MM Solution is an international leader in the design and production of automatic cutting systems, manufacturer of automatic and semi-automatic machines for processing shoe bottoms. The great experience of the Ma-Mec company – from which the reorganisation emerged – MM Solution has always focused on the development of new and prestigious components.
Simona Volterrani, sales manager, who we met at the company headquarters, describes the activities performed with passion.
What types of systems do you produce?
“We design and build automatic cutting systems, Cad-Cam systems, milling machines, Pu-Eva sole machines, varnishing machines, levelling machines, heel machines, riveting machines for insoles and service machines. We sell in Italy but also abroad, in Spain, Portugal, North Africa and recently we are also resuming contacts with Turkey.”
Despite being a relatively new company, MM Solution has an enviable wealth of knowledge and experience behind it.
“The company from which everything originated Ma-Mec had been on the market for around seventy years, with founder Silvano Mazzantini already taking his first steps in the industry in 1960. This means experience and tradition. In the transition to the new reality, dictated by the desire to put the company back on the market following the financial crisis that hit the world in 2008, Ma-Mec transferred all its knowledge, thoughts and know-how to MM Solution. This expertise, together with our high-tech equipment and highly qualified staff, has allowed us not to have to start from zero, but to already have all the cards in order to move forward rapidly towards production and innovation.”
How are you evolving?
“Since its inception, the brand has evolved enormously, responding to the needs of a customer base that, as it transformed, demanded increasingly specific and technologically advanced machinery. The staff has also undergone new acquisitions: new young people with updated skills in the most sophisticated systems have been introduced with the aim of intercepting and easily understanding these new market requirements and responding to them as promptly as possible, thanks to their ability not only to absorb the changes but also to be promoters of them.
Our continuous innovation can be seen in the machinery we produce, but also in our processing department. Through the installation of a management programme, in fact, we are working on implementing automation in order to maintain the very high product standard our clients are accustomed to and the increasingly shorter production times.”
What is the most innovative machine you currently offer?
“Definitely our 146L, a two-station cutting machine designed for sole production without the use of cutting punches. The fully mechanical cutting head ensures extraordinary power and strength for processing stiff and thick materials, and the extraction table is divided into selectable vacuum cells to ensure optimum hold during material cutting and saving on costs and noise as the suction is only where it is needed.
As far as measurements are concerned, the standard working area is 1700×1100 millimetres on each table, but the 146L also offers the possibility of working on a single table of 3400×1100 millimetres; working on two tables allows loading and unloading at the same time as cutting, with a significant increase in production. Recently we have also achieved good results with the 1500×3400 millimetre size. The greater depth makes it possible to cut larger sheets, which are mainly used in synthetics and foam materials such as microporous, thunit, leather, cardboard heels, micro, texon and rubber, but also for special leathers that are slightly thicker than the norm, even 5.6 millimetre leather. Many clients prefer this option if they do not have problems with space, also considering that the dimension does not have much influence on the price. This machine has also allowed us to enter the orthopaedic market, the gasket sector (we work a lot with Germany, Holland and Belgium); in this area, in addition to its height, our machine is also in great demand for its ability to cut the most compact and hard materials. The height adjustment of the head allows cutting, in one or more cuts, with a maximum cutting height of 40 millimetres, ideal for expanded materials.
The 146L guarantees precision and finish thanks to its slides on skids and ball rails, controlled by brushless motors, and its state-of-the-art numerical control. The operator benefits from excellent visibility during positioning thanks to the illuminated templates on the material, similar to the experience of working on a traditional punching press. By not using cutting punches, this machine allows the operator to work with simple manual positioning or to take advantage of the automatic nesting software functions, the system that allows patterns to be positioned in order to minimise waste and maximise the use of available material, particularly useful for synthetic and cellulosic materials.”
Do you also provide the software?
“Our own proprietary software is also included in the purchase of the machine, with no subscription required. Furthermore, since it is made by a partner company, we have the possibility, if the customer requests it, to make some customised changes to the software. In this way we offer the opportunity to have a customised machine that meets the specific needs of the client.”
With regard to optional extras?
“An important feature of our production is that we are perfectly able to customise the products and make the machine in special sizes; tailor- made machines, in practice, within the limits of what is possible and within the technical timeframe required for production.
As far as the available options are concerned, there are several. There is, for example, a backlit table where the grooves can be digitised for automatic nesting, specifically for leather. Using an optical pen, it is possible to mark defects and associate them with different quality grades, allowing precise positioning in predefined areas of the soles.
A popular option offering excellent results was the pneumatic head.
In addition to our mechanical head, which allows the cutting of heavy, thick materials, etc., there is the option of adding a pneumatic head, which works with compressed air, and which, working at a much higher frequency, is able to cut finer materials more cleanly and precisely. A very thin fabric with the standard head might have some difficulty, but by adding this head we cover all types of cutting, and the resulting machine is practically all-purpose; an ideal solution for cutters who, working on behalf of third parties, have to deal with very different materials every day. One machine can make insoles, soles, micro soles, heels… everything.”
Are there companies asking for pre-finished products, i.e. products with part of the processing already carried out by the supplier?
“The demand from sole manufacturers to provide pre-cut soles is increasing and we already supply tanneries (tanneries that produce sole leather) with cutting systems. It is actually a very advantageous way for the sole manufacturer to cut down on cutting time and waste disposal costs.”
