Mex, Switzerland—BOBST today announced its latest solutions and strategic partnerships to help shape the future of the packaging world, contributing to a new era in packaging where the entire production line is connected, enabling seamless end-to-end workflows.

“We are fulfilling our industry vision ‘to shape the future of the packaging world’ based on the pillars of connectivity, digitalization, automation, and sustainability,” said Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO, Bobst Group. "Our solutions empower printers and converters to embrace digitalization while advancing towards a more sustainable future. We are proud to engage with industry leaders, forge new partnerships, and chart a course towards continued innovation and progress."

DIGITAL MASTER 55: A new end-to-end, all-in-one digital printing and converting platform for folding carton

The DIGITAL MASTER 55 is the new all-in-one digital printing and converting platform tailored for the folding carton industry, opening up new possibilities for short-to-mid-size runs, and drastically increasing opportunities with short lead times and high product quality.

Combining printing, embellishment, quality control, and die-cutting inline at 100 mpm (meters per minute), the DIGITAL MASTER 55 ensures the shortest time to market (even offering same-day delivery) and the best Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) among printing and converting solutions.

By enabling just-in-time production, this all-in-one solution minimizes the need for large stocks and inventories. This platform, which features full inline and automated printing adjustment capabilities and quality inspection, is ideal for runs up to 6,000 B1 equivalent sheets where it can significantly reduce production time by up to 80% and reduce costs on short runs, while eliminating waste, logistics, and downtime required for traditional production processes.

Notably, the DIGITAL MASTER 55 boosts profitability in its segments of applications, while allowing new business opportunities for our clients. 

BOBST Connect: Digitalization and automation redefined

In the packaging sector, BOBST is taking connectivity and digitalization to the next level by enabling a closed-loop workflow ecosystem from pdf to twin pdf to boost productivity, ease of use and contribute to sustainability.

New features of BOBST Connect – the constantly evolving, cloud-based digital platform, which improves productivity – include a major update to equipment monitoring, providing more detailed data insights than ever before, while performance management provides insights on equipment, shift and job performance and energy consumption, optimizing sustainability and cost.

For labels, the new cloud based BOBST’s Digital Front End (DFE) 3.0, will be showcased for the first time to the public and be commercially available later in the year.

It enables access to real-time data, resources and workflow templates anywhere, at any time. Color management can be managed centrally and shared in the cloud, and its web-based interface supports multiple users across multiple sites.

BOBST is also launching a cloud-based certified substrate library in BOBST Connect, which allows converters to access up to date BOBST certified material lists to fast-track substrate calibration.

ACCUCHECK: Calibration and inspection improvements optimize productivity

BOBST has updated ACCUCHECK for its narrow-mid-web solutions, featuring major productivity improvements and new automation features.

Inspection improvements to ACCUCHECK include automatic quality inspection setup for every job, and job queue synchronization ensuring zero setup time. This eliminates the bottleneck for quality control setup, meaning customers can inspect every single job without any extra time or effort. This feature is completely unique in the industry.

Calibration improvements include a new color uniformity feature; the automated process for all colors now takes a fraction of the previous time, saving several hours. Meanwhile, the advanced color-to-color registration now performs complete calibration in just 15 minutes, while another new feature enhances automatic nozzle compensation to include deviated nozzles in addition to missing nozzles.

Thalia ink and Thalia Foldable ink: A new generation of UV digital inks

Thalia ink is a new generation of UV digital inks designed to meet the highest standards in ink compliance. They are TPO free, and compliant with major regulations including REACH and EuPIA GMP. BOBST Thalia inks are without any CMRs (carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins) and are compliant with the latest Swiss Ordinance announced in February 2024. Customers can be assured that they are using inks compliant with the current and upcoming regulations without compromising on print quality. In addition, the new ink set has better resistance performance and improved color gamut. 

Specifically for the folding carton industry, the Thalia Foldable UV inks address the foldability challenge of high ink coverage or dark color applications. With their special formulation, maintain their post curing elasticity even after an extended period of time, thus making them ideal for high-speed folding-gluing, small creasing lines, and sharp angles, which is typical of small boxes and thinner boards applications – a growing trend to reduce cost and improve sustainability.

New MASTERCUT 165 PER: One solution for all applications

BOBST is launching a new version of its flagship flatbed die-cutter the MASTERCUT 165 PER.

Able to handle corrugated board and folding carton equally well, the machine delivers perfect batches or pallets of blanks thanks to its novel Dual Stream system. A new carbon gripper bar enables an increased running speed of up to 7,500 sheets per hour, while in-line quality control with automatic waste ejection delivers zero-fault packaging. 

BOBST MASTER RS 6003: Pantone stamp of approval

In flexible packaging, BOBST’s extended color gamut (oneECG) technology used for gravure printing has been fully validated by Pantone. This means that the BOBST MASTER RS 6003 gravure printing solution is officially able to reproduce the Pantone library within a required level of accuracy – giving customers complete peace of mind.

BOBST continues to strengthen its offering further through strategic partnerships

BOBST Connect is the cornerstone of our software journey. To reinforce its data and cloud-based software capabilities, BOBST is continuing and expanding its successful collaboration with Microsoft. In an increasingly AI-driven environment, this collaboration provides the cloud-based infrastructure, the expertise, and data security needed for BOBST to provide state-of-the-art software solutions to its customers.

BOBST recently entered into a strategic partnership with Packitoo, a French company developing digital solutions in the packaging industry. Packitoo HIPE is a web-based sales tool, which automates quotations, manages packaging projects, and supports web-to-pack e-shops for printers and converters. The partnership aligns with BOBST's strategy to digitalize and connect the entire packaging value chain, from brand owners to converters and equipment suppliers.

Join BOBST in Hall 10 during drupa 2024 to experience firsthand how these transformative solutions are reshaping the printing and converting landscape.