Utilization of UV Inkjet Platform Expected to Reduce Lead Times by 50% 

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Southern Coating & Nameplate, a versatile, innovative industrial label maker based in North Little Rock, AR, has acquired a Durst Tau 330 UV Inkjet Digital Press with in-line laser finishing to enhance its production operations while improving output quality, the companies have announced.

Established in 1970, Southern Coating & Nameplate (SCN) serves a very wide variety of clients in the automotive, medical, health & fitness, marine, and outdoor power equipment segments.  Vice President Scott Adams said the company is uniquely able to deliver quality one?stop printing, and to engineer new ways to provide products to customers because of its work in a broad range of industries.

Adams said SCN, which has been involved in digital printing for the last 15 years, has had its eye on the Tau 330 since it was introduced.  “Technology has advanced so much – with the roll-to-roll high-speed capability – that we felt now was a great time to jump in and invest in the Durst technology.  With industries changing and purchasing habits evolving, we felt we needed a machine that would allow us to run both very high volumes at high speeds, and to accommodate customers who only need 5,000 or 10,000 pieces – all in a flexible digital format that keeps us fast and competitive.” 

The Tau 330 is designed for short- and medium-run narrow web applications, covering widths from 6.5-13.0 inches and running at print speeds up to 157 ft. per minute – output capacity can reach 10,225 square feet per hour.  Sharp, precise print quality for today’s most demanding label and package printing applications is made possible by Durst’s proprietary UV inkjet print head technology.  This technology – featuring advanced drop-on-demand, variable drop size, and gray scale capabilities – delivers a print resolution of 720x1,260 dpi, which generates highly defined texts and intricate details in all graphics and images.

The Tau 330 LFS version features a new in?line digital laser finishing system by the expert die cutting company Spartanics.  Its powerful integrated laser enables fully automatic job changeovers without interrupting production.  Taken together, the capabilities of the Tau 330 translate into remarkable flexibility and productivity for a wide variety label and specialty packaging jobs.

Adams described SCN’s Tau 330 as a technology that will complement every aspect of the company’s production operations – replacing some screen and digital jobs, and a full 98 percent of its flexographic jobs.  The in-line laser finishing capability was a key factor in the company’s decision to purchase the Tau 330, he said.  This capability reduces the need to order dies, which eliminates a main consumer cost, allows faster job change-overs, decreases lead times by up to 50 percent, and increases flexibility.  SCN plans to use the Tau 330 to expand in its current markets, as well as move into new areas such as food packaging and POP, Adams said.

“Durst is a privately held company, like we are, that delivers outstanding customer service throughout the process,” Adams said.  “Durst people know how to take care of their clients.  It’s a great company and they make fantastic machines.”