Bobst has revealed its latest innovation at Labelexpo; the new hybrid press Master DM5, aimed at combining digital and DigiFlexo printing in a single press.
The Master DM5 is a combination of digital flexo and Bobst’s Mouvent inkjet digital technology.
It is associated with total flexibility for high added value labels, with a short job setup and fast return on investment.
Bobst senior innovation advisor and hybrid and label program manager Federico D’Annunzio said the solution heralds a new era in label printing.
“Two of the greatest benefits of the Master DM5 are its productivity and reliability. It represents a total flexo-digital-converting integration, with non-stop productivity, and the highest press uptime in the industry,” he said.
“It prints at speeds of up to 100 m/min at the highest quality, 1.200 x 1.200 dpi. Full digital automation means that only one press operator is needed to print high added value label jobs, in short and medium runs.
“Job changes on-the-fly, without stopping the press, are possible for flexo, digital, die-cutting and stripping processes. All analogue tools (print cylinders, flexible dies) are changed automatically. Waste stripping is also fully automated.
“Eliminating traditional analogue bottlenecks, the Master DM5 is the very first digitised ‘non-stop’ label press.”
The digital print engine inside the Master DM5 is made up of Mouvent’s proprietary Cluster Technology – integrating Fujifilm Dimatix Samba print heads.
The Mouvent Cluster heads are compact and simple to change for easy and accessible maintenance, and have all-in-one fully integrated inking, conditioning and electronic circuits for the highest print heads reliability.
Ink-on-Demand (IoD) is an optional extra for DigiFlexo print units, a solution that replaces conventional inking reservoirs with a single rubber pipe that dispenses 30 grams of ink to the print unit.
The system eliminates ink trays and chambered doctor blades and performs a quick, fully automated washing of the print unit.
It also has a full range of added value capabilities, including coatings, varnishes, tactile effects, 3D effects, hot stamping, cold foil, embossing, die cutting, punching, silk screen, flexo and digital Variable Data Printing (VDP).
“The Master DM5 is a fully digitally integrated label press like this has never been invented before. The benefits for printers and converters are significant, and it is the perfect integration between flexo and digital,” D’Annunzio added.
“We aim to digitise the world of labels packaging and printing, and avoid the bottlenecks of die cutting. This compact, multi-process digitised press allows us to do just that.”
