Labelexpo Europe set for largest show to date

Over 200 of the exhibitors are new for this year, including  Canon debuting its Océ LabelStream 4000 series UV inkjet press, and  Memjet, unveiling its third-generation printing technology that features new print widths and a long-life 4-color printhead. Other newcomers include  GMG, Lambda Technology, Spande and Siltech. 

This year’s show visitors will see the largest offering of technologies and live demonstrations to date, with an increasing number of product launches in hybrid printing, flexible packaging and automation. Participants will witness the launch of Bobst’s hybrid flexo press and  MPS revealing a new 17in (430mm) edition of the hybrid EF Symjet press. It will be presented for the first time with a Domino  digital N617i inkjet printer.  Mark Andy  will unveil a new entry- to mid-level digital hybrid press, which will be demonstrated live with advanced in-line converting.

The organizers have also confirmed a series of new product launches in flexible packaging including  Omet’s new X7 flexo press machine with 670mm (26in) web width and  Lombardi’s  Invicta i2 line, designed for flexible packaging in the mid web sector.  

Other launches include  Gallus’s Digital Printbar embellishing unit designed specifically for opaque white and using inkjet-based digital print technology.  Konica Minolta  will premier its recently launched AccurioLabel 230, while  Nilpeter  will debut its 17in wide FA-Line press featuring cold foil, lamination and its new high-speed semi-rotary die-cutting unit.  Grafotronic  will showcase seven new models out of a total eleven machines presented at the show.

Cerm, Esko, Sistrade, Gutenberg and CADlink Technology  are among the companies presenting their latest digital management information software for automation. 

’We are very much looking forward to the 40th anniversary edition of Labelexpo Europe, set to be our largest show to date. Exhibitor participation this year has been truly incredible, not only in the number of returning companies, but also the newcomers joining us for the first time. It is astonishing to think that at the first show there were just 44 exhibitors – proof of how far the industry has grown in the last four decades,' said Lisa Milburn, managing director of Labelexpo Global Series.

Jan Eisby, chief sales officer of  Vetaphone, added: ‘You’ll not get a better opportunity to make direct comparisons in technology in one location until Labelexpo returns to Brussels in 2021.  It’s more than 20 years since we first exhibited at Labelexpo Europe and have been privileged to see how the industry has grown and thrived in the intervening years.  We’ve seen flexo become a high-quality process, the launch and development of digital technology, and most recently the arrival of hybrids.’ 

Each day of the show, visitors will also have the opportunity to see live demonstrations of two press lines at the Flexible Packaging Arena: Xeikon  CX500 (digital) and a Bobst  M6 (UV flexo) producing indirect food contact flexible packaging to the latest GMP standards.

In addition, HP Indigo will be offering live demonstrations of digital pouch making showcasing the Indigo 20000 digital press, Pack Ready Lamination, and the Karlville pouch-making machine making its show debut on its stand. Other  HP  innovations at the show include the HP  Indigo  8000 digital press, which will run in-line with the ABG Fast Track die-cutting system, and HP Indigo 6900, showcasing an integrated  Kurz  DM-Jetliner finishing module.

 Pulse Roll Label Products unveils the next evolution of its UV flexo printing inks.  S-OneLP launches its Sustainable By Design portfolio of recyclable and compostable flexible packaging.  AstroNova Trojan Label  will premier T2-L narrow-format water-based inkjet press with added laminating capabilities and the T3-OPX overprinting technology able to print directly onto a wide range of surfaces.