Bobst has lifted the lid on its first foray into digital print for corrugated with a new press developed with Kodak Stream inkjet technology. The company has just announced that the first beta site installation of the new digital press is at Model AG in Weinfelden, Switzerland.
Designed to deliver four color digital post-print directly onto a broad range of uncoated and coated corrugated media, the new digital printing press offers both personalisation and speed, on short run and high volume work. The sheet-fed press prints at speeds up to 200 m/min and can handle sheets up to a maximum size of 1.3 x 2.1 meters.
Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO of Bobst, said, ‘We promised the packaging industry a series of revolutionary digital printing solutions. Now that the corrugated version is in beta testing, the industry can see that we are making good on that promise. This press will start a revolution in the corrugated packaging industry because it opens up such a huge range of possibilities to box makers, and to their clients, the brand owners.’
The site chosen for the first beta installation is the Model AG plant in Weinfelden, which is also the production and management hub of the CHF 700 million turnover Model Group. Daniel Model, CEO of Model Group, said, ‘We are very excited and proud to be the first beta customer for this revolutionary press. We firmly believe that the technology this Bobst solution brings will permanently transform the corrugated packaging industry.’
Philippe Milliet, head of business unit sheet-fed, added, ‘Model have been our partners on many such pioneering projects and we tremendously value their input because of their forward-looking philosophy.’
The press features Stream Inkjet Technology supplied by Kodak. This utilises food compliant inks, a key issue for packaging manufacturers in many sectors.
Mr Milliet said, ‘The Bobst digital printing press is unlike any other solution seen in the market. For corrugated packaging makers, it bridges the gap between high volume flexo printing and the lower capacity digital systems available up until now. Furthermore, the press has been designed to integrate into the typical high volume post-print production environments of the corrugated industry. For our customers, it means they can offer their clients more flexibility and the reactivity to meet dynamic consumer demands, by introducing new products with versioning, mass customisation and personalisation.’
The beta press at Model AG will be shortly followed by a second installation in Europe.
