New series delivers class-leading productivity of 70 plates per hour

SCREEN Graphic and Precision Solutions will show its new PlateRite HD 8900N series at drupa 2016. These eight-page platesetters promise class-leading productivity for thermal computer-to-plate (CtP) production and will be released to the global market after the show.

Over the last few years, offset printing has been increasingly expected to handle a wider range of small volume jobs with shorter turnaround times. This has created a growing need for CtP systems to deliver higher productivity and output than ever before.  In response to this requirement, SCREEN GP has developed its new PlateRite HD 8900N lineup. The range builds on the exceptional productivity, quality and performance offered by SCREEN GP’s flagship PlateRite HD 8900 series, which has itself been repeatedly upgraded since its launch in 2011.

The new lineup includes the Z, S and E models, with each type designed to meet specific needs. The high-end Z model features a 1,024 channel imaging head that helps it to improve output from 67 to 70 plates per hour. The S and E models are equipped with 512 channel imaging heads and are capable of producing 48 and 36 plates per hour, respectively. For the S model, this represents an increase of more than 10 percent compared to the current throughput.

The series also accommodates a wide variety of plate sizes, ranging from 304 x 305 mm up to a maximum 1,165 x 950 mm. The optional MA-L8900 and SA-L8900 autoloader feature automatic plate supply,*¹ significantly improves efficiency and allows each model to operate continuously for extended periods.

Improvements enabled by the latest GLV^TM imaging heads support output using SCREEN GP’s unique Spekta 2 hybrid screening as well as Randot X FM screening. The high-resolution S and E models also support ultrafine AM screening of up to 700 lpi, enabling the printing of fine art materials with outstanding quality. In addition, combining a resolution of 4,000 or 4,800 dpi ^*2 with step imaging mode ^*3 allows the output of 3D or other high-grade lenticular printing.

In terms of environmental impact, the Z model dramatically reduces energy consumption during operation by up to 43 percent³ per plate. This, and a variety of other features, considerably strengthen the series’ overall environmental friendliness. SCREEN GP anticipates the release of the new PlateRite HD 8900N series will make an important contribution to the continuing growth of the printing industry.

1. The MA-L8900 is able to set up to 600 plates while the SA-L8900 has a capacity of 120 plates.

2. Options may be required to enable these resolutions depending on the model.

3. This may vary according to the usage environment. The figure shown is based on a comparison between the PlateRite HD 8900N-Z and PlateRite 8800N-ZX when an MA-L autoloader and built-in bridge were connected. Operation was performed at an ambient temperature of 25ºC with conditions including a resolution of 2,400 dpi and plate size of 1,030 by 800 mm.

At the drupa 2016 tradeshow, global industrial LED inkjet technology leader Electronics For Imaging announced at drupa its biggest inkjet product development to date: the new EFI™ Nozomi single-pass LED technology, which can reach speeds up to 75 linear meters (246 linear feet) per minute. In addition to its speeds, the new technology announced today gives users the benefit of a low acquisition price with significant total cost of ownership advantages.

This breakthrough innovation appears in one of the first digital inkjet presses designed from the ground up to establish new standards of productivity and innovation in corrugated packaging. The 1.8m-wide EFI Nozomi C18000 inkjet press will help corrugated manufacturers and brands access a wide color gamut and broader design options in corrugated board work with fast turnaround times, all while maintaining low production costs.

The sheetfed, digital packaging press has run speeds up to 8,100 m² / hour and can print on boards up to 1.8mx3m in size. Users will gain superior versatility thanks to a double-lane printing feature that enables full utilization of the press’s speed and width and increases throughput up to 9,000 80cmx60cm boards per hour. The press’s LED imaging capabilities provide brilliant, accurate color imaging on just about any board substrate, including traditional Kemi, model, bleach and kraft materials.

Lower costs and high productivity in digital corrugated packaging
The press is designed to offer exceptional value, reframing the industry discussion of digital corrugated packaging by enabling cost-effective, high-quality, direct-to-board digital printing, and by eliminating expenses and a great number of steps associated with plating, printing and lamination in traditional analog production. EFI customers can fuel their success with a leading-edge product that captures more value, accelerating the analog to digital transformation with one of the most effective strategies for printing premium-quality, color corrugated board with reduced overhead and costs.

