The ultimate in green printing

Even the smallest KBA litho press, the Genius 52 UV manufactured by KBA-MePrint, was given a pre-Drupa upgrade and is now offered with optional envelope feeder and split-colour printing capability. Along with a second Genius and a five-colour Rapida 106 with coater on the adjacent Toray stand it demonstrated high-quality eco-friendly waterless UV printing on film and other challenging substrates.

Varius 80: new web offset press for flexible packaging

KBA-MePrint also showed the Varius 80, a modular, variable-format web offset press targeting the high-growth flexible packaging market. The Varius 80 is a waterless press with keyless inking units and a UV dryer – a combination that delivers an excellent print quality on flexible, non-absorbent substrates with a minimum of start-up waste. The offset plates used in the press are much cheaper than the sleeves required for a flexo press.

The Varius 80 runs up to saleable colour in just 100 metres (328ft) of web – a waste saving of around 80 per cent compared to other presses. This can pay dividends where run lengths are diminishing and job changes becoming ever more frequent. And a lot of print buyers will appreciate the high offset quality, not to mention the environmental benefits, because as well as being waterless the Varius 80 uses neither solvents nor powder. Engineered for a maximum web width of 800mm (31.5in) and a production speed of 400 metres (1,312ft) per minute, the press can handle substrates from 30 to 800µm (1.2 - 31.5mil) thick. The printing length is adjustable between 21 and 34 inches. The format length can be adjusted in a matter of minutes by automatically changing the plate and blanket cylinders. Job changes take around six minutes.

Innovations in web offset: C16 and Commander CL

KBA also unveiled a raft of new products addressing current and emerging trends in the commercial and newspaper printing sectors. One exhibit was a printing unit of its new compact Commander CL newspaper press, which is offered with a choice of automation modules. The press incorporates both automatic and semi-automatic plate changing and is linked to a new-generation ErgoTronic console. It stood alongside a C16 16-page commercial printing unit which completed job changes in less than 60 seconds, making it the perfect tool for printing short to medium runs. Unique features such as automated roller locks reduce maintenance input. The same applies to the C16’s new quarterfold module for press speeds of up to 65,000iph and a console with new functions for time-and waste-saving press start-up and run-down, both of which were also exhibited.

KBA-Metronic: post-press marking with the BetaJET

KBA-Metronic, a specialist manufacturer of digital and analogue marking and coding systems, unveiled yet another interesting product for the packaging sector: the freely programmable betaJET thermal inkjet printer, which is embedded in the udaFORMAXX feeder system for handling folding cartons, blanks etc. It can be used for a variety of applications, eg as an addressing device, as an anti-counterfeiting module in the pharmaceuticals industry, for brand protection or for just-in-time manufacturing in the textiles and cosmetics branches.

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