Foreword
The role of digital label printing in today's market is expanding. Brand owners are not only demanding more efficient short-run printing and faster production, but also seeking more value-added features, from variable data and traceability information to security features, varnishing, hot stamping, and embossing. Nilpeter, in close collaboration with B&R, developed its PANORAMA label printing and post-press solution – based on the Nilpeter DP-3 printing engine – and launched it at LabelexpoEurope 2015.
The modern consumer market is influenced by multiple factors, all of which affect the production and timely delivery of labels and packaging. Today's brand strategies focus on brand extension and differentiation, aiming to increase market share and occupy more shelf space.
This has led to a significant increase in SKUs and a corresponding reduction in the turnover cycle of labels per item. When using traditional printing methods (lithography and flexographic printing), the reduced turnover cycle can severely impact the profit margins of label manufacturers, ultimately weakening their profitability.
When short-run printing jobs occasionally occur, processors often complete the jobs at a loss, using the profits from long-run printing to offset the losses. However, as short-run printing becomes the norm, the decline in profitability will be fatal.
Newbot's PANORAMA can be controlled via a tablet.
Benefits of digital printing
Digital printing enables cost-effective short-run production by eliminating time-consuming and expensive processes that devalue traditional printing. Prepress is simplified to the generation of digital files, typically in PDF format. No films, plates, or chemicals are needed; and there's no need to spend time setting up the printing press and discarding items only when inappropriate colors or misregistration occur.
Print only what you need. Reprints can be achieved by simply calling up the file and ensuring the substrate is in the correct position. This enables on-time delivery and significantly reduces—or eliminates—expensive warehousing costs. It also reduces a large portion of printed material destined for waste—typically around 50% of the printed quantity. This surplus has traditionally become attractive through the use of a “unit cost” model, in which cost reduction appears to be driven by the amount printed beyond demand.
PANORAMA features a simple and intuitive user interface, presented via a 42" color touchscreen.
Ideal partner for online synchronization
While these efficiencies are high, PANORAMA still needs to take a crucial step forward. As an inline solution, it needs to enable continuous production from substrate to finished label – completing all specialized functions, including coding, partial or full varnishing (using flexographic or screen printing), heat transfer, embossing and other enhancements, as well as final die-cutting.
PANORAMA features a simple and intuitive user interface, presented via a 42" color touchscreen.
This combination of digital and mechanical (analog) processes demands an extremely high level of control and automation, which is precisely where B&R excels. Newport News and B&R have been collaborating on flexographic and offset printing systems for several years. Newport News is very familiar with B&R's capabilities and products, knowing that B&R could be the ideal partner for its PANORAMA project. B&R's experience and expertise helped enable the project to be completed in just nine months.
“One advantage B&R brings to this project is their ability to provide real-time capabilities for the system,” said Sren Ringbo, Digital Product Manager and PANORAMA Project Manager at Newbote. “This means that adjustments to color matching, tension, positioning, etc., are instantaneous and do not affect productivity or quality.”
"Both Newport News and B&R take a pragmatic approach to problem-solving. B&R also has experience beyond the printing industry, and its broader knowledge base enables it to create more innovative solutions."
This is a significant achievement considering the variety of optional equipment used in the modular PANORAMA production line, which can be configured as a rotary, semi-rotary, or flatbed solution. “Both Neubote and B&R take a pragmatic approach to problem-solving,” Ringbo explained. “And because B&R has experience beyond the printing industry, their ideas, concepts, and principles are based on broader knowledge, enabling them to create more innovative solutions.”
Understanding Digital Differences
PANORAMA's label printing and post-press solutions utilize single-pass UV ink technology. This means that the ink only needs to be applied once to the roll paper, unlike desktop printers which use a scanning process. While there are fewer moving parts, the application of each color and UV curing are all completed on separate printing platforms. Proper roll paper positioning, both longitudinally and laterally, is essential for ensuring accurate color registration. This also applies to print enhancement and die-cutting. In fact, this becomes even more important later in production, as the label's value increases with the progress of the process.
While Newport believes that using UV-cured inks is the best solution for most label applications, they also understand that no single universal digital printing technology and post-press processing can utilize so many different technologies.
The label and packaging printing market is extremely complex. “No single winning technology covers all applications,” said Jakob Landberg, Sales and Marketing Director at Newport News. “Newport News has always championed ‘combined printing’ and spearheaded the combination of different processes that yield the best results. With PANORAMA, we can now meet brand owners’ desired outcomes by providing highly reliable and productive digital printing and post-press applications using B&R systems.”
