HP and Karlville show Digital Pouch Factory

In the first live demonstration at Labelexpo of the HP Indigo Digital Pouch Factory, HP Indigo and Karlville are showcasing stand-up and three-side-seal pouch making, using HP Indigo printing, Pack Ready laminating and slitting, and Karlville pouch-making. Compared to traditional methods, HP-based production can be accomplished in a single shift, enabling converters to profitably produce short run jobs.   

‘HP Indigo’s collaboration with Karlville is disrupting the production of flexible pouches, the fastest-growing packaging sector,’ said Alon Bar-Shany, general manager, HP Indigo. ‘We have designed a Digital Pouch Factory model to facilitate simplified, consistent and affordable production, providing converters with high-value business opportunities to deliver faster turnaround and improved sustainability. With experienced business development and technical support teams, we are supporting customers in driving this disruption and helping them to quickly ramp up their digital pouch production.’

Optimized digital pouch production 

At the HP Stand (5C200), driven by HP PrintOS and web-to-pack workflow automation software, print from both the mid-web HP Indigo 20000 digital press and narrow web HP Indigo 6900 digital press will be used to produce pouches using the Karlville Pack Ready Laminator and new Karlville Swiss Stand-up Pouch making machines. 

‘Karlville has designed a flexible packaging finishing line specifically to work with HP Indigo digital presses to deliver immediate time to market and significantly help reduce the complexity and investment involved.  Thermal lamination is by far the most economic business approach for label companies to enter flexible packaging space. Pack Ready offers the opportunity to diversify and change mentality to laminate, slit and pouch in one day,’ said John Price, Karlville president.

The Karlville Pack Ready thermal laminator, optimized for HP Indigo ElectroInks,creates a robust bond strength allowing for slitting and pouching immediately after lamination. The solutionis suitable for a wide range of packaging applications andcan comply with the most stringent global food safety regulations.

The HP Indigo Digital Pouch Factory allows converters to build a profitable flexible packaging enterprise with a pre-established supply chain of materials, enabling them to print, laminate and pack on-demand. The small footprint, reduced waste, minimal set-up time with fewer required personnel, all contribute with helping to lower the total cost of ownership.  

Martin Peroutka from the Czech Republic was the first label converter to establish the HP Indigo Digital Pouch Factoryin Europe, while Digital Dogmawas the first in the USA. Both are leveraging the system to diversify their label businesses and open new opportunities for growth and sustainability with flexible packaging offerings.

Karlville’s new line of pouching machines – the Karlville Swiss KS-DSUP-400 for the HP Indigo 20000 and Karlville Swiss KS-DSUP-400-GSfor the HP Indigo 6900 –are fast change, short run, low waste pouch-making machines designed specifically to meet the needs of the HP Indigo digital printing market. 

At Labelexpo, a 450 x 300mm three-side-seal pouch will be produced on the KS-DSUP-400-GS from rolls printed on the HP Indigo 6900, demonstrating to label converters with narrow-web presses how to easily expand with HP from labels to flexible packaging.The machine can produce three-side-seal pouches from two independent webs and standup pouches from three independent webs. 

A 170 x 280 x 40mm stand-up, zipper pouch will be produced at the event from one roll of HP Indigo 20000 digital print using holographic, soft touch and glossy finishing provided by Nobelus, a supplier of thermal laminate films. The standard KS-DSUP-400 machine is suitable to produce three-side-seal pouches and stand-up pouches from one web, the most efficient solution for customers with HP Indigo 20000 presses. 

HP invites visitors to the booth to customize pouches for end-of-day distribution.