Digital printing, decoration, in-line finishing and laser diecutting

In a way the Konica-Minolta KM1 and Komori IS29 Impremia sheetfed inkjet UV presses were the stars of IGAS 2015 in Tokyo last week. Essentially the same press branded and badged separately by the two companies, both versions are in beta testing at undisclosed sites in Japan and perhaps elsewhere and are to be marketed separately by the two companies. It would seem that the machines are actually quite ready for market but it makes strategic sense to launch them to a larger and more global audience at drupa next year. Komori will also show the Landa-based NS 40-inch sheetfed inkjet press at drupa in May 2016.

Konica Minolta

The Konica Minolta KM1 press showed outstanding color quality samples with its high precision color matching technology used by its bizhub toner-based presses and also the KM-1 HQ mode in which the color gamut is appreciably enhanced on five sides of the Japan color standard gamut hexagon. Printing monocartons with large solid areas of ink were a noticeable feature of the live demonstrations. The 1,200 dpi inkjet head noticeably improves the quality of text in color and even smaller size fonts using Konica Minolta’s edge processing technology. Konica Minolta plans to launch the KM-1 in Europe and America next year and perhaps a bit later in the South Asian and Indian market after building up its resources in this market.

Konica Minolta demonstrated the MGI Jet varnish 3D digital spot varnish coater and metallic foiler machine built with short-run spot varnishing and foiling in mind at its IGAS stand. The machine is modular and customers can buy just the varnish coater or a combined option that attaches the metallic foiler in-line. While MGI can sell the Jet varnish 3D globally through its own channels in addition to Konica Minolta, the narrower Jet varnish 3DS will be exclusively available through Konica Minolta. The MGI Jet varnish and foiler were also shown at the Printpack 2015 this February in Greater Noida.

HP

There was no shortage of other running digital presses at IGAS right from HP’s Indigo 10000 to its WS Indigo label press and its inkjet press for corrugated substrates and POP signage. The label solution included the AB Graphics finishing equipment. With the HP Dscoop user event being held simultaneously nearby, the HP stand itself had plenty of room to showcase the products being produced by HP digital press users. In addition, the stand had space for its formidable array of partners and collaborators such as Hunkeler, Michelman, Taopix and several others.

Fujifilm

Fujifilm’s wide format Acuity printers were shown including the UV printers outputting to film materials that can be heat-pressed on to three dimensional moulds. Fuji had its Jet Press 720 running live atIGAS2015 anddemonstrations and samples included monocartons. According to India hand Yasunari Kanamori, who is now stationed in Tokyo as manager of Fuji’s sales channel operation division, there are already 50 installs of the Fuji Jet Press 720 worldwide. The plans are now to look at expanding the regions where this press is being sold with China next and perhaps India during drupa.

Kanamori also talked about Fuji’s eco-friendly offset plates including the new Fuji Superia plate to be made available to the Indian market in the future. “Meanwhile, the Superia ZP will be available in this market in October-November 2015 and the ProT-3 offset plates are already available worldwide including India,” he said. Fujifilm also showed several interesting inkjet Acuity printers and a Direct Laser Imaging solution for flexo plates at its stand based on the Hell imager. Yasuyuki Tanaka, Fujifilm’s global technical advisor on Flexography Packaging and Technical Support showed us some of the results achieved by printing on flexible films using Fuji flexo plates imaged on that system.

Miyakoshi

Miyakoshi had its 520.7 mm wide paper webfed digital inkjet 7000 press in duplex mode at IGAS. Its 1,200 x 1,200 piezo DOD heads were demonstrated using both water-based dye and pigment inks at speeds up to 160 metres a minute. In high-speed mode at 1,200 x 960 dpi, a speed of 200 metres a minute can be achieved.

Also not able at the Miyakoshi stand was the running of the webfed LED-UV sleeve offset MHL 13A/18A. This very interesting variable print-length sleeve press for flexible packaging was shown running a variety of designs for the flexible packaging used for the packaging of wet tissues and wipes.

Screen

Screen was showing a new version of its Sure Press 520 as well as a new label press. Screen showed its True press Jet L350UVand Jet Converter L350making for a complete label solution. In addition Screen showed a conveyor-fed laser cutter that can be used for cutting shapes in paper substrates at considerable speed.

Ricoh

The Ricoh Pro C9110 with an auto image calibration system that corrects density variations demonstrated its ability to correct for contraction of paper due to the heat of the process – using a liquid-cooled straight paper cooling belt. The Pro C9110 supports very high resolution automatic duplex printing and papers with a substance weight of as much 400 gsm with an output speed of 130 pages a minute regardless of paper thickness.

A space was set aside on the Ricoh stand for exhibiting the winning entries of the Ricoh Hackathon competition for young designers who had to demonstrate creative and novel uses of the Ricoh’sProC7110Sdigital press on both paper and plastic substrates. This digital press has a fifth toner option that can either be a white toner or a clear coating toner. Capable of printing on a range of materials and thickness with irregularities in size, the winning entries included 3D plastic sculpture and other imaginative printed products on substrates that demonstrated the versatility of this high resolution press that can produce 90 pages a minute.

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