110-inch-wide color inkjet web pressHP and KBA collaborateOn 4 March 2015 HP and KBA jointly announced plans to develop a high-speed, high-volume, 2.8 metre wide (110-inches) simplex inkjet web press for pre-printing of a corrugated top liner. To be called the HP T1100 Simplex Color Inkjet Web Press it will enable corrugators to combine many individual jobs together on a roll or across rolls for short, mid or long runs. A digitally printed liner will allow every corrugated box to be different.The HP T1000 Simplex Color Inkjet Web Press will be a high speed, high volume, 2.8 metre wide press for pre-printing of corrugated top lineThe T1100 will be designed to print at speeds of up to 183 metres a minute (600 feet a minute) to produce up to 30,000 square metres or 300,000 square feet an hour of liner rolls that can then be placed directly onto an existing industry-standard 2.5 or 2.8 metre-wide (110-inch) corrugators. This will be the first co-developed press since the two companies announced their strategic collaboration at Graph Expo 2014 in Chicago on 28 September 2014.
“Addressing the enormous digital opportunity in the corrugated market requires best-in-class technology innovation, a portfolio of solutions, scale, and a market vision,” said Aurelio Maruggi, vice president and general manager, Inkjet High-speed Production Solutions, HP. “The new press will transform the short and mid-range corrugated packaging market, dramatically disrupting operating models and costs and more importantly create new value for brand customers.”
HP and KBA both bring proven legacies of endurance, scale and innovation to their joint initiative. This year, HP celebrates its 76th anniversary and its 31st year of thermal inkjet innovation. KBA is a 197-year-old company and the second-largest offset press manufacturer worldwide.
“KBA has a rich heritage of developing innovative solutions that meet or exceed customers’ quality expectations,” said Christoph Müller, executive vice president for the KBA-Digital and Web Solutions Business Unit. “In working with HP, we will combine our complementary technological strengths for the needs of packaging converters.”
HP’s accelerated entry into corrugated packaging
At drupa 2008, HP announced its first Inkjet Web Press. Since then, the company has expanded its portfolio to its current lineup of ten presses across five web-width platforms transforming the publishing and production mail market. HP thermal inkjet technology helps meet converters’ needs for high-quality print, along with high-volume productivity, reliability and versatility. Ultimately, it opens the way to game-changing value chain cost savings and capabilities for brands and packaging converters.
In May 2014 at interpack, HP announced its intent to enter the corrugated packaging market. In June, the company announced its first web-press offering for this market. Fewer than 90 days later the first HP T400 Simplex Color Inkjet Web Press was installed at Obaly Morava in the Czech Republic. At Graph Expo, in September 2014, HP announced its partnership with KBA. The new HP T1100 Simplex Color Inkjet Web Press offering is in addition to the HP Scitex sheetfed corrugated solutions offered by HP such as HP FB 10000 sheetfed industrial press installed at Meghdhoot in New Delhi for printing corrugated boxes and POP displays.
