Screen to unveil water-based inkjet press prototype

According to Screen, the flexible packaging industry is under increasing pressure from consumer groups to reduce its environmental impact by creating more sustainable packaging structures. One rapidly growing trend is the reduction of plastic material used in packaging. Many market-research studies have shown that consumers perceive paper-based packaging as a more environmentally friendly and easy-to-recycle format for the products they buy. 

‘Brand owners, meanwhile, are demanding shorter turnaround times with a higher degree of product diversification (more SKUs). Packaging converters are not able to adapt their analog printing equipment (flexo, gravure or offset) to handle the increase in variability in packaging designs and order frequency,’ said Screen in a statement. 

In response to these market trends, the company is moving forward with product planning for its Truepress PAC 520P – a high-speed, water-based inkjet digital press for paper-based packaging substrates with a lower environmental impact than conventional printing processes due to a drastic reduction in energy and material waste. 

The Truepress PAC 520P utilizes newly developed proprietary water-based pigment inks that comply with appropriate food-safety regulations. The system is expected to provide outstanding print quality and safety while maintaining exceptional throughput.

Screen will showcase a preliminary prototype of the Truepress PAC 520P together with the latest digitally printed flexible packaging pouches at the stand of its strategic collaborator Clarus Films at FachPack 2022 in Nuremberg, Germany, at the end of September.