Packaging
Domino Raises the Bar with Four-Colour Digital Solution Preview at LabelExpo
Wednesday 30. September 2009 - Dominos three decades of pioneering ink jet expertise will be very much in evidence when the company previews a brand new four-colour drop on demand ink jet solution at Labelexpo 2009.
Presented in Brussels in the form of a digital label press and scheduled for full commercial launch in Spring 2010, the defining characteristics of the new press include its combination of speed – it will reach 50-75m/min, almost twice that of any comparable system on the market – and resolution, which is a nominal 1200 dpi at 50m/min, thanks to variable drop size technology. The printer can also be configured to print at 1700dpi. Other unique advantages include a fully automatic head cleaning system and an ink control system that ensures rapid set-up and maximum uptime.
Targeted at users in the label print and converting facing increased demand for short runs with fast turnaround, the reel-to-reel press will also bridge the gap between flexo/digital colour printing and high speed, variable data printing. The greater flexibility afforded by a fully digital process for both pre-print and variable data will enable users to efficiently meet customer requirements for localisation, including language changes, as well as special promotions.
It is, according to Domino Product Director Philip Easton, a natural progression from the established Domino single colour K-Series product range to full-web printing: “The development reflects the maturity and flexibility of ink jet technology, its increasing cost-effectiveness and market demands for shorter runs and late stage customisation in both the labelling and packaging markets,” he says.
The press is set to offer high resolution, variable drop size capability and 13″ (330mm) full-width print. The prototype on show at Labelexpo is based on an 8.7″ (220mm) print width and will run at speeds from 50 to 75m/min.
Scalable ink jet print head technology allows a range of print widths to be provided. The 13″ model will be the first commercially-available product; future variants anticipated include 4.25″ and 8.7″ CMYK models, as well as single colour options. Splicing, web cleaning, web tension control, web guidance are all standard features of the reel-to-reel press and a choice of UV curing or Near Infrared drying units is available depending on the customers choice of UV-curable or aqueous-based inks.
“In the quest for ever-increasing flexibility, FMCG, pharmaceutical and healthcare manufacturers, in particular, are driving the need for on-line digital printing of labels and packaging,” says Easton.
“Managing inventory in these sectors can be a major logistical challenge: a manufacturer may be producing relatively low volumes of a particular product, but this may still represent multiple SKUs because of the requirements of different customers, languages and legislatures,” he explains. “The new press will enable them to cut costs and increase efficiency, thanks to the ability to produce labels for a number of SKUs in a single run by varying part of the information – such as black text – mid-run.
“Our new full colour solution represents the next generation of Piezo drop on demand technology, demonstrates leading production operating speeds and best-in-class print quality. We are confident that label printers will immediately recognise its outstanding performance and the potential that this next-step technology offers to the industry,” concludes Easton.