AEG secures first Sprinter sale

AEG sealed its first worldwide order for its single-pass Sprinter system at Fespa, from Dutch bespoke packaging firm Doosopmaat.nl.

The firm will use the 1.6m wide device to produce bespoke, short runs of corrugated packaging in colour.

Jos Knulst, director of Doosopmaat.nl said finding a machine to meet the firm's exacting requirements had been a lengthy process. “The issue we had was that we needed to buy a colour wide-format printer that didn’t exist – until we started working with AEG. Now we have found a bespoke solution that fits our market requirements precisely," he said.

It will be installed in September.

The Sprinter uses Kyocera print heads and, like AEG’s Voyager Pro series, is designed to be a production workhorse.

The Voyager printers are available in 2m and 3.2m widths, and use Xaar 1002 recirculating printheads. “You don’t lose ink because of purging. You get in in the morning, do a nozzle test, and can be running within five-to-ten minutes,” said AEG chief executive Karim Ladhu, who said the printers were “great for heavy roll-to-roll and moderate rigid work. They’re an ideal first step into UV curable for people who want to replace solvent machines."

AEG can also jet UV curable metallic inks. “Nobody else can do that,” he added.

Users can buy the system with mercury lamps and upgrade to LED afterwards, or opt for LED from the outset.