Agfa takes its turn in the sheetfed packaging market. The Belgian manufacturer specializing in large-format digital printing has unveiled its first water-based inkjet press for packaging, the SpeedSet 1060.
Agfa's SpeedSet 1060 sheet-fed press achieves 11,000 B1 sheets per hour, making it the fastest digital packaging machine, with other manufacturers offering speeds around half that for the same format. It offers 1200 DPI resolution.
The tipping point for profitability is around 5,000 copies: up to 5,000 copies, the SpeedSet would be more profitable than offset printing, says Agfa.
The SpeedSet 1060 handles a wide range of substrates from 0.2 to 2 mm thick: folding carton, microflute and various types of paper.
Its water-based pigment inks, primers and varnishes are environmentally friendly and comply with food safety regulations.
This makes it ideal for applications such as food and beverage packaging ready for retail or on-shelf sale.
"This all-digital packaging printing press combines the robustness and printing excellence of an offset press with the compelling attributes of inkjet printing, says Matt Brooks, Agfa's Packaging Manager. It offers print quality similar to offset, while benefiting from shorter set-up times, reduced material waste and efficient variable data printing."
The press was unveiled at a major event for packaging converters and printers at Agfa's manufacturing plant in Cambridge, headquarters of Inca Digital, which the Belgian company acquired last year.
The SpeedSet is not yet available. Agfa is fine-tuning the final details with several beta-testers.
