The co-development between offset and digital press manufacturers continues apace, with HP and KBA the latest to announce a joint press is in the works.
The two companies will develop the HP T100 Simplex Color Inkjet Web Press, which they say will be a high speed, high volume, 110-inch -wide (2.8 metre) web press for pre-printing of corrugated top liner.
The new press will enable corrugators to combine many individual jobs together on a roll or across rolls for short, mid or long runs. Unlike traditional offset pre-print, every box can be different.
Planned to print at speeds of up to 600 feet (183 metres) per minute and to produce up to 300,000 square feet (30,000 square metres) per hour, this inkjet press will print corrugated liner rolls that can then be placed directly onto existing industry-standard 110 inch-wide (2.5 or 2.8 metre) corrugators.
The two companies first announced a strategic collaboration at Graph Expo last September. They joining a growing list of offset and digital co-development projects. Heidelberg is working with Fujifilm on a B1 inkjet press, Komori is working with Landa on its nano press technology, with a B1 carton press thought to be first to market, Komori is also working with Konica Minolta on a B2 sheetfed press, manroland is working with Oce producing folders for its inkjet webs and Ryobi is in co-development with Myakioshi.
KBA and HP says that centralised corrugated box plants serving major retail brands will especially benefit from this digital pre-print solution for all corrugated print applications. Brands are increasingly requiring just-in-time inventory, shorter runs, and faster turn-around time. HP’s inkjet technology enables significant time, material, and shipping cost advantages when compared to analog processes. Digital preprint is more efficient than post-print alternatives.
“Addressing the enormous digital opportunity in the corrugated market requires best-in-class technology innovation, a portfolio of solutions, scale, and a market vision,” said Aurelio Maruggi, vice president and general manager, Inkjet High-speed Production Solutions, HP. “The new press will transform the short and mid-range corrugated packaging market, dramatically disrupting operating models and costs and more importantly create new value for brand customers.”
HP and KBA both bring legacies of endurance, scale and innovation to their joint initiative. This year, HP celebrates its 76th anniversary and its 31st year of Thermal Inkjet innovation. KBA is a 197-year-old company and the second-largest offset press manufacturer worldwide.
“KBA has a rich heritage of developing innovative solutions that meet or exceed customers’ quality expectations,” said Christoph Müller, executive vice president for the Web Press Product House, KBA. “In working with HP, we will combine our complementary technological strengths for the needs of packaging converters.”
HP Thermal Inkjet Technology helps meet converters’ needs for high-quality print, along with high-volume productivity, reliability and versatility. Ultimately, it opens the way to game-changing value chain cost savings and capabilities for brands and packaging converters.
It was at drupa 2008 when HP announced its first Inkjet Web Press. Since then the company has expanded its portfolio to its current lineup of ten presses across five web-width platforms for the publishing and production mail market.
In May 2014 at Interpack, HP announced its intent to enter the corrugated packaging market. In June, the company announced its first web-press offering for this market. The first HP T400 Simplex Color Inkjet Web Press was installed at Obaly Morava – Czech Republic.
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