Koenig & Bauer Durst Launches VariJET 106 in World Premiere

Koenig & Bauer Durst GmbH has unveiled the VariJET 106 in a world premiere with exclusive live demonstrations for customers and stakeholders in Radebeul, near Dresden, Germany, where the modular single pass sheetfed digital printing press for the folding carton market has been jointly developed by Koenig & Bauer and Durst.

Beta testing is due to start in the coming weeks. The first units of the VariJET 106 are due to be installed at customer sites in Europe and America in the second half of 2022. Target groups include pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, tobacco and food industries, as well as folding carton converters.

The VariJET 106 is based on water-based inkjet processes to provide the highest print quality. The VariJET 106 platform is based on Koenig & Bauer’s standard high performance Rapida 106 platform and Durst printhead electronics, inkjet expertise and Durst workflow and RIP technology. This includes Durst Analytics, Smartshop and Workflow.

Using 7-color water-based food compliant inkjet technology (CMYK plus orange, green and violet), the VariJET 106 is suitable for food applications that meet the stringent requirements for food safe primary packaging utilizing proprietary water-based ink technology. The VariJET 106 can produce personalized and individualized print products or alternate between short and medium runs.

Koenig & Bauer and Durst first announced they had joined forces and set up an independent joint venture company in 2019. The VariJET 106 is the first product jointly and developed by the two companies. Already in production and part of the Koenig & Bauer Durst portfolio are the Delta SPC 130 Series and the CorruJET 170 Series – aimed at corrugated packaging.

The VariJET 106, Delta SPC 130 and CorruJET 170 are designed with core technologies to provide automated, productive, food safe printing systems. They deliver shorter response times, more variants, shorter run lengths, individualization and enable more and more small value orders. They also answer the increasing customer demand for brand security, sustainability and the ability to meet brand owners’ requirements for multichannel communication including e-commerce.

“We are really excited by the progress we have made and the opportunities with our VariJET 106 despite these testing times,” said Robert Stabler, managing director, Koenig & Bauer Durst. “We have beta sites at an advanced stage of planning. These potential customers already have a vision for mass customization will be working with us in partnership. Feedback from our customers is that shorter run lengths, mass customization and the need to be more agile are the compelling reasons for moving to digital production.”