By Olivia Cahoon
Part 2 of 2
The corrugated packaging market is evolving with demands for customized, short-run packaging solutions, especially on non-white corrugated board. To handle this need, select digital presses offer white ink and specialty ink configurations.
Corrugated Board Printers
Agfa released the Jeti Tauro H3300 in six colors in 2018 and the Jeti Tauro H3300 in four colors in 2020, both include a white ink option. The six-color Jeti Tauro H3300 offers CMYK, Lc, and Lk, while the four-color option offers white, primer, and coating capabilities. According to Jason Hamilton, director strategic marketing and senior solutions architect, Agfa, the Jeti Tauro H3300 stands out from the competition with thin ink technology, color management, production management that easily transitions production requirements, and engine-to-engine color management referred to as PrintTune.
Barberan S.A. released the Jetmaster 1890 in March 2016. It is a digital press that offers coatings, varnish, and white ink capabilities. The press reaches speeds up to 80 meters per minute and offers features such as double feeding, variable data, ghost samples, and G7 certification. For corrugated board printing, the Jetmaster 1890 uses a special vacuum system, warp board detector, diverter on the stacker, and a range of available ink and primer suppliers.
The Jetmaster 1890 works best with approved Jetmaster UV ink, available in ten colors. It is available from five different suppliers with worldwide available production. Jetmaster ink is customizable according to the target market.
Canon Solutions America offers the Arizona 6100 High Flow Vacuum Series, ideal for printing directly to corrugate boards and even plywood panels. With two models in the series, there is built-in white ink printing with the Arizona 6170 XTS. It is equipped with a High Flow Vacuum producing up to 15 times the airflow of other systems. The table features 250,000 air holds for maximum hold down. Print speeds are up to 1,668 square feet per hour (sf/h) or 33 4×8-foot boards per hour.
Released in 2019, the Durst Image Technology US Rho 2500 handles speeds up to 12,915 sf/h or 380 boards per hour using seven colors—CMYK, Lc, Lm, and white. It is designed for 24/7 operation and includes various levels of production automation. “Eight picoliter droplets with resolutions of 1,000 dpi allows higher, finer printing quality and excellent sharpness,” shares Larry D’Amico, sales director, North America, Durst.
The Durst Rho 2500 also features an automated corrugated printing option for single and dual track production and it can be configured with the color option White Underprint, which fits for printing on certain applications using brown corrugated materials. This device is compatible with Durst UV inks.
The EFI Nozomi C18000 was released in 2018. It operates up to 1,356 linear feet per minute or 10,000 25×25-inch boards per hour, two-up. The Nozomi C18000 features white, CMYK, plus orange and violet ink capabilities. According to Jose Miguel Serrano, senior business development manager, EFI Industrial Printing, the press offers an integrated RIP, faster speed, and higher throughput compared with other corrugated post-printing and direct-to-board single-pass printers. Multiple gloss levels and special print models are available to adjust ink coverage and print quality based on specific application needs. An inline camera offers inspection for continued quality and accuracy during production runs.
The EFI Nozomi C18000 is compatible with genuine EFI inks, which Serrano says offer optimal physical characteristics in terms of color and performance. The inks are also odorless, meet OCC certification for recyclability and re-pulpability, maintain flexibility for creasing, and are hard enough to withstand rubbing.
Released in June 2019, the Fujifilm North America Corporation Onset X3 HS prints up to 15,597 sf/h or up to 283 126.8×63-inch boards per hour. Becky McConnell, segment marketing manager, wide format inkjet, Fujifilm, says the Onset X3 HS also offers adhesive substrate cleaner for removing dust and debris from corrugated sheets without slowing down printer productivity and a fully automatic dual robotic handling system designed for handling corrugated boards.
The Onset X3 HS pairs with Fujifilm Uvijet OL ink, released in July 2015. It is available in CMYK, Lc, and Lm. Uvijet OL is formulated to emit low odor. The Onset X3 HS is also compatible with Uvijet OW ink, available in CMYK, Lc, Lm, Or, and white. It is a multi-purpose ink for printing on corrugated boards, plastics, and other materials.
The Roland DGA Corporation IU-1000F high-volume UV LED flatbed printer was released in October 2019. It features a maximum speed of 1,246.6 sf/h in four-color draft mode and 516 sf/h in standard print mode. Available with CMYK, white, gloss, and primer, the IU-1000F features a four-inch printhead clearance and 12 printheads in a staggered, three-row arrangement. Jay Roberts, product manager of COTO/UV business, Roland, says it prints vibrant, detailed graphics directly onto PETG, PVC board, foamboard, corrugated board, wood, and aluminum plate. “Solid, durable construction allows it to accommodate 4×8-foot rigid boards weighing up to 99 pounds.” It also includes a variable zone vacuum that can be applied to four different sections of the flatbed for optimum media handling and print stability.
The IU-1000F uses GREENGUARD Gold certified UV inks that are high-density, high-adhesion for full-color printing onto a variety of substrates.
swissQprint offers several flatbed models well-suited for packaging products created on corrugate board. Its third generation of LED large format printers include the Oryx 3, Impala 3, Nyala 3, Impala 3S, and Nyala 3S. swissQprint systems equipped with a board option hold oversized panels firmly in place under full-power vacuum during the printing process. When the printing beam reaches the end of the table, a sophisticated feed system takes over and advances the substrate automatically. Printing continues seamlessly as soon as the substrate is positioned automatically and exactly at the new zero origin. Flawless end-to-end printing on rigid media up to four meters long is a standard routine.
Packaging Improved
Digital printing technologies provide packaging providers with an innovative solution to traditional environments, allowing higher speeds, shorter runs, and customization.
Click here to read part one of this exclusive online series, Successful Board Printing.
May2020, Industrial Print Magazine