While one measure indicates customer satisfaction, the other is a measure of the growth of continuous feed inkjet in the UK. And the technology on show in Lucerne at the end of the month is intended to accelerate the take up of continuous feed inkjet by the commercial print sector.
With Hunkeler Innovation Days less than a month away, the Swiss finishing specialist is on a roll in the UK. Friedheim International says that it completed 26 separate projects involving Hunkeler technology during 2022, a third to existing and two-thirds to new customers.
Kodak and HP plan to show off their new presses for the first time in Europe, both Ricoh and Canon will show upgrades to their flagship presses while Screen will be explaining advances in colour calibration and management with Xeikon promoting the Sirius engine for a commercial print web press.
Hunkeler itself will demonstrate automated reel changing for non stop running, a feature that will be increasingly important as inkjet makes inroads into commercial printing.
As well as new presses, the event will feature the unveiling of Muller Martini’s Vareo Pro book of one perfect binder and the Prinova Digital saddle stitcher. This is designed for ultra short run magazines and journals that have been printed digitally.
Mailing systems provider Kern will show off the fruits of a collaboration with US company NPI. This is an automated mail sorting system aimed at managing handling of parcels, a nod to the growth of the commerce sector.
Kama is bringing an updated version of the ProCut 76 Foil, enhanced with additional servo motors. In combination with a pair of cameras, servo motors result in AutoRegister AR3, a means of adjusting register for foils at full speed and intended for cutsheet digitally printed sheets where there can be a slight shift in image position.
The ProCut 76 Foil can feed from three separately controlled foil feeders, each with foil saver indexing to minimising the amount of waste material generated.
Like Hunkeler, Kama is represented in the UK by Friedheim. While the company does not break down the figures, it says that with the 26 Hunkeler projects, Friedheim completed 56 installations during 2022. Its recently launched technical division reached revenue of £1 million. The workforce was expanded by six and Varo, a producer of powder mills (suitable for ink making) and similar equipment, was added as a new agency.
Friedheim will again be taking several cohorts of printers to the Hunkeler event, again with an increasing percentage of these from a commercial print background.
