Countdown to Drupa: Xeikon to unveil a new flatbed die-cut unit

Xeikon will also bring its Fusion concept and the CX3 five-colour label press it showcased during Labelexpo Europe 2015. The CX3 press, based on Xeikon’s Cheetah technology with a top speed of 30 m/min (98 ft/min), is the most productive five-colour digital label press in its class.

The FDU, Xeikon claims, has been developed to aid efficient end-to-end printing and converting for folding carton printers.

Xeikon’s product management director, Jeroen Van Bauwel said that the FDU is ideal for nearline finishing of digital work but can also accommodate offset litho runs. “There is a real gap, a need in the market for an easy, affordable and fast set-up solution to handle the growing volume of short-run, fast turnarounds jobs,” he added.

According to Xeikon, the key benefit of the technology is to support smaller dies and counter plates for a more cost-effective production. Van Bauwel said, “With the FDU, the customer will actually be optimising the tooling cost, because he will be using just one third of it,” adding, “The fact that no nicks are needed between cartons is a valuable proposition for pharma and cosmetic boxes.”

The FDU is also capable of embossing.

This 2,000-sheet-per-hour flatbed system handles sheet sizes from 400x400mm (15.7”x 15.7”) up to 530x1,000mm (20.9”x 39.4”) and a maximum die-cut size of 490x700mm (19.2 x 27.6”). Substrate thickness can range from 60gsm to 900gsm for paper and carton board. Microflute corrugated board can also be finished, for completing offset as well as digital runs.

Drupa 2016 will take place from 31 May to 10 June 2016 at Dusseldorf, Germany. PrintWeek India is a cooperating media partner at the show. The team led by Noel D’cunha, Rushikesh Aravkar and Monica Rohra will be present on all days of the show.