Konica Minolta has used this year’s Label Expo show to formally launch its AccurioLabel 190 label press, which should be available from December this year.
Actually, it’s not so much a new press as a new configuration of the existing C71cf. This, of course, begs the question as to what exactly is a press and can we consider the AccurioLabel 190 a new press if the bit that does the actual printing isn’t new?
The bit that has changed is the winders, with Konica Minolta in Europe opting to switch from the standard Miyakoshi-based configuration for a more heavy-duty roll-to-roll set-up from the Danish company Grafisk Maskinfabrik (GM). There’s an option to use it inline or separately with GM’s DC330Mini finishing unit.
The printing engine itself, as we’ve noted, is Konica Minolta’s existing dry toner unit, which does offer 1200×1200 dpi resolution and will print to a wide range of substrates though it’s relatively slow compared to some of the inkjet label presses. Indeed, dry toner is not the most obvious approach given that just about everybody else has developed an inkjet label printer but it does fit neatly between the entry level and high-end solutions that are now available. Since first showing the C71cf at the last European Label Expo in 2015, the company has installed 100 of these machines worldwide, suggesting that Konica Minolta correctly identified a gap in the market.
Charles Lissenburg, general manager of Konica Minolta’s Professional Print Division, commented: “Two years ago – after carefully screening and listening to the market – we introduced a system that had real unique selling points and thus created real new business opportunities for our growing customer base, which now covers more than 100 sites globally. We have listened carefully to their feedback, which has really helped shape our ideas and thinking. The new AccurioLabel 190 takes us on to the next stage of our development as a serious player in the industrial markets.”
I’ve more to say on this subject, having spent time talking with the KM chaps so expect another story in the next week or so.
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