Crest Widemouth™ Technology

Informed buyers make better decisions. Trained operators make better production. DCA exists for both.

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No more make ready

What no other clamshell can

Standard clamshell presses have a limitation — the daylight between platens only opens so far. That means thick structural materials, tall cutting rules, and deep scoring tools don’t fit. The job goes to a flatbed or gets farmed out. You lose control, you lose margin, and you lose time.

Crest Widemouth™ technology eliminates that ceiling. The extended daylight opening allows operators to run higher rule heights, deeper scoring, and specialized tooling for thick structural board, heavy-wall displays, multi-layer substrates, and industrial materials that would jam a standard clamshell before the first sheet.

If you’re a display manufacturer or structural packaging producer turning away work because your press can’t handle the material, a Crest Widemouth changes that conversation.
Patented Crest technology

What Makes Widemouth™ Different

The Widemouth is patented Crest technology. No competitor offers an eequivalent system.

  • Adjusts from .937″ to 3″ steel rule die height in seconds — no plate removal required
  • Runs serrated cutting rule with Soft Cut™ urethane pads and traditional flat steel rule knife on the same press — eliminating make-ready and enabling zero-setup cutting on the right applications
  • Processes materials up to 1″ thick, and even thicker with some materials
  • Integrates touch screen and digital controls in the make-ready process
  • Can run multiple sheets per impression for significantly higher throughput than digital cutting tables

Non-Widemouth clamshell presses — including all competitor models — must remove filler and cutting plates to use serrated knife and Soft Cut pads. They are also limited to 1.125″ knife height, which restricts the material thickness they can process to approximately 3/8″.


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Substrates & Uses

Applications & Materials

Widemouth presses are built for large format display manufacturing, structural packaging, and converting applications involving thick or difficult substrates. Common applications include POP display production, retail signage, trade show graphics, architectural display materials, and large format promotional graphics.

Materials commonly processed on Widemouth presses:
  • Falconboard®
  • Ultra® Board
  • Foam core (up to ½″ standard; thicker with appropriate tooling)
  • Honeycomb board
  • Heavy-wall corrugated
  • multi-layer
  • Structural display substrates

Widemouth presses also cut rigid plastics — such as styrene — without the need to heat the cutting die, a significant advantage over standard steel-to-steel cutting on difficult substrates.

Specifications

Widemouth™ Availability & Lead Times

Widemouth technology is currently available on large format Crest models only. All Widemouth models deliver 500 tons press load and 200 tons die load.

Average manufacturing lead time for Widemouth models is 5–6 months. Delivery may vary based on production levels and inventory at time of order.

Crest 2M — 63″ × 85″
  • 500 tons press load
  • 200 tons die load
Crest 2.5M — 63″ × 108″
  • 500 tons press load
  • 200 tons die load
Crest 3M — 63″ × 123″
  • 500 tons press load
  • 200 tons die load
Finance

Financing Options

Capital equipment purchases are significant decisions. DCA works with manufacturers to identify financing options that fit their situation, so equipment investment doesn’t have to wait for the right budget cycle.

FAQ

Find answers to commonly asked questions.

Yes. Crest Widemouth™ technology is patented. No competitor currently offers an equivalent system for clamshell die cutting.

Widemouth presses can process multiple sheets per impression using steel rule dies, providing significantly higher throughput than digital cutting tables for production runs. They deliver edge quality similar to a digital table cutter on materials like Falconboard® and foam core, at mass production speeds.

Average manufacturing lead time is 5–6 months. Delivery may vary based on production levels and inventory at time of order. Die Cutting Advisors can provide current estimates during your evaluation.