PRINTING United Expo 2023 was an awesome occasion. Its convergence mannequin supplied a possibility to see and think about new product growth and convergence alternatives. There have been a lot of product introductions and reintroductions, even with drupa looming within the background.
Overview
PRINTING United Expo 2023 simply wrapped up in Atlanta, and from all sides it looks as if it was an awesome success. The convergence mannequin it’s structured round is designed to permit print service suppliers a possibility to see and think about new product growth and convergence alternatives and that appears to work. On the occasion, there have been two huge halls, every of which was centered on completely different print gear, companies, and help. Corridor B cubicles had been primarily centered round industrial print, a smattering of packaging, and a few large-format graphics. Corridor C contained cubicles offering large-format graphics gear in addition to textile, direct to garment, direct to form, software program, and a number of different fascinating cubicles.
The present was effectively attended with registration charges related or only a bit above final 12 months (we’re nonetheless ready on the ultimate numbers). I spoke with many exhibitors on the ground and located that they had been very pleased with the present and the standard of the attendees. Likewise, I spoke with many attendees who discovered their occasion go to very optimistic. Not only for the gear, but additionally the tutorial content material. If there have been any negatives, it actually centered across the measurement of the exhibit flooring and the quantity of “steps” folks had been placing in every day. In all equity, there is no such thing as a technique to current an occasion with this scope in a smaller venue, and from my understanding, subsequent 12 months’s occasion in Las Vegas shall be even larger, so get higher sneakers!
Print and Packaging Highlights
There have been a lot of product introductions and reintroductions at PRINTING United 2023. Whereas I can’t cowl all of them, I’ll try and establish a few of the ones I discovered most fascinating, totally on the industrial print and packaging aspect. For these I missed, and there are quite a bit, we must get to you one other time!
Fujifilm had the most important sales space, and for good motive. This was their “coming to North America occasion.” Whereas the Fujifilm Graphic Communications Division has had a presence in North America for many years, it has been primarily in offset and flexo plates, inks, chemistry, wide-format printers, and help. Though they did introduce the primary J Press cut-sheet manufacturing inkjet press as a part of the worldwide launch in 2016 in North America as effectively. This 12 months, because of the dissolution of the 58-year-old Fuji Xerox three way partnership, Fujifilm is now free to enter the North American market with their complete line of toner and inkjet presses, they usually did!
First, they introduced their fourth-generation J Press, the 750HS sheetfed digital inkjet printer with speeds of three,600 or 5,400 sph. Whereas not on the ground, they did present samples from their J Press FP790 aqueous versatile packaging press. Subsequent they launched the brand new branding of ApeosTM Collection for his or her enterprise and entry-level toner printers, and Revoria PressTM for his or her manufacturing toner presses. A few of these have already been available in the market beneath Xerox branding, so specs could seem related.
Notably, they launched a novel reduce sheet B2 toner press the Revoria PressTM GC12500. This was fairly a shock for the reason that inherent knowledge was that you simply couldn’t make a toner press with a print width past 13 in. This four-color press has a print velocity of as much as 2500 B2 sph at a decision of two,400 X 2,400 dpi. It helps a media vary of 64–450 gsm inventory with a most sheet measurement of 26 x 29.5 in.
Revoria PressTM GC12500
Additionally they confirmed their Revoria Press PC1120, which is similar six-color engine used within the Xerox Iridesse and the Sharp BP-1200S Colour Press. Xerox has signed an settlement with Fujifilm to proceed promoting a few of their merchandise beneath the Xerox model, offering a continuation of their out there printer line. Undoubtedly, we are going to see some extra firms licensing Fujifilm {hardware}, like Xerox, Sharp, and so on.
Revoria Press PC1120
This isn’t shocking since there are a lot of press producers licensing press {hardware} from different producers. Heidelberg licenses their toner press from Ricoh, Ricoh licenses their cut-sheet inkjet press from Kyocera, some wide-format from EFI, and on and on. After all, every OEM implementation brings its personal value-add to the presses.
Whereas Xerox will not be going to drupa, they did have a powerful sales space with their Iridesse (see above) manufacturing press and their Baltoro HF Inkjet Press. With the current modifications to their company construction, we have now been advised to count on them to get again to creating and advertising new press {hardware} within the close to future.
Ricoh Professional Z75
Talking of Ricoh, they “formally” launched their Ricoh Professional Z75, a 4,500 sph duplexing B2 cut-sheet manufacturing inkjet press. Additionally they introduced their up to date Ricoh TotalFlow® Producer software program. Ricoh has taken an fascinating method with this vendor agnostic cloud based mostly answer. This scalable answer can handle print workflows from onboarding by means of prepress, print and ending.
Sharp is increasing from enterprise and in-plant to full manufacturing with the introduction of the beforehand talked about BP-1200S. They’re now working with their distribution channel to deliver them on top of things to market, promote and help the brand new necessities.
SCREEN formally launched the Trupress PAC 830F. Whereas not on the ground it’s an 830 mm broad, 75 mpm aqueous based mostly versatile packaging press, and introduced their first set up at Chiyoda Gravure Company in Tokyo, Japan. SCREEN additionally confirmed their TruePress L350UV SAI, Display and their Display Pac 520P a paper based mostly versatile packaging press.
