Xeikon launches two new UV digital inkjet label presses at Labelexpo, the Panther PX3000, and the entry level Panther PX2000.
The company had announced the label presses earlier this year at the Xeikon Cafe, and is currently running live demonstrations at Labelexpo.
Both presses are available in four or five colour configurations, and powered by Xeikon’s Panther technology, using its PantherCure UV inks and the Xeikon X-800 digital front-end.
The high-end PX3000 has a web width of 330mm, while the PX2000 is 220mm. Both presses can reach a print speed of 50 metres per minute.
Filip Weymans, vice president Global Marketing, Xeikon, says, “We are excited to be expanding our UV inkjet line of digital label presses so quickly.
“This rapid product development underscores our commitment to offering a broad portfolio of complementary solutions, for both our Cheetah Series of dry toner and Panther Series of UV inkjet digital label presses. Our goal is to bring to market the broadest portfolio of digital label presses in the industry, together with professional services that help our customers determine which solution is best for their businesses. Our offering also includes workflow and finishing as these are crucial in enabling a fully integrated and seamless production process in the spirit of Industry 4.0.
“The reason for building a four-colour press is that, aside from the lower investment cost, with inkjet technology, performance of the heads is affected by the usage. Low usage, which can be the case for white ink, can result in reducing the uptime of the press. As some label printers do not need white ink, we believe offering the Panther presses in a four-colour configuration services their needs exactly.”
Xeikon says its Panther Series presses run on patented PantherCure UV inks which use a combination of LED and Mercury UV lights for curing, offering more consistent curing over time, lower energy consumption, a longer lifetime of the curing source and limited heat exposure to the substrate which makes it possible to print even on heat-sensitive substrates.
“PantherCure UV inks offer high lightfastness, and are resistant to heat chemicals, water, scuffing and scratching, making it ideal for use on pressure sensitive self-adhesive labels for the beverage, health and beauty, industrial chemical, household chemical and industrial markets. These inks deliver a tactile finish and 3D look and feel with uniform gloss appearance that is sure to delight both brand owners and consumers who view products on the shelf,” says the company.
Weymans says, “In recent benchmark studies, we have seen that the Xeikon X-800 can save printing operations up to one hour per shift thanks to smart job queuing, job optimiser impositioning, colour management, and other capabilities. Our workflow technology is a true differentiator that allows customers to get the maximum out of their presses.”
Xeikon says its Panther presses also feature full rotary printing with variable repeat, consistent 600dpi at 2 bit printing quality and the ability to print on common self-adhesive substrates including coated paper, PP, PE, vinyl, BoPP and PET.
The Xeikon PX3000 5-colour will be commercially available in March 2018.
