Bobst, Lausanne, Switzerland, announced this past week what it has deemed a great leap in the company’s research and development into digitial corrugated specific printing with the first beta site installation of the highly anticipated new Bobst printing press for corrugated board.

Designed to deliver four-color digital post-print directly onto a broad range of uncoated and coated corrugated media, the Bobst digital printing press offers both personalization and speed on short-run and high-volume work. This sheet-fed press delivers quality and variable-data printing at up to 200 meters per minute—and can handle sheets up to a maximum size of 1.3 x 2.1 meters.

Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO of Bobst said that "we promised the packaging industry a series of revolutionary digital printing solutions. Now that the corrugated version is in beta testing, the industry can see that we are making good on that promise. This press will start a revolution in the corrugated packaging industry because it opens up such a huge range of possibilities to box makers, and to their clients—the brand owners."

The site chosen for the first beta installation is the Model AG plant in Weinfelden, Switzerland, which is also the production and management hub of the CHF 700 million turn over Model Group. Dr. Daniel Model, CEO of Model Group, noted that "we are very excited and proud to be the first beta customer for this revolutionary press. We firmly believe that the technology this Bobst solution brings will permanently transform the corrugated packaging industry." 

Philippe Milliet, head of business unit sheet fed, added that "Model have been our partners on many such pioneering projects and we tremendously value their input because of their forward-looking philosophy."

Working with Stream Inkjet Technology supplied by imaging technology specialist Kodak, Bobst has produced the first credible digital solution for industrial scale corrugated box printing. The Kodak Stream Inkjet Technology not only delivers vivid color reproduction and one of the highest print resolutions available, it also utilizes food compliant inks, a key issue for packaging manufacturers in many sectors.

Philippe Milliet further stated that "the Bobst digital printing press is unlike any other solution seen in the market. For corrugated packaging makers, it bridges the gap between high-volume flexo printing and the lower capacity digital systems available up until now. Furthermore, the press has been designed to integrate into the typical high-volume, post-print production environments of the corrugated industry. For our customers, it means they can offer their clients more flexibility and the reactivity to meet dynamic consumer demands, by introducing new products with versioning, mass customization and personalization." 

The beta press at Model AG will be shortly followed by a second installation in Europe.