Kodak and Uteco have announced the sale of a third inkjet web Sapphire EVO M Press, targeting flexible packaging.
The North American buyer will use the press for applications requiring large quantities of short run jobs. Kodak has other inkjet web Sapphire Evo M Presses up and running at flexible packaging printers in Italy and Japan.
Randy Vandagriff, senior vice president, Print, Eastman Kodak Company, says, “This latest sales success is clear evidence that the inkjet web Sapphire EVO Presses, featuring Kodak’s high-speed continuous inkjet and water-based ink technology, are set to become one of the leading solutions worldwide for digital flexible packaging printing.”
Migrating jobs
Developed jointly by the Uteco Group and Kodak, the mid web digital press lets flexible packaging printers migrate jobs from traditional printing processes to digital. Kodak says it achieves high quality results along with tremendous time, makeready and cost savings. The company adds that, using Kodak Stream continuous inkjet technology and low cost water-based pigment inks, the digital press delivers excellent CMYK print quality on a variety of plastic film materials and papers.
The Sapphire EVO M Press supports a maximum web width of 650mm and a print width of 620mm. Kodak says that production speeds of over 150mpm, make it faster than any other digital solution for flexible substrates. The company says the Sapphire EVO M Press offers the best duty cycle of any mid web digital press.
The press enables more cost-effective production of volumes up to 20,000sqm compared to analogue processes, according to Kodak. Sapphire EVO M can also shorten the time to market. Kodak says the new inkjet press will turn jobs around in two days, compared with two weeks for analogue.
Aldo Peretti, president and chief executive of the Uteco Group says, “We’re delighted our Sapphire EVO M Press will soon be in action in different flexible packaging applications on three continents. It provides an efficient way for packaging printers and converters to meet brand owners’ increasing need for fast, cost-effective and high-quality production of short and medium runs.”
