Windmöller & Hölscher adds Miraflex S for high-end, short-run printing

Windmöller & Hölscher has extended its Miraflex press line with the new S model which has been designed specifically for smaller packaging, short runs, quick changeovers, minimal ink and substrate waste, and lowered plate costs.

The Windmöller & Hölscher Miraflex S has expanded the product range further, as it is an 8-color press available in widths of 640-820mm

The Miraflex series was introduced in 2008, with 350 now used in package printing environments worldwide. The series offers web widths up to 1,450mm and speeds between 400-600m/min, and can be used for all conventional flexible packaging printing and applications.

Miraflex S has expanded this Windmöller & Hölscher product range further, as it is an 8-color press available in widths of 640-820mm. Repeats start as small as 250mm, which results in lower plate costs for smaller formats. A maximum repeat of 800mm provides the flexibility to also print larger formats.

Versions have been designed with speeds of 300m/min or 400m/min in order to address the spectrum of job sizes Windmöller & Hölscher customers take on.

The press fits under ceiling heights of 4m and can take up as little as 10m in length.

The intended applications will determine if the press should be equipped with mono- or non-stop turret winders, although both options offer compact, accessible systems for simple logistics and quick roll changes, Windmöller & Hölscher said.

Other features of the Windmöller & Hölscher Miraflex S include the Turboclean wash-up system a standard, offering four minute color changes and minimal cleaning waste, and Easy automation modules – Easy-Set, Easy-Reg and Easy-Col – which can be specified as required by the customer.

Easy-Set reduces waste with precise positioning of the anilox rolls and plate mandrels, Easy-Reg automatically gets the press into register, and Easy-Col takes care of color matching and reducing leftover ink while setting up a new job.

Windmöller & Hölscher added that the Miraflex S offers capabilities not just for decks and winders, but also for tunnel drying, web monitoring and inspection as well as electronic power supply and control features.

‘The Miraflex S arose from comprehensive market analysis and was based on detailed discussions with leading producers of flexible packaging,’ Windmöller & Hölscher stated in announcing the new model. ‘The well-established trend towards efficient printing a greater variety of products, running smaller jobs and package formats and making quicker job changeovers will continue.

‘Forward looking printers will have to adapt to this market. (We) have developed the Miraflex S as the perfect tool to meet these demands.’

David Pittman

David Pittman

  • Former deputy editor