Ink World staff06.19.20
Xeikon and Flint Group launched IDERA, a brand-new digital solutions platform for corrugated packaging converters.
One of the cornerstones of this platform is a post-print, single-pass printing press.
This press uses certified food-safe water-based inks on coated and uncoated corrugated sheets up to 1.6 m wide x 2.8 m long (5’ 3” wide x 9’2” long) at up to 150 linear m/min (492 ft/min).
It is an ideal solution for a corrugated box market with decreasing lot sizes, shorter lead times, and ever-increasing demand for high-quality packaging.
IDERA will deliver higher print quality than flexography and enable printing of both short and long runs with all the benefits of a digital print-on-demand solution, including reduced waste, according to Xeikon.
With a much smaller and more environment-friendly footprint, IDERA also can customize and version. From September onwards, the IDERA solution will be available at the Global Innovation Center in Lier, Belgium for customer evaluation and testing.
“It is no secret that we are seeing rapid changes in the behavioral patterns of consumers, brands and retailers,” said Sebastien Stabel, market segment manager Carton Packaging. "The exponential growth of e-commerce and the increasing pressure on sustainability are underlying forces that drive creative innovation in the digitization of packaging to higher levels of productivity. Ever rising consumer expectations for instant, unique and entertaining products continue to set the bar higher within the supply chain for decreased lead times and even faster delivery."
To develop IDERA, Xeikon relied on its in-house digital expertise and the experience and manufacturing footprint of its parent company, Flint Group.
“In our R&D Competence Center for digital inks, our engineers develop, formulate and produce our own high-performing, food-safe, water-based inks," said Lode Deprez, VP Digital Inks & Imaging Technology. "This includes our new and patented technology used for pigment dispersion that guarantees the best performance and a cost-efficient solution."