Apex International strengthens local service in UK through partnership with Draychem

Apex International, the world’s largest manufacturer of precision coating and ink transfer technology products, has joined forces with Draychem Ltd in the UK to provide a complete hardware and maintenance supply service to the printing industry in Great Britain. Draychem is also now the appointed Apex agent in Ireland for sales of anilox rolls/sleeves and glue sets.

Apex manufactures and supplies anilox rolls for the label, flexible packaging, corrugated, offset and industrial coating industries. Headquartered in Hapert, near Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Apex has regional facilities in Brazil, India, Italy and North America. With a strong reputation for quality and service, Apex has built a solid leadership of the anilox market worldwide.

Draychem Ltd is a long-established manufacturer and supplier of maintenance chemicals and deep cleaning services to the print industry in the UK. Established in 1989 by Managing Director Mike Lines, the company has a first-class track record for new product development in the field of print quality and onsite maintenance. Superior customer support and extensive staff training are also strengths of Draychem.

Bas van der Poel, Technical Sales Director at Apex commented: “With their proven high level of service and development of a long-term presence in the industry, Draychem is an ideal partner. Apex is a global player in the industry, but providing premium local service through experienced and well-qualified representatives is our top priority.”

Mike Lines of Draychem is delighted with the collaboration and future with Apex International. “Apex manufactures the best anilox rolls in the world, and at Draychem, we provide the best maintenance service in the UK. Printers in Great Britain will benefit immensely from this stellar combination.” 

EFI Customers Discover the New Age of Digital Print at 19th Annual EFI Connect Conference

As printing companies seek the best ways to reduce costs, increase productivity and capture new market opportunities, many of them are getting educated on the advanced, integrated capabilities from Electronics For Imaging, Inc. presented at the 19th annual EFI Connect conference. The January 23-26 event – one of the printing industry’s largest, longest-running and most influential users’ group conferences – provides attendees with the latest training and technology details to help them profit from the analog to digital transition. Connect also features the debut of several new EFI products, including:

• EFI VUTEk HS125 Pro and HS100 Pro Fast-4 hybrid flatbed/roll inkjet press models that offer a range of super-fast 4-color grayscale modes, with speeds up to 225 boards per hour. This enables more cost-effective grayscale production of distance-viewed signage and graphics.
• The EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340i, a soft signage printer that delivers a lower cost of entry into high-growth soft signage applications by offering fully integrated inline sublimation without compromising engine speed or quality.
• Version 6 of EFI’s Enterprise Commercial, Midmarket Print, Publication, Quick Print, Packaging and Corrugated Packaging Productivity Suites for advanced, end-to-end business and production MIS/ERP workflows.
• EFI MarketDirect, a next-generation cross media customer engagement platform that gives printing companies the power to deliver comprehensive management on loyalty programs, offers, newsletters, surveys and other customer communication programs.
• Escada software, EFI’s recently acquired, robust corrugated process control product.
• EFI iQuote technology for enhanced estimating of versioned and variable-data digital print work.
• EFI Optitex 3D Design Illustrator, a plug-in tool for the fashion textile space that gives designers the freedom to validate and customize 3D garments in Adobe Illustrator.

Many of the new opportunities for customers discussed at Connect reflect a market redefinition happening for the print industry in the wake of continued digital industrial transformation. During his opening keynote speech at Connect, EFI CEO Guy Gecht said, “The new Print is all about putting spectacular images on essentially any material. With digital inkjet technology and automation, the new Print brings immense opportunity in the era of the fourth industrial revolution.”

Production opportunities with advanced inkjet innovations

Fast, sustainable, and superior-quality wide- and superwide-format inkjet imaging technologies are also prominent at Connect, including technologies customers can use to move into fast-growing soft signage and industrial packaging applications. Printers on display at the show include the EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340 soft-signage fabric printer, the VUTEk 3r roll-to-roll LED printer; the EFI VUTEk GS3250LX Pro hybrid LED printer; and the new EFI Pro 24f dedicated flatbed LED printer. EFI is also showcasing a new virtual reality demo of the EFI Nozomi C18000 ultra-high-speed single-pass LED inkjet corrugated packaging press. EFI partner Ricoh Americas Corp. is featuring EFI inkjet technology as well, with the versatile, 65-inch wide EFI Pro 16h hybrid LED printer running in its booth at Connect.

