Buying digital cutting blades for an automated sheet workflow starts with the job, not with the robot. FESPA 2026 took place at Fira de Barcelona on 19–22 May 2026. One official photograph shows a vacuum handling demonstration beside printed sheets. It offers a useful starting point for a buyer’s checklist, rather than evidence that our company exhibited there.
Separate handling from cutting
In the reference photograph, the robot carries a vacuum pickup assembly. It should not be described as a robotic knife cutting the sheets. When comparing a proposed system, ask the supplier to identify the loading, registration, cutting and unloading stages separately. A smooth transfer demonstration alone does not establish cut quality or blade compatibility.
Specify the consumable interface
Record the exact cutting machine, tool module and holder before requesting replacement blades. Ask for the relevant dimensions and the manufacturer’s accepted blade specification. Avoid treating similar-looking shanks as interchangeable. For a mixed production queue, list the sheet constructions and required operations individually, including whether a job needs through-cutting, a retained backing or another approved process.
Make the acceptance test traceable
Prepare representative files and material from the intended production batch. Agree how the test will assess registration, small contours, edge quality and removal of finished parts. Keep the settings and blade identification with each sample. If the trial includes automated handling, also record how sheets are separated, positioned and collected; do not attribute every defect to the cutting blade.
Ask about replenishment without inventing savings
A useful quotation separates blades, holders and other replaceable items, with lead times and the conditions under which a trial was performed. Request evidence before accepting claims about unattended output, consumable life or labour savings. These cannot be calculated from an exhibition photograph.
Summary
The practical lesson is to qualify the complete workflow while checking the blade interface independently. An exhibition can help frame the questions; approval should depend on documented tests for the buyer’s own application.
