Kodak and Uteco sell third Sapphire Evo M press

The new customer chose the Sapphire Evo M press because of its competitive duty cycle of any mid web digital press, more cost-effective production of volumes up to 20,000sqm compared to analog processes and time to market.

‘This latest sales success is clear evidence that Sapphire Evo presses featuring Kodak’s high-speed continuous inkjet and water-based ink technology are all set to become one of the leading solutions worldwide for digital flexible packaging printing,’ said Randy Vandagriff, senior vice president, print at Eastman Kodak Company.

Aldo Peretti, president and CEO of the Uteco Group added: ‘We’re delighted that our Sapphire EVO M press will soon be in action in different flexible packaging applications on three continents. It provides an efficient way for packaging printers and converters to meet brand owners' increasing need for fast, cost-effective and high-quality production of short and medium runs.’

The Sapphire Evo M Press was developed jointly by the Uteco Group and Kodak to help flexible packaging printers migrate jobs from traditional printing processes to digital. The machine utilizes Kodak’s Stream continuous inkjet technology and water-based pigment inks from Kodak and supports a maximum web width of up to 650mm (25in) and a print width of 620mm (24in). It features production speeds of over 150m/min (490ft/m), claimed to be faster than any other digital option for flexible substrates.