Streamlined digital production printing with EFI Fiery technology

Several partners, including Ricoh, Xerox, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. and Riso, will showcase print engines running EFI Fiery digital front ends (DFEs). The new, scalable Fiery FS300 Pro DFE platform used in several new print engines from EFI partners can handle high-speed sheetfed and ultra-high-speed continuous-feed B1 production and offers new features for superior color, performance, usability and integration.

EFI partners’ new Fiery-based DFEs include the new version 6 of Fiery Command WorkStation – a highly advanced user interface with new preview, search and reprint functions that can serve as the single point of control for multiple Fiery Driven production devices. EFI is also demonstrating upcoming Fiery products: Fiery Command WorkStation for wide- and superwide-format inkjet and Fiery Navigator dashboard analytics for wide- and superwide-format inkjet.

Additional partners participating in Connect’s solutions center include: 3M Commercial Solutions; Aberdeen Fabrics; Duplo; Enfocus; Esko; Kodak; Motioncutter; OneVision; The Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation; Print ReLeaf; Progress Software Corp.; SpencerMetrics; X-Rite Pantone; Xeikon; and Zünd.

EFI Connect’s extensive conference program features more than 200 sessions covering technical, business management, marketing and more for an audience of commercial print, signage and graphics, packaging and in-plant production executives from 23 countries. Special keynotes at this year’s conference include a pair of fireside chat discussions with the first two users of EFI’s breakthrough Nozomi press: Eric Bacourt, CEO of Hinojosa Packaging Solutions and Mal McGowan, CEO of McGowans Print.

Now going into its 19th year, EFI Connect attracts print professionals worldwide for a collection of in-depth, informative training and education on key management and tech challenges for printing and packaging companies. The conference is an ideal venue for open dialogue and idea exchange, giving customers a valuable opportunity to participate in educational sessions, receive hands-on experience, discuss industry trends, network with peers, voice their opinions and learn from others.

For more information about the conference, visit www.efi.com/connect.

High Performance Vacuum Metallizing from the Bobst K5 Vision

The new Bobst K5 Vision is a compact vacuum metallizer ideal for flexible packaging converters and CPP/PE film producers.

Total Flexibility

The new K5 Vision is compact and designed to handle a wide variety of different film types including heat sensitive films and thin gauge substrates. It can run at speeds up to 840m/min, is available in widths from 1250mm to 2450mm and can house roll diameters of up to 1000mm.

Innovative New Features

Bobst is continually innovating and the K5 Vision is no exception, the machine incorporates a Ø600mm coating drum providing the largest coating window in the industry that increases aluminium collection efficiency by up to 16% resulting in less consumables, an extended boat life and a 10-15% energy reduction. It also provides better film cooling due to the increased surface area of the drum; additional cooling is also given by the 2-zone gas wedge which provides better conduction of heat between the substrate and the drum which is important for heat sensitive films such as CPP and LDPE.

High Productivity

The powerful, robust evaporation source with a staggered ceramic boat arrangement provides excellent coating uniformity. It also incorporates easy access to clean the boats and aluminium spools mounted on a removable trolley for easy changing; the full width viewing windows give an improved view of the source and the metallization process.

The K5 Vision pumping group is robust and has a compact design with shorter pipe lengths giving the lowest footprint in the industry; it comprises of dry rotary screw pumps with a consistently high vacuum performance, booster pumps that operate at double the normal speed for maximum efficiency and floor mounted diffusion pumps located underneath the evaporation zone eliminating the risk for backstreaming of oil on to the film.

Energy Reduction

The K5 Vision incorporates the Bobst Eco Mode which reduces energy consumption by up to 50% during stand-by, only delivering energy and cooling water when needed, and this result in a reduced carbon footprint and significant savings in production costs.

Perfect Winding

The renowned Bobst winding mechanism incorporates a 6 drive system giving 3 independent tension control zones. It provides low tension winding with adjustable bowed rollers to produce a virtually wrinkle-free metallization process and an optional pre-drum vari bow for better handling of thinner substrates.

The K5 Vision can handle a wide range of substrates including thin gauge films and enables quick changeover of different film types making it the ideal machine for converters. It is also able to handle heat sensitive films such as CPP and PE which makes it perfect for film producers of these thermally sensitive materials.

Bobst AluBond

The Bobst AluBond process provides high metal adhesion with values up to 5N/15mm and improves dyne level retention through vacuum metallization, eliminating the need for chemically treated films. AluBond is an advanced hybrid metal coating technology which achieves higher barrier properties on BOPP and CPP films than conventional metallizing processes.

