COASO Incorporated has developed iCueLabel, a new 1600dpi inkjet label press featuring DuraFlex technology, making it the latest in a line of OEMs looking to satisfy the appetite for inkjet label and package printing in Asia according to Memjet.
The iCueLabel 420 can print at 46m/min in production mode and 27m/min in high-quality mode.
By using DuraFlex, a technology platform itself only introduced in September, COASO has been able to develop iCueLabel in three months.
Frank Xu, general manager of COASO, said, ‘Our iCueLabel press is an example of what an OEM can accomplish with DuraFlex technology. In less than three months, we were able to develop a new breed of label press that is a viable performance alternative to more expensive toner or other inkjet-powered printers. Converters can use the iCueLabel Press to produce high-quality labels the market demands — including food-safe and high-security labels — in a fast, affordable way.’
DuraFlex is a modular single-pass print option that combines Memjet’s signature features of speed, simplicity and affordability with new attributes that include enhanced durability, A4- and A3-plus widths in a four-color printhead, a high-speed data path and modules that control all printhead functions.
Bent Serritslev, senior vice president, business development, APAC at Memjet, said, ‘Our goal with designing DuraFlex was to create a simple yet robust technology that could give OEM partners the resources to create printing solutions that are powerful but also affordable. It is gratifying to see how COASO has used DuraFlex’s compact, modular design, category-leading speed and 1600dpi quality to develop this new label printer.’
While iCueLabel is the first DuraFlex-powered label printer launched in Asia, the likes of UP Group and Liaoning Zheng Hong Basch Digital Technology are using Memjet’s DuraLink technology in their respective DuMax-330 and SnowLeopard DL-220 label printers. DuMax offers a printing speed of 203m/min, with resolutions up to 1600 x 1585dpi. SnowLeopard is a mono black high-speed printing system created to meet the specific needs of the express delivery labels and logistics industry in China.
Mr Serritslev continued, ‘The market opportunity for inkjet label and package printers in Asia has never been stronger. Label providers today are looking for more affordable, easier-to-use press systems with the speed and quality needed to capture market opportunities. Memjet technologies play a key role in helping partners develop these types of printing solutions and bring them to market faster and at less cost.’
There have been a number of developments recently that have highlighted the more general opportunity for digital label and package printing across Asia, such as Japanese packaging supplier Rengo commissioning the first HP PageWide T1190 press installed in Asia, Xeikon opening an innovation centre in Shanghai, IIJ seeking to further its footprint in the region, and ePac opening up in Indonesia.
