PRINTING United Expo 2023 was an important occasion. Its convergence mannequin supplied a possibility to see and contemplate new product growth and convergence alternatives. There have been plenty 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 important success. The convergence mannequin it’s structured round is designed to permit print service suppliers a possibility to see and contemplate new product growth and convergence alternatives and that appears to work. On the occasion, there have been two huge halls, every of which was targeted on completely different print gear, providers, and assist. 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 lots of different attention-grabbing cubicles.
The present was nicely attended with registration charges comparable 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 proud of the present and the standard of the attendees. Likewise, I spoke with many attendees who discovered their occasion go to very constructive. Not only for the gear, but additionally the academic content material. If there have been any negatives, it actually centered across the dimension of the exhibit flooring and the quantity of “steps” individuals had been placing in every day. In all equity, there isn’t 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 might be even larger, so get higher footwear!
Print and Packaging Highlights
There have been plenty of product introductions and reintroductions at PRINTING United 2023. Whereas I can’t cowl all of them, I’ll try and determine a number of the ones I discovered most attention-grabbing, totally on the industrial print and packaging facet. For these I missed, and there are lots, we should get to you one other time!
Fujifilm had the largest sales space, and for good purpose. This was their “coming to North America social gathering.” 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 assist. 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 nicely. 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 total line of toner and inkjet presses, and so they 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 Sequence 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 out there below Xerox branding, so specs could appear comparable.
Notably, they launched a novel lower 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 pace 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 dimension of 26 x 29.5 in.
Revoria PressTM GC12500
In addition they confirmed their Revoria Press PC1120, which is identical six-color engine used within the Xerox Iridesse and the Sharp BP-1200S Shade Press. Xerox has signed an settlement with Fujifilm to proceed promoting a few of their merchandise below the Xerox model, offering a continuation of their obtainable printer line. Undoubtedly, we’ll see some extra firms licensing Fujifilm {hardware}, like Xerox, Sharp, and many others.
Revoria Press PC1120
This isn’t shocking since there are various 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 might not be going to drupa, they did have a formidable sales space with their Iridesse (see above) manufacturing press and their Baltoro HF Inkjet Press. With the latest modifications to their company construction, now we have been instructed to anticipate them to get again to creating and advertising and marketing 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. In addition they introduced their up to date Ricoh TotalFlow® Producer software program. Ricoh has taken an attention-grabbing strategy 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 convey them up to the mark to market, promote and assist 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 screen and their Display screen Pac 520P a paper based mostly versatile packaging press.
Canon iX1700
Canon confirmed their rising V Sequence of toner presses and highlighted the upcoming iX1700 B3 duplex cut-sheet inkjet press and the LX2000 inkjet label press. In addition they targeted on their wide-format choices together with their Colorado-M sequence, the Arizona 2300 sequence, and the imagePROGRAF. They displayed the modern options from signage to textiles that had been potential on these units.
Durst, which might usually present their expansive wide-format printer line at this occasion, was additionally exhibiting their Tau RSC label printer platform. This 1200-dpi manufacturing inkjet press isn’t just for labels, and may simply do versatile packaging print. The obtainable UV inks can assist a variety of label and versatile packaging substrates. In addition 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 an alternative, they displayed the brand new upgradable Gallus One inkjet label/versatile packaging press.
RMGT 970PF
RMGT introduced the North American debut of the RGMT 970PF 8-Up+ Shade 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 know-how 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 that 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 nicely for individuals who needed 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 obtainable out there. It could 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. Nevertheless, as your manufacturing quantity wants improve it may be upgraded with a further six-channel carriage to grow to be 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 coloration areas that always result in inaccurately rendered PDF. It has seamless Change and Pitstop integration and can work with the newly launched Enfocus Cloud. Like many different workflow software program builders, they’re transferring every little thing to the cloud, one step at a time.
Ending
It wasn’t all about presses, there was lots of new ending gear there as nicely. 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 older for embellishment, die slicing, stripping, and blanking and the totally automatic FlexFold 52i folder gluer.
SEI LabelMaster
Matik SEI Laser confirmed their LabelMaster, the quickest continuous-feed CO2 laser system available on the market. It could carry out laser-based processes together with slicing, scoring, marking, micro-perforating, versioning, and different kinds of personalization, all inline in a single move. In addition they confirmed the 63-in. Mercury Extensive-Format Laser Slicing and Marking system slicing acrylic, though it’s a really versatile platform that may lower PMMA, acetates, ABS, plastics, micanite, wooden, leather-based, paper, cardboard, and textiles. It operates at 2 Gs of acceleration, one of many quickest plotters obtainable—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 instances sooner than a conventional zone model plotter.
Bowe Systec Fusion Velocity
Bowe Systec debuted their flagship Fusion Velocity BOXIT Mail Tray Automation system. That is the quickest of their Fusion sequence and processes as much as 30,000 letters an hour. The automated traying system is totally 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 stuffed trays popping out of the again of the road. The pace 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 stuffed 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 neighborhood networking and preserving the business legacy. Granted, some occasions might not provide sufficient or sufficient differentiation, however typically if you ask the exhibitors and the attendees, they see the worth. There’ll most likely proceed to must be some realignment of a number of the current occasions, however that may be a good factor. Doing the identical factor time and again isn’t essentially wholesome or helpful. 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 mild. I wish 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 “Business 4.0.” If in case you have any attention-grabbing examples of hybrid and bespoke manufacturing, I’m very anxious to listen to about them. Please be happy to contact me at [email protected] with any questions, solutions or examples of attention-grabbing purposes.