Machine puts Yandina Art & Framing at the cutting edge

The machine looks a little like a drawing table and has hundreds of functions.

by Janine Hill

YANDINA Art and Framing is a small business taking big strides into the future.

Owner Bill Gissane has recently invested in a top-of-the-range machine which puts the business on par with leaders in the field.

The Wizard matt cutter, imported from the United States, cost about $50,000 and has replaced a 25-year-old machine of the same brand.

The machine cuts the matt board that goes between a photo or artwork and the frame but as the price suggests, it does much more than snip a few rectangular holes.

The machine, which measures about 2m by 1.5m and looks a little like an architect’s desk or drawing table, has hundreds of functions.

“It’s the latest generation of cutting machines and it does everything for you except make a cup of tea, and I think if you programmed it right, it could do that as well,” Bill said.

“You tell the computer what you want and it generates the thing and it spits out the end product.

“It can cut the mat for pictures in very intricate patterns. It can cut different shapes. It can etch coloured lines around the mat that contains the artwork

“You can also use it to make boxes, the sort that go together with tabs rather than tape. You can cut vinyl. You can cut a pattern to go on the glass of a picture frame.”

Bill said apprentice farmer Mitch Pask had embraced the new technology and was keen to learn as many of the machine’s functions as possible.

Keeping up with technology was vital for businesses to remain competitive, Bill said.

“It puts us in the upper echelon of framing businesses in the country with this type of machinery,” he said.

“I think on the Sunshine Coast there are two or three machines around but I don’t think there’s any that would be a newer model than what we’ve got.

“I know how important it is to keep up with the times. Technology is one of the key factors for increasing productivity.”