The Belgian digital press manufacturer, which is owned by Flint Group, aims to leverage its label printing know-how in the face of multiple competing inkjet label presses.

The new Xeikon PX3000 roll-to-roll press uses Kyocera printheads married with Xeikon’s new PantherCure inks. It prints at 600dpi at 50m/min on media up to 350mm wide. The print width is 330mm. Colour configuration is CMYK plus white although Xeikon is still developing the white option.

The mercury cured PantherCure inks do not require intermediate pinning or curing between stations, the firm said.

Target markets are self-adhesive labels for industrial applications as well as health and beauty.

Xeikon even took part in an 'inkjet versus toner' debate at last year’s Drupa, where it extolled the virtues of electrophotography.

However, Wim Maes, Xeikon chief executive and also president of Flint Group’s Digital Printing Solutions division said the firm had waited to make its inkjet move until “the market was ready and the technology was ready”.

“A lot of customers came to us and asked us to do this. At the moment they don’t know who is going to be committed long-term to the label industry,” he said.

“For other manufacturers, the labels business is a very small part of their business. Whereas for us it’s a core business and we have the service infrastructure and workflow which is better than all the other players,” he stated. “We have value to add here. People interested in UV inkjet are looking for a partner, and this is something unique that Xeikon and Flint Group can bring to the market.”

The PX3000 is being manufactured for Xeikon by an unnamed manufacturing partner. It is being shown at this week’s Xeikon Café customer event, and will also be on show at Labelexpo in September.

The press will be shipped to a European beta customer following the Xeikon Café, with testing taking place up until Labelexpo, with the intention of taking commercial orders at the show.

PX3000 sample output is pictured below. 

Xeikon would not be drawn on precise pricing details, but said it would be “competitive” compared with competing models.

Vice president of global marketing Filip Weymans said the firm would be able to leverage the capabilities of its established X-800 workflow software for labels, by allowing customers to drive both existing Xeikon electrophotography label presses and the new inkjet option. The software includes specialist label imposition tools for efficient output, “The efficiency of the workflow gains us 10m/min,” he claimed.

Flint Group also announced that its thermal process for flexo plate production, Nyloflex Express, was now commercially available to customers outside the USA, having been launched there last year.

And in a surprise announcement, Flint Group chief executive Antoine Fady revealed that Maes would be stepping down from his role to pursue a new venture. After a handover period he will be replaced in May by Benoit Chatelard, currently vice president of production printing systems at Ricoh Europe. Chatelard has worked at Ricoh, and IBM Printing Systems before that, for 15 years and brings considerable inkjet know-how to the role.

Left to right: Maes, Fady, Chatelard

Maes became Xeikon CEO in 2009 but stepped down at the end of 2012, only to resume the role in October 2013 after the firm’s acquisition by Bencis Capital Partners. He is joining wide-format cutting systems specialist Summa in an executive role, with specific responsibility for expanding its US business.  

Fady thanked Maes for his achievements at the company, praising his years of service and “invaluable contribution” in getting Flint’s digital printing division off the ground.

He also said he was “thrilled to have an executive of the quality and with the experience of Benoit to carry the business forward”.

Maes said: “I feel proud to have been able to contribute to the Xeikon story, and I have full confidence Benoit will continue this great story with even more achievements in the future.”

The Xeikon Café event is focused on labels and packaging and features some 40 partner companies as well as a conference stream. It runs until Friday (31 March) at Xeikon’s Lier facility near Antwerp. Circa 1,000 customers are expected to attend. 

Separately, Maes told PrintWeek that the firm's Trillium One liquid toner digital press, targeted at direct mail and commercial printing applications, has been delayed. "We had a switch in technology and went to liquid toner based on vegetable oil [rather than mineral oil]. This means we can target broader applications in future but it cost us a bit of time," he said. 

Xeikon still expects first customers to receive Trillium presses this year, with full commercialisation now slated for 2018.