The third Uteco Sapphire EVO M press has been shipped to North America, where it will be used for applications requiring large quantities of short run jobs.

Sapphire Evo M was developed jointly by Uteco Group and Kodak, with the mid web digital press targeted at jobs migrating from traditional printing processes to digital. Utilising Kodak’s Stream continuous inkjet (CIJ) technology and low-cost water-based pigment inks, the digital press delivers excellent CMYK print quality on a variety of plastic film materials and papers. Sapphire Evo M supports a maximum web width of 650mm and a print width of 620mm, and production speeds of over 150m/min.

Sapphire Evo M presses are already up and running successfully at flexible packaging printers in Italy and Japan. Sapphire Evo M has been joined by the Sapphire Evo W, a wider web version of the inkjet digital flexible packaging press running Kodak’s Ultrastream technology.

The new customer for Sapphire Evo M has invested in the press because it offers the best duty cycle of any mid web digital press, and enables more cost-effective production of volumes up to 20,000sqm compared to analogue processes, according to Uteco and Kodak. Another key benefit highlighted by the customer is that it improves time to market, with production using conventional analogue processes typically taking two weeks or more; it is estimated that jobs will be turned around on the new inkjet press in as little as two days.

Randy Vandagriff, senior vice president, print at Eastman Kodak Company, said, ‘This latest sales success is clear evidence that Sapphire Evo presses featuring Kodak’s high-speed CIJ and water-based ink technology are all set to become one of the leading solutions worldwide for digital flexible packaging printing.’

Aldo Peretti, Uteco Group president and CEO, added, ‘We’re delighted that our Sapphire Evo M press will soon be in action in different flexible packaging applications on three continents. It provides an efficient way for packaging printers and converters to meet brand owners’ increasing need for fast, cost-effective and high-quality production of short and medium runs.’

Read about the latest technologies developed for digital flexible package printing in the May/June issue of Digital Labels & Packaging, and online here