“The global increase in demand for sustainably produced, budget-friendly, and recyclable or compostable packaging makes flexible paper an attractive growth market for us,” said Christian Steinmassl, who is in charge of the Packaging segment at Heidelberg. “Our Boardmaster flexographic web printing system – which can process water-based inks, coatings, and barrier layers at production speeds of up to 600-mpm with an availability of up to 90% – is ideal for this market.”
A complete Boardmaster will be available for customer demonstrations in the Print Media Center (PMC) at the HEIDELBERG Wiesloch-Walldorf site from drupa 2024 onward. Options for a variety of requirements maximise the number of automation and inspection functions this press can demonstrate for the benefit of potential customers. The Boardmaster is available in a total of four printing widths ranging from 850 through to 1,650-mm.
When developing the system, the company focused on the key challenges and requirements of its customers – significant cost pressures, quality and operational reliability, sustainability, and high investment security. “Systems are already operating in the USA, the order situation is very encouraging, and we have received inquiries from all over the world,” said Steinmassl. 
Printers currently using large-format offset production for food and beverage packaging are also expressing an interest. The Boardmaster is designed for maximum overall equipment efficiency in non-stop operation with flying job changes. It achieves an availability of up to 90% and a printing speed of 600-mpm. This corresponds to double the productivity of previous, comparable systems. Maintenance costs are 50% lower than for systems that use other printing processes. A high degree of automation and simple operation support production with low staffing levels. This also counteracts the shortage of operating personnel. Last but by no means least, the AI-supported printing plate and sleeve scanner Intellimatch helps ensure print results meet high quality standards.