Consumables

MARKET-LEADING XAAR 1002 PRINTHEAD DOMINATES INKJET LABEL PRESSES AT LABELEXPO 2014

Thursday 11. September 2014 - Visitors to Labelexpo Americas (9-11th September 2014, Rosemont, Illinois) will see the impressive performance capabilities of the next-generation Xaar 1002 GS6 printhead chosen by the industry's leading digital label press manufacturers.

The Xaar 1002 GS6 printhead is popular with top inkjet label press manufacturers because it combines superb quality with unrivalled industrial reliability and low cost of ownership. Featuring1000 Optimised Geometry nozzles the printhead delivers precise drop placement to produce exceptional high resolution images and text. A key feature of the Xaar 1002 GS6 is its ability to print heavily-pigmented high opacity white inks and high viscosity varnishes extremely reliably in one pass using a single printbar, enabled by Xaar’s patented ink recirculation technology, TF Technology.
During the show Durst, EFI, FFEI, INX and SPG will all demonstrate their latest Xaar 1002-enabled digital UV presses printing a variety of label types. These range from stand-alone, entry-level presses to fully-integrated systems with in-line printing and finishing:
Durst (Booth 5901) shows the new high-definition print mode Tau 330 high speed UV inkjet label press. With a very high print resolution of 720 x 1260 dpi it achieves very good, pin sharp reproduction of text, finest graphic detail as well as clear gradients and soft skin tones. This modular, seven-colour press features in-line digital laser finishing and low-migration UV inks for food, healthcare and pharmaceutical applications.
EFI (Booth 6423) shows the latest four-colour EFI Jetrion 4950LX LED single-pass press printing high-quality labels at 720 x 720 dpi with vibrant images and fine text at print speeds of up to 157 ft/min. This efficient, modular press can be configured to suit specific needs and combines excellent quality with lowest cost per label.
FFEI (Booth 5621) demonstrates a complete hybrid Graphium UV inkjet press with pre- and post- digital flexo stations, a cold foiling station and die cutter at the show. In addition to the ability to print a high opacity, high adhesion under white, a range of new features are unveiled, including over-white printing and the capability to now support substrates of 40-600 µm allowing the thinnest liners to heavy duty vinyl to be used.
INX (Booth 6411) shows the new five-colour Komori NW210 UV digital narrow web press with LED curing and inline laser cutter. Powered by the JetINX printhead drive and ink recirculation system, the NW210 incorporates 15 Xaar 1002 printheads to ensure high-quality, high-speed label printing at up to 80 ft/min on any label stock up to 210 mm wide.
SPGPrints (Booth 530) shows the modular DSI UV inkjet label printer which can be configured as a stand-alone digital printer or a complete solution with in-line converting and in widths from 135 mm-530 mm. The versatile DSI features four printbars with Xaar 1002 printheads as standard, and an additional six printbars can be added to enable options such as digital white, digital primer and an extended colour gamut by adding orange and violet.
“The choice of digital presses has never been greater and Labelexpo is a superb showcase for the latest technologies,” says Mark Ritchie. “But choosing the right digital press can be a daunting prospect so we have produced two White Papers to explain and clarify two important aspects of inkjet label printing – quality and white ink performance.
“Because quality is not simply a matter of selecting the highest dots/inch or lines/inch in ‘Print quality – the whole picture’ we show you how to take into account multiple interacting elements. Plus, a high performance, opaque white capability is a key measure of UV inkjet label presses today. But it can be difficult to evaluate, so in ‘UV white inkjet inks for single-pass label applications’ we explore the challenges of jetting highly pigmented white inks to achieve high-quality opaque results and provide advice on what you need to consider.”
In addition, Xaar is delighted to be sponsoring The Inkjet Trail during the show where visitors can compare the same food, personal care and industrial labels printed on identical substrates but printed on different digital label presses. On the trail EFI and Durst are demonstrating the superb label printing capabilities of their Xaar 1002-enabled machines.