One of the world’s leading suppliers of equipment and services to packaging and label manufacturers in the folding carton, corrugated board and flexible materials industries, Bobst has a presence in more than 50 countries, runs 12 production facilities in 8 countries and employs more than 5 000 people around the world. 

Thomson Press installs India’s first Xeikon 9600

Thomson Press, one of India’s leading printing and publishing houses, has become the first operation in the region to invest in a Xeikon 9600. The new press has been installed in its digital facility in Okhla, New Delhi. It complements the company’s web and sheet offset capabilities, bringing the high quality its clients demand to shorter runs of books and other publications.

Thomson Press chose the press, which is configured as a roll to stack press with incorporating the Web Finishing Module to protect the printed image prior to mechanical finishing of the work. The press is producing high quality multi-color jobs cost effectively in quantities as low as twenty books. The press also supports a wide variety of offerings from ultra-high quality coffee table books to educational materials, short run speciality magazines and periodicals. The Xeikon press also enables printing of religious publications on 40 gsm paper.

The Xeikon 9600 is the ultimate dedicated solution for a wide range of graphic arts production such as books, magazine, brochures/leaflets and point of sales applications. It offers high performance quality and productivity and delivers a broad array of standard and non-standard formats, including virtually unlimited image lengths.

The one-pass-duplex web-fed system is capable of speeds of up to 14.5mpm (47.5 fpm) at a resolution of 1200 dpi with variable dot density. It integrates the variable data capabilities of the Xeikon X-800 front-end and incorporates a 5th color station for accurate spot color reproduction as well as speciality toners for security applications and other technical toners. Its QA-CD dry toner enables the use of a wide range of substrates without specific pre-treatment. The press delivers a wide color gamut and has no VOC emissions.

Feature benefits include perfect color consistency and professional color management, variable printing across both width and length, the ability to handle media weights from 40 to 350 gsm (27 lb text to 130 lb cover) and flexible integration with graphic arts (PDF) and IPDS workflows.

Bent Serritslev, Managing Director of Xeikon APAC, states, "We are thrilled and honored to count Thomson Press among our satisfied customers, and we are confident that that the versatility and high printing quality of the 9000 series of presses with find acceptance in the Indian market, where quality is critical. And the flexibility to choose roll-to-roll or roll-to-sheet adds an extra dimension, while the flexibility of financial models Xeikon adds to the attractiveness of the offering.”

NPES rebrands as Association for Print Technologies

Heralding its bold new mission to drive printing industry growth, NPES - The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies announces a name change to the Association for Print Technologies (APT). The new identity is both a nod to the Association’s signature annual event—PRINT—which it has produced since 1968, and also marks a defining moment in the Association’s 85-year history. Additionally, the new name signifies progress toward the completion of its Strategic Business Plan for the industry, which launched in January 2017.

“This rebrand of the organization signals a significant turning point, not just for our Association, but for the entire printing and imaging industry,” states Thayer Long, President, Association for Print Technologies. “The convergence in our industry is essentially in the rearview mirror. Now, as our new name more clearly expresses, our broader scope and direction are focused on greater alignment among the commercial printing and imaging value chain. This ‘next phase’ must happen in order for all stakeholders to benefit,” Long continues.

On the heels of the Association rebrand, and slated for the weeks ahead are preview announcements on a compelling new and expanded lineup of programs and services. These include the launch of the Association’s new website, www.PrintTechnologies.org, in Spring 2018.

Upcoming Association offerings will span the areas of Research & Market Data, Industry Advocacy & Standards, Events, and Communications. Of special note, a new staff department, dubbed “Community & Industry Development,” has been established to advance programming designed to support businesses throughout the industry value chain, including initiatives that will address Workforce Development and Training.

Spearheading the new Community & Industry Development Department, the Association welcomes industry veterans Ken Garner, as Vice President of Business Development and Industry Relations (formerly of Idealliance and NAPL), and Julie Shaffer, as Associate Vice President of Program and Community Development(formerly of Idealliance and PIA).

“To drive the industry forward for decades to come, our Board made the decision to evolve and reposition the organization. Our new identity, as the Association for Print Technologies, reflects the way forward,” states Mark Hischar, APT Chairman and President & CEO, KBA-North America. 

