HP and KBA Join Forces with 110˝ Wide Color Inkjet Web Press
WASHINGTON—March 4, 2015—HP and KBA have announced plans to develop the HP T1000 Simplex Color Inkjet Web Press, a high speed, high volume, 110˝ wide (2.8 meter) web press for pre-printing of corrugated top liner. This will enable corrugators to combine many individual jobs together on a roll or across rolls for short, mid or long runs. Unlike traditional analog pre-print, every box can be different.
Planned to print at speeds of up to 600 feet (183 meters) per minute and produce up to 300,000 square feet (30,000 square meters) per hour, this inkjet press will print corrugated liner rolls that can then be placed directly onto existing industry-standard 110˝-wide (2.5 or 2.8 meter) corrugators. This press will be the first solution co-developed by the two companies since the announcement of their strategic collaboration at Graph Expo 2014.
Centralized corrugated box plants serving major retail brands will especially benefit from this digital pre-print solution for all corrugated print applications. Brands are increasingly requiring just-in-time inventory, shorter runs, and faster turn-around time. HP’s inkjet technology enables significant time, material, and shipping cost advantages when compared to analog processes. Digital preprint is more efficient than post-print alternatives.
“Addressing the enormous digital opportunity in the corrugated market requires best-in-class technology innovation, a portfolio of solutions, scale, and a market vision,” said Aurelio Maruggi, vice president and general manager, Inkjet High-speed Production Solutions, HP. “The new press will transform the short and mid-range corrugated packaging market, dramatically disrupting operating models and costs and more importantly create new value for brand customers.”
