Konica Minolta Europe has introduced a new inkjet press for the corrugated packaging market, the PKG-675i, which is actually a rebadged NS Multi from the New Solutions division of the Portuguese company Mtex.
The Multi is not a new solution, having first been launched back in 2017. The concept behind it is even older, dating back to around 2011. It’s built around a Memjet print engine with five VersaPass printheads stitched together to form a print bar with a print width of 1067mm. It uses Memjet’s dye-based aqueous inks, which are certified for indirect food contact and consequently are a good fit for corrugated applications.
The VersaPass heads have five channels – CMYKK – and offer resolution of 800dpi at 300mm/sec or 1600 dpi at 150mm/sec. It’s worth noting that these are thermal inkjet heads and as such are consumable items.
This printer takes corrugated boards up to 1.2m wide and from 0.5 to 16mm thick. NS has added an optional self-cleaning system – an Ionizing bar and a vacuum – that eliminates static electicity that could otherwise attract dirt and dust into the system. It comes with a Caldera RIP
Edoardo Cotichini, Senior Manager Professional Print for Konica Minolta Europe, commented: “The growth of e-commerce is one of the defining trends of the packaging industry going forward, and this will have a major impact for those in the corrugated packaging sector. In particular they need to be able to react fast, and develop e-commerce-specific packaging designs that solve the inherent challenges of postal distribution, rather than those of retail. Versioning and personalisation are also on the rise. Creating high quality proof-of-concept prototypes and short run, individualised batches is the sweet spot for the PKG-675i digital inkjet printer.”
It’s worth noting that there are a few similar machines, also using Memjet’s five head printbar, and therefore having similar specifications. The most notable of these is probably Xante’s Excelagraphix 4800.
NS itself appears to have used Memjet heads for all of its printers, including the Tiger label printer, which is rebadged by Gallus as the SmartFire. You can find further details from konicaminolta.eu or mtexns.com.
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