Esko (www.esko.com) is well known as the leading supplier to the digital finishing market with its successful Kongsberg series of finishing tables and groundbreaking i-cut Suite software. At drupa, the company continues to expand its product range with the launch of the new Kongsberg XN finishing table and with an upgrade of i-cut Suite including the i-cut Automate. Esko's digital finishing solutions will be demonstrated at drupa on stand A23 in hall 8B.

"Our Kongsberg finishing tables have always offered cost-effective digital finishing without the expense of conventional die-cutting tools and equipment,” explains Steve Bennett, Esko Vice President, Digital Finishing Business. “And, as people will see at drupa, Esko continues to define the ‘cutting edge’ standards in short run productivity and versatility. Combined with our integrated i-cut Suite software, we offer digital finishing solutions for every process, material and application.”

New: Kongsberg XN suits virtually any application
The Kongsberg XN is the most versatile, highest performing finishing table available in the mid-range market. Capable of handling the broadest variety of materials, the new table serves all markets from packaging to sign making and displays. In addition, the Kongsberg XN can be used for cutting plates as part of the Esko Digital Flexo Suite and can handle the heavy materials used for protective packaging.

Choice of four tool heads and a full assortment of insert tools guarantee unmatched versatility. Newly developed tools include a solid board v-notching insert, a corrugated paper-core board v-notching insert and a Braille tool insert. Options that increase productivity and quality for every application are available. Whether one needs software to help with registration, such as i-cut Vision Pro, tool heads and tool inserts to extend flexibility, productivity add-ons like a material conveyor, an AutoFeeder or a Roll-Off unit – Kongsberg has a proven solution.

High Power Milling
The new Kongsberg XN can be equipped with a more powerful milling spindle, called the MultiCUT- HP. With this new high-powered MultiCUT-HP tool head, the Kongsberg XN offers up to 3 times more milling productivity. Even when processing the most challenging materials, it keeps a productive, consistent speed. And thanks to the power-saving variable vacuum hold-down technology, it consumes less energy.

XN goes up in sizes and materials
The contemporary-looking Kongsberg XN has a modular tabletop industrial design and is available in different sizes; from the smallest 1680 x 1270mm (66” x 50”) Kongsberg XN20 up to the largest 2210 x 6550mm (87” x 258”) Kongsberg XN48.The enlarged work area allows full Y-axis reach of all tools and the length of the XN24 and XN44 models has been extended to 3200mm (126”) for larger digital print materials.

With the launch of the XN platform, Esko has extended its’ product range on offer to its customers allowing them to grow in both productivity and versatility as their needs grow: the Kongsberg XN suites the mid-range market while the XP platform addresses the highest needs in productivity and automation. Both platforms come with a solid set of standard tools that can be extended with a growing range of exchangeable tools for a wide variety of digital finishing applications.

i-cut Automate 12: workflow automation software for sign and display shops
i-cut Suite is the first collection of workflow software targeted specifically at users of large format digital printers and/or digital finishing systems. Customers will enjoy the benefits of the optimized print sheet layout for odd shaped designs with material savings often running in excess of 20%.

Now, with i-cut Automate 12, based on Automation Engine 12 technology, interactive features like the creation of cutting paths, adding bleeds and setting nesting parameters can all be automated. In a short run production environment, automatic creation of the most optimal print sheet layout is a clear way to increase capacity, reduce the risk for errors and reduce expensive substrate waste. By removing repetitive work from operators, more time is available for higher value operations, creative input and customer service — along with a faster delivery to customers and improved order to cash.

Most complete range of digital finishing tables on display at drupa 2012
During drupa, four Kongsberg tables will be on display at the Esko stand, including the:

• Kongsberg i-XN24 for a wide variety of digital finishing applications
• Kongsberg XE10 Auto offering automated short run production on a wide range of materials
• Kongsberg XP24/c for finishing commercial digital printed materials from and short run packaging
• Kongsberg XP-44A, the biggest Kongsberg configuration ever exposed on a tradeshow, featuring a fully automated packaging and display production

In addition, the following industry partners will feature a Kongsberg table on their booth: a Kongsberg i-XL20 at FUJIFILM (Hall 8b, Stand A25 1-3); a Kongsberg i-XP24 at HP (Hall 4, Stand D60 1-9.

“Esko has upgraded and updated its range of digital finishing solutions for this drupa. Our lineup of hardware today ideally suits the needs of an ever growing range of applications requiring digital finishing: vinyl kiss cutting, digitally printed commercial brochures and folders, short run folding carton and corrugated packaging, signs in rigid materials, displays and interior decoration are only a selection of the many applications in need of a cost effective digital finishing solution.” Concludes Steve Bennett. “Besides that, we have extended our powerful i-Cut software suite and have populated it with applications that streamline the entire production process of sign and display from layout to printing to the finished results. We're excited to bring our range of digital finishing solutions to drupa and to show visitors that Esko has a solution for every need!”