Bobst unveils innovations at open house

The company and its Revo partners used the event to launch a series of innovations. Two of these were related to flexo inking and color matching: Ink-on-Demand (IoD) and DigiColor. 

The IoD inking system 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. 

DigiColor, a system for Revo Extended Color Gamut (ECG) printing, takes the IoD concept one step forward: the hue of the ink dispensed to the print unit can be digitally adjusted by mixing a darker and a lighter shade of each color in the proportion required to match the target Delta E value during printing. The digitalization of the process gives converters and brand owners the certainty of matching Delta E at any speed, on any substrate, with any operator, anywhere in the world. The IoD and DigiColor technologies were demonstrated on a Bobst M5 DigiFlexo press.

Michael Paulin, factory manager at Sweden-based Revo ECG printing user Lexit Group, said: ‘It was a dream come true with Revo. Now we are able to print a difficult CMYK and Pantone label, knowing that the result will be the same in the printing press as the proof.’

Closed loop
Closed loop and traceability on Bobst DigiFlexo technology, meanwhile, was a world premiere. It combines Esko WebCenter platform managing production specification, approval and project life cycle, X-Rite ColorCert color communication system, AVT SpectraLab in-line spectral measurement and monitoring, and PantoneLive digital brand color management assets. It is a fully digitized and connected workflow enabling the traceability of every item of packaging, from the original file, to the press, to job validation and storage of the digital data generated from the final printed job. It was presented live on an M6 DigiFlexo Press for flexible packaging. 

The Bobst DigiFlexo presses in demonstrations were equipped with the latest technologies developed by the Revo partners: GTT 2.0 anilox rollers by Apex International delivered consistent ink laydown for uniform color consistency; workflow automation on color and register by AVT guaranteed digital control of color and print quality and on-the-fly adjustment capabilities; flexo plates by DuPont enabled 120L/cm print quality.

A range of new technologies addressed the safety of food packaging. The new generation of low migration UV inks from Flint Group are now integrated into the Revo process. To promote indirect contact food-safety, UV dose at the web surface is continuously monitored by the new GEW MultiPoint system , which allows the unique safety traceability of every meter of printed substrate. 

UPM Raflatac introduced new food label substrates that support product safety and legal compliance. 

Mouvent, the digital printing competence center of the Bobst Group, presented its LB702-UV digital label press in a 6-color set-up (CMYKOV) for the first time, showcasing digital ECG and spot color printing matching DigiFlexo ECG colors. 

Speeds of 100m/min were reached during the live demonstrations, with 1,200 x 1,200 LPI achieved by Mouvent’s inkjet heads. ‘It was a great opportunity for us to present the unique features of our digital solutions, and the strong interest shown by visitors is the best sign that we’re on the right track with our offer,’ said Reto Simmen, Mouvent’s chief business officer. 

Visitors also saw the recently opened Revo Academy, installed in Bobst Firenze’s new 1,000sqm Competence Center. 

Equipment includes the Esko Crystal CDI 4835 XPS ECG separation and imaging and Kongsberg X20 cutting table, and X-Rite I1Io scanning table. The Revo Academy is open to converters worldwide for testing and training.