Virtual live demo from San Giorgio Monferrato to present the state of the art of rotogravure printing in ECG and lamination. Under the umbrella of sustainability that calls for processing new sustainable materials, and with a final surprise: the launch of a press with a powerful “take”, for the Asian market and beyond.
On February 10, from the Competence Center in San Giorgio Monferrato, Bobst broadcast a lively event that saw the entire battery of managers in charge of rotogravure printing and lamination fielded. Introduced by Bobst Italia CEO Davide Garavaglia and coordinated by marketer Sara Alexander, they presented the latest developments in the Swiss group’s technology, based on the guiding principles of automation, digitalization, connectivity and sustainability. “This approach,” Garavaglia stressed, “creates value for all users along an interconnected value chain, raising the quality of packaging and making printing and converting operations more agile, sustainable and profitable.
Three machines were in the spotlight: the Expert RS 6003 rotogravure press and the Nova D 800 multi-technology laminator, on which live demo tests were carried out to show the speed of changeovers and explain the technology that underpins the quality and productivity performance of these solutions, and the brand new RS 5003 roto Vision machine, an evolution of the RS 5002 and Nova RS 5003 series, developed in close synergy with Bobst’s headquarters in China.
Less than 14 minutes
The job change on the Expert was completed in less than 14 minutes and with only 95 m of waste. These results were obtained on two jobs produced with Bobst’s oneECG extended gamut process, which made it possible to print a subject in 14 colors (CMYK + 9 special colors + white) with just 7 fixed process colors. The contribution of the exclusive automation functions developed by the group was decisive: from the TAPS automatic pre-registration system to the Flex Trolley and the automatic pre-washing system.
Compact and fast for hi-tech lamination
The Nova D 800 laminating machine also offered high-level performance thanks to its flexo trolley, flat tunnel and motorized rollers. The lamination was carried out at 400 m/minute, spreading the solvent-based adhesive directly on the 8 μ aluminum, demonstrating great precision in the management of the tape and an impeccable optical quality.
The duplex PET-Alu-Foil structure highlighted the capabilities of this compact Bobst laminator in handling complex applications typical of the food, beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries – such as sterilized pouches – thanks to features usually reserved for higher-end machines.
The new Vision for roto
At the end of the event, the surprise: Bobst presented a new rotogravure press called Vision RS 5003, evolution of the successful RS 5002 and Nova RS 5003 series. Compact and powerful, it offers performance at a speed of 450 m/minute, with automatic job changes at production speed. Designed in close synergy with the Chinese staff, it was designed primarily with the needs of Eastern users in mind, but Bobst expects a very positive reception in the rest of the world as well, and the first feedback from the open house confirms the interest of the market.
Sustainability and profitability
Bobst R&D is focused on creating value in printing and converting increasingly challenging materials under the conditions of increasingly demanding markets. The use of polyolefin and natural origin substrates, the strong personalization of packaging, increasingly shorter runs and faster time-to-market represent “challenges for the players along the value chain, challenges that Bobst faces from an end-to-end perspective and with a highly customized approach.
Michele Guala, who spoke at the webinar as a satisfied testimonial, confirms.
