Heidelberg and Fujifilm to Debut Digital Press
- Published: February 24, 2016
KENNESAW, GA | Heidelberger Druckmaschinen and Fujifilm Global Graphic Systems Co., Tokyo, Japan, announces a new B1 format digital inkjet press said to meet future customer demand for higher flexibility, productivity and versioning options. The Primefire 106 will debut at drupa 2016, May 31–June 10, at the Fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany.
In late 2013 Heidelberg and Fujifilm formed a strategic partnership for the development of a new industrial digital inkjet press. The collaborative approach using R&D resource from both companies has resulted in this new product in less than 24 months.
“In record time, Fujifilm and Heidelberg have jointly developed the world’s first B1 truly industrial inkjet digital printing press,” says Gerold Linzbach, CEO of Heidelberg. “Our original partnership was based on a joint evaluation of Fujifilm’s core inkjet technology, and after two years of co-development, we remain convinced [it] is the best partner. Thanks to our close cooperation, we can now present the new digital printing system on our drupa booth, fully integrated into our ‘Smart Print Shop’ demonstrations.”
“Thanks to our strategic partnership with Heidelberg, the major provider and partner for the global printing industry, we are now confident that we can meet the expanding needs of the industrial packaging market,” says Shigetaka Komori, chairman and CEO of Fujifilm Corporation. “The new B1 machine enhances the range and application of [our] inkjet technology from our Jet Press 720 series in the B2 space….”
The new print engine design will incorporate Samba MEMS printhead technology from Fujifilm Dimatix. Fujifilm’s water-based pigment ink with Rapic technology for high-definition imaging reportedly will meet food packaging safety regulations. The company’s inkjet technology will work together with Heidelberg’s developments in press manufacturing and system integration capabilities to achieve quality output said to be comparable to offset with superior consistency and reliability. The new machine will be driven by the Heidelberg Prinect Digital Front End (DFE) to optimize workflow and quality.
Companies say the system design will enable printers to develop new applications from a fully digital-based system for customization, variable data printing, and targeted marketing applications. They add that Fujifilm’s newly developed seven-color inks (CMYK, orange, green, and violet) and Heidelberg’s varnish will improve the range of digital applications through a wide color space and accessibility to various commercial substrates.
Commercialization for the new platform is planned in the latter part of 2017. The first machine installation for field testing is planned after the drupa exhibition.