Canon iX1700
Canon confirmed their rising V Collection of toner presses and highlighted the upcoming iX1700 B3 duplex cut-sheet inkjet press and the LX2000 inkjet label press. Additionally they centered on their wide-format choices together with their Colorado-M collection, the Arizona 2300 collection, and the imagePROGRAF. They displayed the modern options from signage to textiles that had been doable on these gadgets.
Durst, which might usually present their expansive wide-format printer line at this occasion, was additionally displaying their Tau RSC label printer platform. This 1200-dpi manufacturing inkjet press isn’t just for labels, and might simply do versatile packaging print. The out there UV inks can help a variety of label and versatile packaging substrates. Additionally they confirmed their modern HAWK EYE, an clever closed-loop system for nozzle compensation.
Heidelberg didn’t have any offset presses on the ground this 12 months, though they did have a buyer occasion at their US headquarters the day earlier than PRINTING United. As a substitute, they displayed the brand new upgradable Gallus One inkjet label/versatile packaging press.
RMGT 970PF
RMGT offered the North American debut of the RGMT 970PF 8-Up+ Colour Perfecting Press of their 50-ft.-long sales space. The 4/4 perfecting press helps a 25 x 38-in. format sheet and prints as much as 15,000 sph. The press on show was configured with RGMT LED UV curing expertise that Ryobi successfully invented for sheetfed presses and launched at drupa 2008, together with Toyo inks and Panasonic lamps. Moreover, it had the RGMT ASAP system (Computerized Sensible Help Printing). In essence, which means the press will run autonomously from job to job to job with none press operator intervention.
HP confirmed their line of wide-format presses, and had an offsite occasion at their Graphic Expertise Middle the day earlier than as effectively for individuals who wished to see their manufacturing print line of apparatus.
Agfa Onset X
Agfa had their upgradable Onset X printer on show. This is likely one of the solely true high-productivity flatbed wide-format printers out there available in the market. It could actually print greater than 15,000 sq. toes an hour and is designed to run steady 24/7 manufacturing configured with “Hal,” their automation robotic. The eight-channel Onset X1 is configured for CMYK plus LcLmWO. Nonetheless, as your manufacturing quantity wants improve it may be upgraded with a further six-channel carriage to change into the Onset X2 (including a second set of CMYK) then remodeled once more right into a top-of-the-line Onset X3 (3 x CMYK plus W or O).
Enfocus launched their new Enfocus Assessment, a cloud-based workflow that gives quick and correct PDF viewing within the browser. This contains overprint, and shade areas that usually result in inaccurately rendered PDF. It has seamless Swap and Pitstop integration and can work with the newly launched Enfocus Cloud. Like many different workflow software program builders, they’re transferring all the things to the cloud, one step at a time.
Ending
It wasn’t all about presses, there was a number of new ending gear there as effectively. As PSPs search for methods to increase their product choices, folding cartons are a pure extension. In step with that, KAMA confirmed their ProCut 76 Foil Packgetting old for embellishment, die chopping, stripping, and blanking and the absolutely automatic FlexFold 52i folder gluer.
SEI LabelMaster
Matik SEI Laser confirmed their LabelMaster, the quickest continuous-feed CO2 laser system in the marketplace. It could actually carry out laser-based processes together with chopping, scoring, marking, micro-perforating, versioning, and different kinds of personalization, all inline in a single go. Additionally they confirmed the 63-in. Mercury Extensive-Format Laser Slicing and Marking system chopping acrylic, though it’s a really versatile platform that may reduce PMMA, acetates, ABS, plastics, micanite, wooden, leather-based, paper, cardboard, and textiles. It operates at 2 Gs of acceleration, one of many quickest plotters out there—but isn’t as quick as their X-Wave platform, the quickest plotter on this planet, which operates at 10 Gs of acceleration. This makes it 4 to 5 occasions sooner than a conventional zone fashion plotter.
Bowe Systec Fusion Pace
Bowe Systec debuted their flagship Fusion Pace BOXIT Mail Tray Automation system. That is the quickest of their Fusion collection and processes as much as 30,000 letters an hour. The automated traying system is absolutely automated from rolled paper within the entrance of the system, and stacked and loaded #10 or 6 x 9-in. envelopes within the hoppers with sorted and crammed trays popping out of the again of the road. The velocity makes it virtually inconceivable for an operator to maintain up with in order that’s the place the BOXIT automation is available in. One postal tray may be crammed each 30 to 40 seconds.
In Conclusion
Many individuals ask if the massive commerce present has outlived its usefulness. From the place I sit, the reply is a powerful NO. Along with the gear, these occasions are a hub for group networking and preserving the business legacy. Granted, some occasions might not provide sufficient or sufficient differentiation, however usually once you ask the exhibitors and the attendees, they see the worth. There’ll in all probability proceed to should be some realignment of a few of the current occasions, however that may be a good factor. Doing the identical factor time and again isn’t essentially wholesome or useful. Wanting ahead to subsequent 12 months’s PRINTING United Expo in Las Vegas, September 10–12, 2024.
Extra to Come…
2023 is transferring at an elevated tempo, with drupa 2024 starting to shine its gentle. I want to deal with your pursuits and issues in future articles because it pertains to the manufacturing of Print, Packaging, and Labels, and the way, if in any respect, it drives future workflows together with “Trade 4.0.” If in case you have any fascinating examples of hybrid and bespoke manufacturing, I’m very anxious to listen to about them. Please be at liberty to contact me at [email protected] with any questions, options or examples of fascinating purposes.