Toray International America Inc., a premier supplier of computer-to-plate printing plates for the waterless printing market, will be showcasing its products and services at Drupa 2012, the international trade fair scheduled for May 3-16 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Toray will have its own 5,000 sq ft booth performing live demonstrations on stand D32 in hall 16; additional waterless printing demonstrations using Toray plates will also be seen at the KBA booth in hall 16, stand C47.

“We believe that Drupa 2012 will provide an international stage to show attendees that waterless printing produces superior quality on a wide variety of substrates beyond paper and board with the same ink,” says Eric Friedman, North American sales manager of Toray. “Increased flexibility and efficiency, with fast processing on different materials, have been the focus of our most recent developments to meet the increasing challenges presented by a changing print market. Toray’s aim is to show solutions that will help printers expand their product range. We are proud to partner with our waterless printing press manufacturers who will be demonstrating waterless printing and our superior plate technology.”

Live demonstrations at Toray’s booth include:

• the world makeready champion KBA Rapida 106 41-inch five-color offset press with coater running a variety of different substrates printed with Toray’s waterless UV printing concept
• the award-winning KBA Genius 52 UV 20-inch waterless press

The KBA booth will feature:

• the small-format Genius 52 UV series with new features such as an envelope feeder and rainbow printing
• A new modular variable-format web offset waterless press being launched as the Varius 80 for the flexible packaging market; it implements short-train inking units and UV drying achieving excellent print quality on flexible, non-absorbent substrates with very low start-up waste. The offset plates are significantly less expensive than the sleeves required for a flexo process. The keyless and waterless Varius 80 is already in full color after 100 metres – a waste saving of around 80% compared to other presses. The environmentally-friendly press uses no water, no solvent and no powder. Engineered for a maximum web width of 31.5 inches and a production speed of 1,312 fpm, the Varius 80 handles substrate thicknesses from 30 to 800µm.

“KBA considers Toray a strong partner in its waterless printing press line,” says Eric Frank, vice president of marketing and product management for KBA North America. “As we launch a new waterless printing press for the flexible packaging market, we believe that KBA and Toray will provide the necessary tools to showcase the advantages of printing waterless.”

Toray (www.toray.com) is a diversified corporate group with operations at over 220 locations and 38,000 employees around the world. Toray International America Inc. (TIAM), a wholly-owned subsidiary, is responsible for sales and marketing of Toray waterless and letterpress products for North America. Its Toray waterless plate is a key component in Toray’s graphic arts portfolio. To learn more about Toray waterless plates, please visit www.toraywaterless.com.