Labelexpo Preview: Flexo and digital presses

Alliance Printech | Stand F21
New Delhi-based Alliance Printech will uncover the Alliance A3 flexo label press. While the new machine borrows its design from Alliance’s Neoflex A3 press, the Alliance A3 comes with a range of new features such as chambered inking system, cantilever unwind and rewind stands, UV with chill drum for flexible substrates, corona treater, web cleaner, cold foil station, delam-relam, and a lamination unit. Alliance has installed more than 20 machines in India.

Bobst | Stand B12
Bobst M5 label press is a must-see. It is an inline UV flexo and multi-process production line that can print and convert in a single pass a variety of substrates including paper and filmic self-adhesive stock, glossy paper 60 to 100 gsm, light cardboard up to 300 gsm,  PVC, BOPP, PET, PA unsupported films from 12 microns,  alu-foil from 20 microns, and lamitube. According to Bobst, the M5 is a flexible production tool which can be configured for label, flexible packaging and folding carton production.  In India, there are more than twenty installations of Bobst inline narrow and mid-web flexo and multi-process printing and converting machines, eight of which are M5 lines.

Insight | Stand P27
Insight’s star product for the show is the  Screen TruePress Jet L 350 UV+ LM  Series. Although the machine will be demonstrated during the show, the visitors can access the printed samples covering a range of applications. Launched in 2013, the Truepress Jet L 350 UV inkjet digital label press has seen more than 100 installations of L 350 UV in North America, Europe, UK and South East Asian countries. It can print CMYK plus white and orange at a speed of 60 metres per minute. There is an option to use low migration inks for certain pharmaceutical and food package label applications.

Nilpeter | Stand F15
Nilpeter says its FB series flexo press are hugely popular in the Indian market and at the show it will debut a new avatar of the FB series with added automation features. Nilpeter will run a live demonstration of the FB 430 with emphasis on Nilpeter's value adding units like the flatbed embossing and hot foil unit FP4, gravure, cold foil and special stacking conveyor. The new features on the FB 430 are APP (auto plate positioning), pre-register, insetting (repass), rail mounted accessories, and dual web path. The press can convert unsupported film, PS label stock, IML stock, wet glue label material as well as light carton.

Omet | Stand C26
On the Weldon stand, Omet will occupy 126 sqm to demonstrate the prowess of its iFlex flexo press four times in a day. Launched in 2015 and showcased at the Labelexpo India 2016, the Italian flexo press manufacturer claims that the iFlex has the shortest web path in narrow-web printing for savings in the start-up phase. Omet has also upgraded the iFlex since it was shown in India in 2016. Upgrades include a renewed converting section for sheeting station and the evolution of the exclusive matrix stripping unit, the Rock’n’Roll dual function. Huhtamaki, Insight Graphics, Orianaa have installed the iFlex, while the one on the show, a 10-colour all UV, is by all account sold out, only we shall know who the buyer is at the show, we reckon.

Printers Supply Company | Stand H10
Printers Supply Company will have video demonstrations of the Edale narrow web flexographic printing machines for cartons (FL 5) and labels (FL 3). The FL 3 is available in widths of 350mm and 430mm, and can run substrates from 12 to 450 microns, has an option of semi-rotary die-cutting and full-rotary die-cutting with rail mounted converting options. The FL 5 is available in widths of 430mm, 510mm and 570mm, can run substrates from 12 to 600 microns, has an option of both rotary as well as flatbed die-cutting with rail mounted converting options. Edale sales director Darren Pickford along with Printers Supply Company’s Amitabh Luthra will be available at the show. According to Luthra, the FL 5 is installed with NAP Printers, Kolkata and Itek Packz, Bengaluru whereas India’s first FL 3 is being installed at Uflex.

UV Graphics Technologies | Stand O15
After manufacturing UV curing systems  allied machinery, UV Graphics Technologies joins the small gang of Indian flexo press manufacturers who are competing with the reputed international manufacturers. Built at the company’s modern factory in Noida, Abhay Datta, CEO of UV Graphics claims, this machine is the most sophisticated press the country has ever produced with the smallest footprint the industry has ever seen. Why? Because the fully loaded press compact eight-colour press occupies only nine square metres of floor space and is designed for a clean room environment. We haven’t seen the press yet, but do go and share your feedback at the PrintWeek India stand E33.

Vinsak | Stand P7
Vinsak will demonstrate two eight-colour Lombardi Synchroline UV flexo presses along with the Vinsak USAR, a table-top rewinding machine, and the roll-lifter series. The multi-substrate Lombardi Synchroline fully servo press is equipped with movable cold foil, chiller, two die-cutting stations, slitter, turn-bar, relam, delam, sheeter, conveyor, and lamination. Visitors can also experience the inline Bravo flat screen unit and Toro hot-foil stamping unit. Both of these units are inline to the flexo printing stations.

Weigang Machinery | Stand K5
Weigang will display their high-speed ZJR-330 flexo printing press. This machine is fully-servo controlled by Rexroth-Bosch, which comes standard with the latest sleeve technology and water chiller. It’s ideal for pressure-sensitive labels, shrink sleeves, in-mould labels, flexible packaging and special applications. The ZJR-330 is an eight-colour printing press with eight UV dryers and eight hot air dryers, making it suitable for both UV ink and water based ink printing. It equips basic functions like cold foiling, turn bar, delam/relam, die-cutting and sheeter with a conveyor.

Arrow Digital | Stand O22
At the show, Arrow Digital is putting its stakes on three digital kits: the EFI H1625 LED printer, Anytron Any 002 laser printer and the Oki Pro 9000 series printers. With white ink and multilayer print capability the EFI H1625 LED hybrid mid-level production printer is targeted at premium labels. Anytron Any 002 is a roll-to-roll digital laser printer for small batch printing and to create promotional labels. Oki Pro 9000 series is an A3 colour printer with white and clear spot colour.

Kores India | Stand M1
Kores India’s’ theme at the show is ‘one-stop shop for all labelling solution needs’. There will be three label printers and two POS scanner showcased for a range of labelling users. The Endura range of products has been in the market since past year however it had very limited products under it. At this show, Kores is expanding its product offering to PoS printers and scanners. The star product will be the redefined Kores Endura 2801, a high-speed label-printing device that can print 4-inch labels and works on two printing technology - direct thermal and thermal transfer. The Endura 2801 is bundled with the Bartender Label Design software and Seagull Windows driver.

Monotech Systems | Stand C27
Monotech Systems will uncover the Colornovo full-color UV inkjet label production press. Deploying Kyocera inkjet printhead technology, Colornovo provides resolutions of 600x600 dpi and speeds of up to 70 metres per minute along with CMYK plus white in various print width configurations and utilises a web control system from Grafisk Maskinfabrik, Denmark. The Indian manufacturer will also launch digital label printing and finishing products such as UV Inkjet full colour hybrid imprinting, digital UV Screen printing (white), digital UV spot coating, digital UV cold foil solutions, and ultra-high speed (300 m/min) hybrid imprinting systems for variable data printing.

Rex-Tone Digital | Stand H39
Rex-Tone will debut its latest digital label printer, VIP 600 at the show. It can print on demand, manage inventory wastage, integrate barcodes, QR codes with images, and can cover applications like chemical, industrial, retail, and food and beverages. The VIP 600 boasts of resolution at 1,600dpi and a speed of 12ips.