SPG Prints’ new RotaPlate Dev & Dry developer-dryer standardises quality

SPGPrints’ new RotaPlate Dev & Dry system provides a fast, ergonomic and automated means of developing and drying RotaPlate nickel rotary screens, for narrow web applications, in a one-step, quality-assured process. In a cycle lasting between three and four minutes, the exposed mesh is thoroughly washed out with recyclable water, and then automatically air-dried without manual intervention. Once the process is complete, the screen is immediately ready for final assembly.

Four times faster than the manual washing process, RotaPlate Dev & Dry replaces the use of a water-gun that, in some cases, can contribute to wrist strain. Time savings per cycle are estimated to be up to 12 minutes, making the device ideal for situations where high throughput is required. Automated developing and drying ensures uniformity of screen quality, and frees operators to focus on higher value activities.

The unit, with a compact 2m 2 footprint, also offers environmental benefits. It includes a water filtering and recycling system, and requires no drainage or exhaust: only electricity and compressed air are needed for use. Thanks to variable speed modes, RotaPlate Dev & Dry accommodates the complete range of RotaPlate meshes. It also comes with an intuitive human-machine interface that requires only the push of the touch-screen to activate.

SPGPrints’ RotaPlate electroformed nickel rotary screens offer high strength, allowing easy handling, reusability, and stability at relatively fast printing speeds. Ideal for non-SPGPrints rotary screen printing units, they are available in a wide range of meshes, for printing added-value features where a thick ink or varnish coverage is required, including tactile varnishes, opaque and rich colours, metallic foil, Braille, warning triangles, small text and fine lines. RotaPlate screens can be exposed digitally with the variLEX processor, capable of resolutions of up to 5080dpi.

Hank Guitjens, commercial manager label printing at SPGPrints comments: “Screen washout is a repetitive and often monotonous job, and one where quality is difficult to control. RotaPlate Dev & Dry is a complete, sustainable system that integrates with advanced imaging devices, to provide optimum quality rotary screens in a standardised workflow for repeatable, high-quality results. This device is a perfect complement to a modern, clean, lean pressroom, where human intervention is minimised.”

Durst hosts “Tau Digital Days 2018” in Brixen, Italy

With the excitement surrounding the recent launch of the Tau 330 RSC at LabelExpo, Durst is hosting “Tau Digital Days 2018” February 7th- 9th at the worldwide headquarters in Brixen, Italy. The 3-day event will have attendees from around the world engaged in demonstrations, workflow overviews, and focus on the capabilities of the new Tau 330 RSC.

“This is a chance for potential customers to really get inside of Durst, see the factory and get to know the people behind our Tau presses,” said Tim Saur Managing Director & CEO of Durst Image Technology US. “In addition, the opportunity to hear case studies from successful Durst customers is invaluable when making a crucial purchase decision.”

Durst will be showcasing the latest developments in UV inkjet technology, in-line hybrid systems, web-to-print solutions and more. One key focus will be the power & functionality of the Durst Workflow software, which helps simplify issues with customer files without having to go back to pre-press or Illustrator to make necessary changes.

With its proprietary single pass UV inkjet technology, Durst provides the required flexibility to produce fast, efficient and with the highest print quality for the complete range of label & packaging applications. Small, medium, and now long runs are highly profitable with digital systems from Durst. The options are virtually unlimited and open up an enormous potential for new products and services in an ever-changing market.

With Durst continuous innovation of the Tau 330 UV portfolio, users can now rise above the rest and 'Configure their Digital Future' - available as stand-alone or an entirely automated production unit with integrated conventional & digital finishing lines, or even as a hybrid configuration with multiple flexo decks.

Bobst to showcase new CI Flexo Press at “20Seven - We make it happen” Event

To show once again how to “make it happen” in the packaging printing industry, Bobst has organized an exciting industry and networking open house event that will take place on 27th and 28th February 2018 in the Competence Center of the Bobst Bielefeld production facility in Germany, the Bobst Center of Excellence for web-fed CI flexo technology. The event will be focusing on the 7-color Extended Color Gamut (ECG) process, and will première Bobst’s new 20Seven CI flexo press.

An evolution of the 20SIX model, the 20Seven is a telling example of how being ahead of market requirements, new industrial demands, by constantly enhancing equipment efficiency and meeting new industry processes, is what keeps the Bobst equipment always at the forefront of the industrial trends, truly effective and a profitable solution for the user. The technical developments of the 20Seven have been targeted to, and indeed succeed in, maximizing process consistency. This is what makes it specifically suited for the ECG process.