“EFI’s next generation of innovation brings to market the strongest combination of versatility, imaging quality and production speeds at a total cost of ownership that is far below similar single-pass platforms,” said Guy Gecht, EFI’s CEO. “When commercially available next year, the Nozomi C18000 press will finally give the corrugated packaging market a unique solution to establish a profitable business around on-demand, customized digital printing.”

While other inkjet technologies are often developed to address signage or document printing and then adapted to corrugated packaging uses, this new EFI LED inkjet press has been designed from the ground up specifically for a $130 billion corrugated packaging industry that has more than 200 billion square meters of printed output per year — a figure that is more than 25-times greater than the estimated amount of annual signage and graphics output produced.

The new inkjet technology’s media handling, inks and software platforms were designed by the top engineering, software and ink teams from across EFI. The cross-functional teams focused on understanding the unique needs of the corrugated industry, leveraging the latest technology to design a revolutionary solution.

To create the press, EFI combined some of the best features from many of its leading-edge development operations, including precision, single-pass inkjet imaging systems from U.S.-based EFI Jetrion® digital press facilities and the company’s Cretaprint™ ceramic decoration printer operations in Spain; advanced LED inkjet innovations from EFI’s global ink development centers; superwide-format press technology from the company’s U.S.-based VUTEk® operations; scalable Fiery® digital front end (DFE) processing and management technology from EFI’s Silicon Valley development center; and cloud-based remote diagnostics and support advancements from the company’s Bengaluru, India, technical hub.

Users will be able to increase their productivity with digital in nearly any board application, running everything from 14-point cardstock to a full range of corrugated flutes — A, B, C, D, E, F, G, N, O, AB, AC, BC, EB, EF, and triple wall — without slowing down the press. The corrugated board press prints in up to seven colors, including white, and provides high-quality output with resolutions up to 360×720 dots per inch with four-level grayscale imaging. An in-line primer will give customers control over dot gain and ink absorption on different types of corrugated top sheets. A 100% in-line image quality inspection system on the press is tied to robust print optimization technologies, including inkjet nozzle, alignment and uniformity correction for the highest possible imaging quality. The Nozomi press’s permanent head architecture eliminates the downtime associated with replacing consumable printheads.

In addition to the new corrugated packaging press, EFI will incorporate its core Nozomi inkjet technology platform into new, high-volume printers for the signage market and other industries.

Sustainable supply chain improvements in ink, energy use and inventory
With its “cool cure” LED imaging capabilities, the Nozomi C18000 press will help redefine sustainability in corrugated board production, as it will allow customers to eliminate wasteful warehousing routines for analog-printed packaging with leaner, just-in-time inventory. Plus, packaging produced with the press is fully recyclable, with printed output meeting a leading recyclability and repulpability certification standard.

“We are proud to announce that printed output for the EFI Nozomi C18000 press received certification for OCC recyclability and repulpability from the Western Michigan University Recycling, Paper and Coating Pilot Plant,” said EFI’s Gecht.

Customers and brands can include the certification’s recyclability logo on corrugated board packaging, displays and other products printed using the press.

Faster, integrated workflow for maximum productivity
EFI is the only major industry manufacturer in the packaging and printing industries that has the full scope of industrial inkjet hardware and ink development along with DFE and end-to-end manufacturing execution system (MES) and MIS/ERP workflow technologies. Integrated DFE and workflow products for the press will elevate the overall productivity and profitability of users’ digital corrugated board manufacturing operations in ways standalone digital print systems cannot accomplish.

The new, scalable EFI Fiery XB bladed-architecture, high-performance DFE for the press will provide fast, efficient job processing to eliminate downtime spent waiting for jobs. Plus, the new DFE will include industry-proven Fiery job management, imposition and automation tools for peak efficiency.

The new Fiery DFE for the Nozomi C18000 press also will completely integrate with MES and ERP technologies in EFI’s Packaging and Corrugated Packaging Suites, as well as with Esko workflows, for streamlined management, including dynamic scheduling, shop-floor data collection and more.

EFI is the only digital press manufacturer to offer fully integrated top- and bottom-feed options for a digital corrugated packaging press, using a patented system that also handles media separation, lift, transport and alignment at full press speeds with programmable features for faster, automatic feeding configurations on repeat jobs.

EFI is planning to start installations of Nozomi C18000 presses within the next 12 months.