Spain-based label printer Argraf has invested in a Xeikon CX3 digital press, extending its digital printing capability to include dry toner.
Located in Oyón, a town and municipality located in the province of Álava, Argraf produces more than 2.5 billion wine and tin labels each year. It operates three digital presses, eight flexo lines and two offset printing machines, producing self-adhesive labels. Argraf also has seven finishing machines with different configurations for stamping, embossing and screen printing, four sheet-fed offset presses and two stampers for the sheet-fed section.
Jesús Davalillo, Argraf’s pre-printing and digital printing director, said. ‘After two years working with another digital technology, we decided to add a press with dry toner technology which, apart from offering certificates for food contact and security, allows us to extend our product portfolio and to continue delivery of quality service to our clients.’
Davalillo continued, ‘We are very pleased with the quality of Xeikon’s opaque white and, in general, the stability of the press, and also the low levels of maintenance required. Although we have only been working with it for seven months and it is a bit soon to make a final assessment, we have confidence that things will continue in this way, which allows us to achieve maximum speed of 30m/min for most materials, with only a few exceptions.’
He noted that, although inkjet is advancing rapidly, and it may be that it is viable in the medium term for printing all types of material, ‘we are presently putting our faith in toner.
‘We are gradually gaining experience that tells us which of our two toner types is the best solution for each job. For us, these are complementary technologies, and we have to extract the best from each of them.’
Further, the press and Xeikon’s Cheetah technology upon which it is based, allow
Argraf to use traditional media without having to test them first with pre-printing or use materials specifically manufactured for a particular technology. The CX3’s fifth colour station can be used for custom colours, colours that extend the chromatic range, white toner, or for a security toner. The press works well with media in weights from 40-350g/sqm.
With turnover of around €24 million, 80% of Argraf’s turnover comes from wine labelling and the other 20% mainly from canned food labels, with a small percentage of other products mixed in. In the distribution by sector, self-adhesive labels represent about 65-70% of turnover, with the rest being sheet-fed applications.
‘For the last three years, we have been developing, and are now executing, a project that involves reorganising the company’s departments and processes, with the intention of giving a qualitative boost to our management capacity and improving interactions with our clients,’ said Davalillo. ‘We are making several technology investments, which includes a new web-fed offset press. We also keep a close watch on new developments in digital technology and, most likely within the next two years, we will add new capacity in this area as well.’