The printing demonstrations will highlight the 20Seven’s remarkable performance in handling 7-c ECG jobs, while the manifold aspects of the extended color gamut process will be examined from different perspectives by brand owners and converters who, along with other process specialists, will also animate the panel discussion, in which visitors are invited to participate and address many topics of interest. Furthermore, the event will provide ample opportunities during the breaks and following the formal program, for networking, informal talks and to share experiences amongst all event participants.

The wide range of e-services available for trouble-shooting, for monitoring production and for boosting productivity that makes Bobst equipment deliver high levels of performance at all times, will take place in Bobst Bielefeld’s brand new Training Center, which has been recently established for educational and R&D purposes.

On both days, the program will run from 10.30 a.m. to at 4.30 p.m.  Visitors can register their participation through the Events page of the Bobst corporate website - www.bobst.com

Gallus Labelmaster – Successful launch in China end of 2017

At the beginning of December last year, Heidelberg China and Gallus Shanghai jointly organized a launch event for the Gallus Labelmaster in China, which took place in the Print Media Center in Shanghai. Around 160 guests from label print shops in China and Region Asia as well as media journalists attended the event. They were able to watch live demos of the Gallus Labelmaster in label production and experienced a new height in leading label printing.

“We are extremely optimistic about the future development of packaging and label printing in China”, explains Benny Huang, CEO of Heidelberg China. “In recent years, with an increasing middle class and accelerating urbanization processes, there are more and more specific requirements on packaging and label. It is our duty to continue providing high quality products and services for packaging and label print shops in China.” Asia has become the fastest growing label market in the world. It is expected that by 2019, the Asian label market will have increased by 5.5%, in which the growth rate of self-adhesive labels will reach 6.3%.

“Owing to the higher cost of raw materials and labor today, print shops are paying more attention to productivity”, describes Teddy Jiang, General Manager of Gallus Shanghai. “At the same time, influenced by consumers and branding goods manufacturers, packaging and label printing is moving towards short run, multiple orders and product diversification.”

Since entering the Chinese market nearly ten years ago, Gallus has sold over 100 machines. Together with Heidelberg China Gallus will introduce their machines to more Chinese customers.

“Less Complexity, more Flexibility” is exactly the innovation concept defined by Gallus for the Gallus Labelmaster. Modules such as flexo printing, screen printing, cold foil, die cutting etc. can be freely selected and configured, thus enabling the press to be customized to suit any specific requirement of label print shops. The unique modularity of the Labelmaster meets all popular needs on the market, from commodity labels to sophisticated, high-finished products.

As already mentioned by Benny Huang, investment security and customer success are the highest goals of Heidelberg and Gallus, which will be achieved by the cooperation of these two companies.

Milan-based Grafiche MG srl invests in Roland 706 3B LV Evolution

Trust, High Quality and Flexibility - Those are the three characteristics for which Milan-based Grafiche MG srl is well-known. As it looks to a future filled with promise, the Italian pharmaceutical packaging printer is determined to maintain its hard-earned reputation for trust, high quality and flexibility.

"Having been in the market for more than half a century, we are growing sustainably, thanks to the technological innovations that enable us to always offer the right solutions to any requests from our customers," says Mr. Danilo Dogliotti, the company's owner. Grafiche MG srl manufactures boxes and display boxes for the pharmaceutical industry.

According to Mr. Dogliotti, three Manroland Sheetfed offset presses - Roland 702 PLV, Roland 704 and Roland 706 LV - have enabled Grafiche MG srl to meet all kinds of customer requests in terms of lead time, quality and quantity. "Trust, high quality and flexibility are our strong points and our long-term focus," he adds.

In order to ensure its products meet the high standards of the pharmaceutical industry, Grafiche MG srl pays attention to every detail of the operation - from choosing the raw materials, closely monitoring each stage of the work flow, exploring the latest packaging printing technologies to transforming each customer's original design into packaging.

"We have a long history but what we are most interested in is the future," Mr. Dogliotti says. "We have always been proud of the printing technological innovations that allows us to satisfy our customers' needs not only today, but also in the future."

Anticipating future trends and challenges, the company recently decided to invest in a Roland 706 3B LV Evolution - the future-oriented, award-winning sheetfed offset from Manroland Sheetfed.

Mr. Dogliotti says the investment is necessary because "we want to become more and more a reference for customers, flexibly respond to the changing market situation, and be more proactive at every stage of the production process." The Roland 706 3B LV Evolution will further enable Grafiche MG srl to meet customers' requirement for premium quality despite tight production deadlines both for jobs of short runs and jobs up to millions of pieces.