At drupa Uteco will launch the fourth CI flexo press in its Onyx series first several years ago, and followed by the Onyx XS and Onyx Go presses in 2023. The OnyxRace is the widest and fastest press and hence most productive in the series with a maximum speed of 600 meters a minute and a maximum width of 1650 mm meant for medium and long runs. It is available in 8 and 10-color configurations and with two different repeat ranges – one version features a maximum print repeat of 850 mm, while the second version goes up to 1200 mm.
The OnyxRace contains Uteco’s Active Start for automatic pressure setting and register setting and Active Pack for energy saving and consumable material reduction. Aiming to meet high levels of sustainability, it is a compact press with a total footprint of less than 80 square meters. Uteco claims it is its most robust CI flexo press with minimal vibration using its Bounce Void technology.
The OnyxRace press is offered with several of the company’s downstream units for special applications. Its automation levels are very high and include the company’s SleeveBOT robot technology for automatic sleeve changeovers.
Onyx, Onyx XS, and OnyxGo
The Onyx CI flexo is offered in 6, 8 and 10-color configurations maximum speed of 400 meters per minute with Uteco’s Direct Drive Evo technology that connects the printing drum and printing axes directly to the motors without any mechanical couplings. All drive lines are synchronised electronically using a high-resolution gearless system.
With the different models available for specific printing needs and applications, the 6-color model is designed for printing industrial bags, large capacity containers, and applications that require long print development lengths while the other models are suited for shrink sleeves and all varieties of flexible packaging materials.
The Onyx XS is designed to optimize the production of very short runs on both flexible packaging and labels. The compact 8-color CI flexo press runs at 300 meters a minute and can be equipped with conventional air drying as well as UV or EB curing units. It requires no ladders or stairs to access the upper decks and has Uteco’s triple energy-saving Cube ventilation system for drying.
The Onyx Go is offered in 8 and 10-color configurations with a maximum speed of 400 meters a minute and is designed for short runs. In both configurations, it has a max print width of 1320 mm and a maximum print repeat of 720mm. It is the most compact CI flexo press in the Onyx series with a footprint of 50 square meters. Anan Hiyasat of Uteco spoke in detail about the Onyx Go and its sustainability and automation features at the Elite Conference in Mumbai in September 2023. The Indian market continues to do well for Uteco’s CI flexo presses with more than half a dozen installed in the financial year 2023-24 that ended on 31 March 2024. Of these several are 600 meters per minute presses.
Uteco’s automation features to look for in the Onyx series of CI flexo presses include Active Pack, Active Dry, Active Ink, Dynamic Doctoring, and Sprint Wash.
(This article has been slightly corrected for accuracy on 7 May 2024. – editor)
