Sun Chemical to launch SolarJet at Labelexpo Europe

Labelexpo Europe will be the global launch pad for SolarJet, Sun Chemical’s latest generation UV inkjet printer designed specifically to benefit the growing short-run, narrow-web labels market.

Built in partnership with Imaging Technology International (iTi) of Colorado, USA, SolarJet offers an ‘innovative solution for printers and converters that allows printers to produce shorter print runs quickly, cost effectively and without sacrificing quality’, said the company in a statement. This is increasingly relevant to the pharmaceutical, health and beauty, industrial, electronics and FMCG markets, where printed products are updated frequently, and therefore, run lengths need to be shorter to reduce wastage.

Stefan Slembrouck, business manager digital print solutions, Sun Chemical Digital, said: ‘We have designed SolarJet to fill a specific gap in the narrow-web labels market, rather than developing an expensive new all-round technology that nobody really needs. SolarJet offers printers an economically viable solution for print runs of 10,000 labels or fewer, freeing up their flexo presses for the higher-volume jobs. It also has the added benefit of being able to print variable data, such as text and barcodes, which is particularly beneficial in Europe, where products may need to be printed in various languages.

‘By investing in a digital solution such as SolarJet, printers that have traditionally run a high-volume flexo operation can increase their turnover by offering short-run, quick turnaround jobs that were previously beyond their capabilities. It is a complementary technology that exploits the strengths of digital printing, while bridging the gap in conventional printing processes.’

SolarJet is equipped with the latest generation Xaar 760 printheads in CMYK, which achieve an apparent print quality of 900 x 900 dpi. Sun Chemical has developed SolarDot pigmented UV inks, which have been designed specifically to optimize performance and deliver reliable, high-quality print on a range of substrates.

The press can print at a speed of up to 25 meters (80 linear feet) per minute and is designed to fit seamlessly into conventional workflows. It offers print widths from 53mm to 160mm (2.1 to 6.3 inches) to meet the application requirements of converters, and utilise their existing inventory of dies and converting equipment.

The SolarJet press will be demonstrated publicly for the first time on Sun Chemical’s stand – 5E80 – at Labelexpo Europe in Brussels from September 26-29, 2007.  The demonstration model will feature optional XFO pinning units to demonstrate the capabilities of controlling even fine text and barcode requirements.  In-line and Off-line converting options compatible with SolarJet will also be demonstrated on the Rotoflex stand (5c30).