In anticipation of drupa, the printing industry’s largest equipment exhibition, Xeikon participated in a pre-drupa event from March 16-18 in Belgium. The digital printing specialist gave the industry a sneak preview of its newest capabilities on March 17 at its headquarters in Lier, Belgium. Xeikon employees highlighted the benefits of its new Fusion Technology and discussed Trillium One, a new press based on liquid toner printing technology that will debut at drupa.
 
The event was primarily held in Bruges, Belgium, and featured the theme, “Press On To The Future.” It included presentations from industry leaders like Esko, X-Rite, Enfocus, CHILI Publish, CERM, and Agfa Graphics. Drupa will take place from May 31 to June 10 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
 
“Drupa provides the perfect time and place to show off all our capabilities,” said Patrick Van Baelen, vice president of marketing at Xeikon. “For the first time in our history, we will have the biggest square-meter space available at drupa. In total, we’re looking at 1,700 square meters, which is the biggest space that Xeikon or Flint Group has ever had.”
 
Drupa will mark the first major show for Xeikon since being acquired by Flint Group. According to Danny Mertens, Xeikon’s corporate communications manager, the partnership will further assist the company’s unwavering strategy, especially in the label and packaging segment. In 2015, Xeikon saw this market expand by 30%, and Flint will play a large role in its continued growth.
 
“Flint Group is number one worldwide in providing inks for the narrow web business,” said Wim Maes, CEO at Xeikon. “This is very important for us because Flint gives Xeikon access to the narrow web label market and helping us to grow faster. We at Xeikon are really happy that we found a home, and we are happy that our final destination with Flint Group is one that matches our core strategy perfectly.”
 
Filip Weymans, director of segment marketing and business development, Labels & packaging, Xeikon, discussed the company’s future plans for Fusion Technology, which made its official debut at Labelexpo Europe in September. Fusion combines full-color production printing with digital embellishment of labels and packaging in a fully digital production process. This all occurs in a single pass.
 
Fusion’s modular system has the potential to offer digital alternatives to hot and cold foiling, screen printed white, tactile varnishes and spot prints. “In labels and packaging, it’s not only full colors that people are printing,” explained Weymans. ‘They are printing more high-end type of labels and packaging, and we feel that there will be an acceleration in growth by creating solutions that will go beyond just the four-color substitution in the market.”
 
According to Weymans, Fusion provides an answer to digital embellishment. The technology, which is expected to become commercially available in 2017, has drawn the most interest among converters in the wine & spirits and health & beauty segments. “We did a technology demonstration at Labelexpo to generate feedback from the market,” added Weymans. “We had a fantastic vision, but we’re not going to say we’re always right. We wanted to get a response back from the market, so we did a questionnaire. The people were really enthusiastic about these types of solutions. Today, they’re doing the color printing digitally and then having to go to an offline conventional process, which actually kills the benefits of a digital environment.”
 
Trillium One is a four-color press can run at speeds of 200 fpm (60 m/m) at 1200 dpi, and its print width extends to 19.7” (500 mm). Although the machine will likely have a future in the label and packaging segment, it is currently offering solutions in the high-volume direct marketing materials like catalogs. Trillium One has one beta customer, and commercial installations are expected to take place in the second quarter of 2017.
 
In addition to Trillium One, Xeikon will introduce Tonnik, a liquid toner that can be used in production areas like labels, folding cartons, and document and commercial printing. According to the company, Tonnik combines the advantages of dry toner in a liquid format, and it is being touted as sustainable, environmentally friendly option for the digital printing industry.
 
Trillium was first introduced at drupa 2012, and this first product came as a result of a partnership with Miyakoshi. Xeikon leveraged the Japanese press maker’s mechanical expertise to go along with its own developments in digital imaging, high-speed electronics, high-resolution LED technology, workflow and toner technology. Xeikon will offer five 30-minute displays throughout each day.
 
Xeikon will have a presence in three of drupa’s halls. In association with Flint Group, Xeikon will be located in Hall 3 (inks and consumables) and Hall 8B as part of Flint Group Flexographic Products, which will feature Thermoflexx and basysPrint.
 
Xeikon’s booth in Hall 8A will display the company’s digital capabilities and be accompanied by a virtual reality experience. Trillium One will be highlighted with separate booth displays. Additional Xeikon/Flint products on display will include a Flatbed Diecut Unit and FTF plate technology.
 
For labels and packaging, Xeikon will run the CX3, which has seen more than 20 installations since its launch in September 2015. The five-color digital label press runs at speeds of 98 fpm (30 m/m) and offers multiple applications with inline finishing.