investment for his customer base, and still is, direct-to-film (DTF) printing, a relatively new printing technique, has taken off in a big way. There are few fabrics that can be used in dye-sublimation printing, whereas any fabric may be used with DTF, and that is just within the context of textiles. There is also UV DTF printing, where the film can be used to ‘glue’ onto almost any material. The DTF process is relatively straightforward. The user can simply print the ink onto film, pass the substrate through a powder shaker, then bake it in an oven.
Yin said there are different sizes of equipment depending on the needs of customers, whose business may range from a small shop to an industrial-sized workshop. AM.CO.ZA currently has three different DTF solutions in its showroom: a 300mm DTF printer, as well as a 600mm version, and a 300mm UV DTF solution.
The applications are limitless, and the process is renowned for creating a durable, scratch-resistant end product. Aside from the hardware itself, the company provides all the necessary consumables including the film, ink, powder, and even the relevant RIP software.
AM.CO.ZA also has an online shop and app, and always ensures that stock is available. The company’s website has numerous videos on training, as well as detailed descriptions on DTF printing alone. The company will advise the customer on the best solution that will meet their budgetary and production requirements.
| LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR AM.CO.ZA Tel: +27 11 397 1429 / WhatsApp +27 60 600 6000 Email: service@am.co.za Website: http://www.am.co.za  |
