First beta site starts work with Bobst digital corrugated printing press

Working with Stream Inkjet Technology supplied by Kodak, Bobst said it has produced the first credible digital solution for industrial scale corrugated box printing.

Philippe Milliet, the head of Bobst’s sheet-fed business unit, said: ‘The Bobst digital printing press is unlike any other solution seen in the market. For corrugated packaging makers, it bridges the gap between high-volume flexo printing and the lower capacity digital systems available up until now.

‘Furthermore, the press has been designed to integrate into the typical high-volume post-print production environments of the corrugated industry. For our customers, it means they can offer their clients more flexibility and the reactivity to meet dynamic consumer demands, by introducing new products with versioning, mass customization and personalization.’

Kodak Stream Inkjet Technology delivers vivid color reproduction and one of the highest print resolutions available, according to Bobst, as well as utilizing food compliant inks, a key issue for packaging manufacturers in many sectors.

Designed to deliver 4-color digital post-print directly onto a broad range of uncoated and coated corrugated media, the Bobst digital printing press is unique in that it offers both personalization and speed, on short-run and high volume work.

Bobst said the sheet-fed press ‘delivers superb quality’ as well as variable  data printing at exceptional speeds – up to 200m/min (656ft/min) – and can handle sheets up to a maximum size of 1.3 x 2.1m (4.3 x 6.9ft).

This technology will help packaging manufacturers reach new markets and better exploit existing ones. Jean-Pascal Bobst, the company’s chief executive officer (CEO), said: ‘We promised the packaging industry a series of revolutionary digital printing solutions. Now that the corrugated version is in beta testing, the industry can see that we are making good on that promise.

‘This press will start a revolution in the corrugated packaging industry because it opens up such a huge range of possibilities to box makers, and to their clients – the brand owners.’

Bobst recently acquired a majority stake in narrow web press manufacturer Nuova Giude, which itself reported a strong performance in 2014 fuelled by higher sales of digital automation technologies.

The Model AG plant in Weinfelden, Switzerland is also the production and management hub of Model Group, which develops, produces and delivers intelligent, innovative, high-value packaging using cardboard and corrugated board, ranging from simple transport packaging to chocolate and perfume boxes with sophisticated finishes. The group consists of 15 subsidiaries in eight countries, with its principal markets including Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Croatia.

Model Group CEO Dr Daniel Model said: ‘We are very excited and proud to be the first beta customer for this revolutionary press. We firmly believe that the technology this Bobst solution brings will permanently transform the corrugated packaging industry.’

The beta press at Model AG will be shortly followed by a second installation in Europe.