Fujifilm and Heidelberg Take First Step Towards Industrial Digital Printing

FUJIFILM Corporation together with FUJIFILM Global Graphic Systems Co., Ltd. (Fujifilm) and Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) extend their industry leading positions with the first showing of a new B1 format inkjet printing machine to be demonstrated at drupa 2016 as Heidelberg Primefire 106.

In late 2013 Heidelberg and Fujifilm formed a strategic partnership for the development of a new industrial digital inkjet-printing machine. The new collaborative approach using respective R&D resources has resulted in a brand new product in less than 24 months’ time.

“In record time, Fujifilm and Heidelberg have jointly developed the world’s first B1 truly industrial inkjet digital printing press,” said Gerold Linzbach, CEO of Heidelberg. “Our original partnership was based on a joint evaluation of Fujifilm’s core inkjet technology, and after two years of co-development, we remain convinced FUJIFLM is the best partner. Thanks to our close cooperation, we can now present the new digital printing system on our drupa booth, fully integrated into our ‘Smart Print Shop’ demonstrations.”

“Thanks to our strategic partnership with Heidelberg, the major provider and partner for the global printing industry, we are now confident that we can meet the expanding needs of the industrial packaging market,” said Shigetaka Komori, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FUJIFILM Corporation. “The new B1 machine enhances the range and application of Fujifilm inkjet technology from our proven Jet Press 720 series in the B2 space. Fujifilm will continue to innovate and deliver value to the growing digital printing industry by expanding our core inkjet technologies which is the cornerstone of this new B1 machine.”

The new print engine design will incorporate Samba state-of-the-art MEMS printhead technology from FUJIFILM Dimatix Inc. Fujifilm’s water-based pigment ink with Rapic technology for high-definition imaging will meet food packaging safety regulations. Fujifilm’s inkjet technology will work together with Heidelberg’s world-class developments in press manufacturing and system integration capabilities to achieve quality output comparable to offset with superior consistency and reliability. The new machine will be driven by the Heidelberg Prinect Digital Front End (DFE) to optimize workflow and quality.

The system design will enable printers to develop new applications from a fully digital-based system for customization, variable data printing, and targeted marketing applications. Fujifilm’s newly developed 7-color inks (CMYK, orange, green, and violet) and Heidelberg’s varnish will improve the range of digital applications through a wide color space and accessibility to various commercial substrates.

Heidelberg will showcase the machine and the end-to-end benefits of the new configuration during the upcoming drupa exhibition on its booth in hall 1. As a strategic partner, Fujifilm will exhibit their wide range of OEM capabilities in hall 1 with various inkjet products, including the Samba printhead with unique and highly sophisticated ink recirculation design, driving differentiation of the world-class innovative printing device.

Both Fujifilm and Heidelberg are planning to market and sell the new solution to their key customers. Commercialization for the new platform is planned in the latter part of 2017. First machine installation for field testing is planned after the drupa exhibition.