Labelexpo Americas 2022 / Finishing and converting | 133FINISHING AND CONVERTING EQUIPMENTAt Labelexpo Americas 2022, added speeds and ease of use were trends seen across the converting equipment featured on the show foor, while digital embellishment took the forefront of fnishing innovation. Luis Rodriguez reportshe state of the label and packaging industry has changed dramatically over the past few years. Struggles to fnd skilled operators, the continued diffculties in acquiring raw Tmaterials, and a strong push from consumers and brand owners alike for more sustainable options are a few of the obstacles label converters are facing.When looking at the converting and fnishing equipment exhibitors at Labelexpo Americas 2022 featured on the show foor, advancements made on the ease of use of the equipment to a host of digital embellishment technologies now offered by manufacturers look to address and amend these issues.DIGITAL EMBELLISHMENT TAKES A STANDHighlighted throughout the show, digital embellishment is a Added speeds and ease of use were trends seen at Labelexpo Americas 2022relatively new technology that has seemingly taken the world of labels and packaging by storm with equipment vendors showcasing “YOU CAN ACCESS A LIST OF YOUR JOBS AND technology that looks to change the way converters approach YOU’LL SEE THE SPECIFIC TEMPERATURES, fnishing. Sponsors of the Digital Embellishment Trail at the show were: Cartes, Epson, Grafotronic, Konica Minolta, Kurz, Mark Andy, PRESSURES, AND EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN Prati and Xeikon.CHANGED OR ADJUSTED THROUGHOUT THE At the Cartes booth, the company showcased its Jet D-Screen JOB. IT CAN HELP OPERATORS SAVE ABOUT digital embellishment system along with the laser die-cutting system. The digital unit can produce many effects including tactile, 40 PERCENT MORE OF THEIR SET UP TIME”raised effects along with foil and metallics with little to no material waste and with no tooling required. printing processes.‘What we are doing here is adding embellishment that can only A silk-screen printing module can be added to the press, giving be achieved by digital silk screen or metallic doming being applied converters access to fatbed silk-screen to braille applications.and fnished by a laser,’ says Viriglio Micale, director of sales at Along with the US unveiling of the AccurioLabel 300 fve-color Cartes, adding that these processes require absolutely no tooling. press, Konica Minolta showcased its AccurioLabel 230 digital Additionally, the equipment features an automated system that press with Grafsk Maskinfabrik’s DC330 Mini paired up with would allow operators to produce, access, and save jobs, making it. The DC330 Mini is touted as an ‘all-in-one compact label changeover much more simplistic, according to Natalia Tsamorina, fnishing machine’ allowing converters to add varnishes, laminated, export sales manager at Cartes. super-gloss, and cold foiling. ‘There are smart storage options within the software itself Dino Pagliarello, senior vice president, product management that let the operators save all parameters of a certain job,’ says and planning at Konica Minolta, spoke of bringing the knowledge Tsamorina. ‘You can access a list of jobs and see the specifc of digital embellishment to converters, hoping to show that the temperatures, pressures, and everything that has been changed or lack of plates, dies, and other tooling, which Pagliarello says, ‘adds adjusted throughout the job. It can help operators save about 40 productivity, versatility, VDP capabilities, and it allows for the percent more of their set up time.’ owner of the device to do things more effciently when it comes Epson showcased a couple of its presses, mainly the SurePress to short runs.’L-6534VW UV with digital varnish or orange ink. The highlight at the Kurz booth was the DM-Uniliner 2D. Able Epson’s digital varnish offers spot varnish, simulated foiling, and to print on various substrates, the DM-Uniliner 2D is a standalone embossing all in-line with the label production, which Mike Pruitt, metallization unit that’s capable of overprinting metallized designs senior product manager of industrial markets at Epson, says are with a multitude of iridescent colors and effects.technologies that have generally been regarded as expensive that Matthias Mierderer, product manager for digital embellishment typically necessitate longer runs, but with Epson’s digital fnishing, solutions business area machines and applications at Kurz, says: ‘We these run times can be relatively short with the capability of having print the design we want to be metalized on the backside of the foil every label look different. before it’s in contact with the substrate, so this gives us the chance Grafotronic brought its modular DCL2 Haptic digital fnishing directly after printing to cure the ink so it’s not fuid anymore and equipment that, according to the company, is designed to be more sticky, giving converters the opportunity to apply without completely future-safe due to a retroft design. The machine having it being pulled away.’enables converters to break into the high-end wine and cosmetics Like the other machines, the DM-Uniliner 2D also is touted markets that were typically reserved for the more conventional as a more fexible option that eliminates the majority of waste Oct - Dec 2022