Editor's Note:  See an exclusive interview with David Zwang and Filip Weymans of Xeikon about this announcement.

Visitors to the Xeikon Café Packaging Innovations 2017, held 28-31 March, witnessed the unveiling of Xeikon’s new PX3000 UV inkjet digital label press. This new press, based on Xeikon’s Panther UV inkjet technology, complements the Xeikon 3000 series and Xeikon CX3 label presses based on dry toner technology, bolstering the extensive range of digital printing solutions available through Xeikon for the label market. 

Xeikon developed the new Xeikon PX3000 digital label press in response to the growing need for new technologies in digital label printing, to drive new applications and produce them in the most efficient way.  With years of digital print experience and expertise, Xeikon acts as an advisor to the label convertors with the ability to closely analyse their requirements and offer the best suited solution, either UV inkjet or dry toner. 

“The Xeikon PX3000 based on our newly developed Panther UV inkjet technology and operating PantherCure UV ink, is engineered with the requirements of the label market and its end-users in mind,” stated Jeroen Van Bauwel, Xeikon’s Director Product Management. “The Xeikon PX3000 is complementary to our dry toner presses and the choice of the label converter will be based on the end-use markets such as food, health & beauty, industrial, wine & spirits, pharma, and beverage, they serve. Each of those markets have their specific needs — there is no one-size-fits-all.

“Inkjet and electrophotography are different technologies, each with pros and cons, and the choice is end-user dependent. We see UV inkjet as a complementary offering that addresses customer needs, for example, in strong durability, extra glossy effects and scratch-resistance results, while recognizing the advantages of dry toner in other applications where high print quality, food safety, and compatibility with challenging substrates such as natural paper are key.”

Filip Weymans, VP of Marketing for Xeikon, added, “By offering a broad, complementary portfolio in the digital space with both dry toner and UV inkjet solutions, backed by a dedicated worldwide sales and service organization, Xeikon is ideally positioned to serve as a single source and advise converters and brands in the best and most efficient way.”

Differentiation with the Xeikon X-800 workflow

Speed, durability, and cost-effectiveness for digital runs are the primary strengths of the Xeikon PX3000. The new press features a web width of 330 mm (13”), and a maximum speed of 50 m/min (164 ft/min). Colour configuration is CMYK plus white, with a print quality of 600x600 dpi. Substrates can range from self-adhesive media with facestocks including paper, PVC, PP, PET and PE.

Both UV inkjet and dry toner digital presses are driven by the Xeikon engineered X-800 digital front-end that enables superior and consistent print quality in combination with industry-leading productivity. The X-800 accepts various file formats and tackles demanding variable-data print jobs at rated engine speeds. Intuitive and based on open standards, it enables the implementation of flexible and fully automated workflows in any production environment. Current Xeikon customers will appreciate the ability to stay within the well-known user interface and workflow they have become accustomed to with their Xeikon 3000 series and Xeikon CX3 presses, while new customers will enjoy the X-800 workflow designed for a label production environment with its very intuitive GUI, extreme efficiency in handling a multitude of short run label designs and jobs, and ease of operation.

“Digital printing is more than speed and output. It is about producing a numerous number of jobs in the most effective and efficient way, which is why workflow is so crucial — something we can’t emphasis enough. The X-800 workflow is therefore a key differentiator of the Xeikon PX3000,” concluded Van Bauwel. “From day one, we have been developing our own workflow technology dedicated to digital printing that allows customers to gain maximum value out of Xeikon’s dry toner, and now UV inkjet, presses. Our customers frequently tell us that by using the X-800 features, such as job optimizer and many others, they can set themselves apart from their competition.”

Xeikon’s new PX3000 UV inkjet press was unveiled at the recent Xeikon Café Packaging Innovations 2017 held 28-31 March at Xeikon headquarters in Lier, Belgium. Hosted by Xeikon and its Aura partners, Xeikon Café explored the state of the digital printing industry, emerging trends and technologies, and gave expert testimony from industry leaders.

Visitors to Labelexpo Europe 25-28 September in Brussels will also have the opportunity to see live demonstrations of Xeikon’s new UV inkjet label press in hall 5 on stand C29. Commercial availability of the new Xeikon PX3000 UV inkjet press is scheduled for October 2017.