MUST-SEES

Komori ‘DigitalOnDemand’
The fruits of Komori’s new partnership with Konica Minolta will be fascinating to see. Three new digital presses will be on the Komori booth, including two inkjet devices one of which is a narrow web machine, it’s hard to pick out one single product – especially as pre-show details about the inkjet presses are minimal. But given the interest and activity around B2 digital let’s plump for the as yet unnamed sheetfed inkjet model, which has a resolution of 1,200dpi and can print 3,300sph. We’re guessing it will make use of Komori’s established Lithrone 29 platform (pictured), but Drupa can be full of surprises. After some initial confusion about whether the press could potentially print a B1 sheet in portrait format, Komori has subsequently confirmed that it’s a B2 machine only. Komori promises to reveal more details at the show itself.

HP Indigo 10000
HP is adding an extra dimension to the B2 digital debate with a new Indigo – and after an abortive foray into the format in the early 2000s, this time around the company is confident it has a product that will make it to market. HP’s Francois Martin is confident enough to describe the 10000 as the "the first quality B2 digital press on the market." He says: "It has been designed from beginning to end like an offset machine. This is really going to change the way people are looking at digital print. By adding this press to our range it means we can potentially address 98% of all jobs that customers produce today." The HP Indigo 10000 handles a 750x530mm sheet in landscape format, at 3,450sph. The monthly duty cycle is 2m sheets.

Goss Sunday Vpak
At Drupa 2008, Goss showed the M600 Folia, a web-to-sheet press that has since found a limited market in niche applications. It has bigger expectations for its new Sunday Vpak, which Goss believes can take on sheetfed, flexo and gravure in the growing packaging printing market. The Vpak harnesses Goss’s quick-change sleeve technology and wide-web know-how to print on packaging films or paperboard of up to 0.5mm thick. Two models are available: the Vpak 3000 has a 1,950mm maximum web width, 1,400mm maximum repeat and runs at 457m/min; and the Vpak 500, with a 1,051mm wide web, 812mm repeat, and 365m/min speed. Using its sleeve technology Goss promises "infinitely variable" repeat lengths, and UV is a future option if the manufacturer finds there is enough customers demand. The Goss stand will feature a technology demonstration of the Vpak 500, along with a sleeve change on the 3000 to highlight how quick and simple the operation is.

KBA RotaJET 76

KBA and RR Donnelley announced a partnership deal a year ago that gave KBA access to two inkjet technologies that have been developed by RR Donnelley. The
piezoelectric ProteusJet and Donnelley’s Apollo system, an innovative system for allowing offset presses to produce variable data. The first concrete result of this alliance, the RotaJET 76, will have its world premiere at Drupa. A few details about the new press have emerged prior to KBA’s official pre-Drupa announcements which were taking place as this issue of PrintWeek went to press. At a briefing in Germany a few weeks ago KBA said the RotaJET was targeted at books, magazines and commercial print. As the name indicates, it runs a 760mm-wide web, print speed is understood to be 150m/min. When the partnership was announced, RR Donnelley’s president and chief executive Thomas Quinlan said: "We look forward to having the combined R&D resources of nearly 1,000 engineers and imaging scientists bring forward the next generation of digital imaging technologies." We can guarantee there will be a queue of people in Dusseldorf eager to find out more.

Landa Digital Printing
We don’t know exactly what sort of press(es) will be on show at Drupa, and we know next to nothing about the details of Indigo founder Benny Landa’s new digital nanographic printing technology. We do know that it’s targeted at the "mainstream commercial, packaging and publishing markets" according to the limited information available at the time of writing. Undoubtedly a Drupa must-see.

Xeikon Quantum

So much of the must-see activity at Drupa will revolve around advances in inkjet printing, but Xeikon aims to keep the toner flag flying with a technology demonstration of its new Quantum printing technology, which promises the same 1,200dpi quality of its existing range (pictured), but with running costs and print speed akin to high-quality inkjet. However, at this stage, the machine is shrouded in secrecy, although rumour has it it’s a web press. 

Heidelberg larger-format Anicolor

Hall 1 is always a must-see for Heidelberg aficionados, and this Drupa the new products on show will definitely include
a new range of Speedmasters, the mid-range SX models which will be available in all formats. Meanwhile, we know this sn’t officially announced yet, but if Heidelberg doesn’t show a larger-format version of its Anicolor Speedmaster, currently only available in B3 format, we’ll have to eat several

Hans Gronhi
Chinese press manufacturer Hans Gronhi created something of a stir when it first brought its wares to Europe, offering a five-colour B3 press (pictured) for a sub-£200,000 price. The company has established a loyal user base since. It’s now expanding its horizons beyond B3 and will exhibit its B2 and SRA2 presses for the first time in Europe. On show will be the GH79 oversized B2 press with a 790mm format, in a four-colour configuration. Also running on Hans Gronhi’s booth will be the SRA2 GH664P, configured as a two-back-two perfector. We await pricing details with interest.

Updates on Drupa 2012