digital printing
Digitizing Print: The latest launches by leading players of the Technology “An update on the latest machines launched in the past six months by leading global digital printing machinery manufacturers.” - Jacob George Despite it being a Covid infested world, the advances made by the digital printing machinery manufacturers have been interesting in the last six months. In fact the industry pundits had predicted 2020 to be an eventful year considering it was the Drupa year and many launches were expected as well. We try to look at the various options that have been made available by different manufacturers during the first 6 months of 2020.
Kodak and Uteco have also returned to the market through the latest technology updates and upgrades in the flexible packaging market. They have further strengthened their partnership and launched the first flexible packaging printing machine Sapphire Evo W that uses Ultrastream continuous inkjet technology.
Key Notes : > Digital Printing innovations brave the COVID holdup. Xeikon CX300 replaces CX3; HP Indigo upgrades 6K and 8K; Canon upgrades LabelStream 4000 series. > Screen PacJet FL830 is a brand new technology scheduled to be released around March 2021. > Miyakoshi develops MJP30AXF; Memjet’s DuraFlex combines speed, simplicity, affordability & durability.
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June 2020
Take Xeikon’s new CX300 as an example. It replaces the CX3 and provides the option to upgrade to the CX500. The CX300 is a 330mm format label printing machine and a single shift operation can provide over 50,000 square meters of production capacity per month. The full-colour printing press is equipped with five printing units, including CMYK and singlechannel opaque white. Based on the company’s Cheetah 2.0 technology, and other features include: printing speed up to 30m/min; printing format 220512mm; LED imaging head running at 1200x3600dpi, and providing image quality equivalent to offset and gravure printing, allows the operator to evaluate the status of the printing press remotely in addition to other features. HP Indigo 6K and 8K have also been updated – upgrading the existing digital label printing technology. The new products launched in the HP Indigo stable are 6900 and 8000 models. The HP
Indigo 6K digital printing press has been carefully designed to provide more applications, including high opacity white for shrink sleeves, and new brands including silver, fluorescent, invisible red and green for brand protection applications Inks, as well as brand-new glazing functions from industry partners that provide enhanced mechanical durability and improved performance, improve the characteristics of labels produced using the “package-ready” label ecosystem. The new and improved 8000 digital presses have added similar features, including increased productivity, reduced waste, and easier conversion between media types and jobs. Canon has also upgraded its LabelStream 4000 series, adding optional orange channels, high-opacity white inks similar to screens, and enhanced usability to improve production efficiency. The new white ink channel can achieve an opacity of up to 80% at a speed of 36m/min in a single pass. The LabelStream
