Success for Uteco at drupa

The international exhibition covering printing technologies, drupa, has come to a close with clear success for Uteco. The company registered an increase in customers who visited its booth of more than 30 percent compared to drupa 2008.

The new Crystal 808, presented to the market for the first time at drupa 2012, was in demos twice a day and attendance was notable. Job changeovers, which included the Uteco Kiss&Go® system to automatically set printing pressures, were demonstrated with real production jobs to show visitors the key benefits for printers. The quality of the prints using water-based inks (type XP 08 from SUN), as well as printing speed of 500 m/min. on 6- and 7-color production jobs, were observed by all visitors.

Each day included a live connection with the Uteco Demo Centre showing printing demos on an Onyx 810 flexographic press, equipped with an EB unit by ESI and Uteco’s patented Thermilox® and Thermowash® systems. The WetFlex technology by Sun Chemical was demonstrated with the high level of quality and consistency that it can provide when combined with Uteco’s innovations. Samples of Flexo EB on different kinds of substrates, such as films, foil, and board, were given to all attendees with the assistance of Uteco, Sun, and ESI personnel.

The roto offset unit, Silver SIL, caught the full attention of visitors, along with the gravure unit V-Press 300, which was on display at the booth of Kohli Industries, Uteco’s Indian partner for this press in the Asian and Middle East markets.

Orders for 15 machines were placed at the show and more will hopefully come after all discussions and negotiations are completed. These orders included: five Onyx 8C-CI for Flexible Packaging, three for South American customers, and two for East European customers, including an 8C-CI press for big repeats to an important converter in Slovakia. A package of an 8C-CI flexo press and a solventless laminator for food applications was sold to a Romania-based company. In addition, two 8C-CI wide web flexo presses for big print repeats were sold to a key converter based in Russia and Serbia, two 10C-CI went to the USA, and an in-line coating machine for special application was purchased by a German company.