Southern Coating & Nameplate, an industrial label maker based in North Little Rock, AR, USA, has acquired a Durst Tau 330 UV inkjet digital press with inline laser finishing to enhance its production operations while improving output quality.

Established in 1970, Southern Coating & Nameplate (SCN) serves a wide variety of clients in the automotive, medical, health and fitness, marine and outdoor power equipment segments.  Vice president Scott Adams says the company is able to deliver quality one‐stop printing, and to engineer new ways to provide products to customers because of its work in a broad range of industries.

Adams states that SCN, which has been involved in digital printing for the last 15 years, has had its eye on the Tau 330 since it was introduced. “Technology has advanced so much – with the roll-to-roll high-speed capability – that we felt now was a great time to jump in and invest in the Durst technology,” he explains. “With industries changing and purchasing habits evolving, we felt we needed a machine that would allow us to run both very high volumes at high speeds, and to accommodate customers who only need 5,000 or 10,000 pieces – all in a flexible digital format that keeps us fast and competitive.”

The Tau 330 is designed for short- and medium-run narrow web applications, covering widths from 6.5-13” and running at print speeds up to 157 fpm – output capacity can reach 10,225 square feet per hour. According to SCN, sharp, precise print quality for today’s most demanding label and package printing applications is made possible by Durst’s proprietary UV inkjet printhead technology. This technology – featuring advanced drop-on-demand, variable drop size, and gray scale capabilities – delivers a print resolution of 720×1,260 dpi, which generates highly defined texts and intricate details in all graphics and images.

The Tau 330 LFS version features a new inline digital laser finishing system by the diecutting company Spartanics. Its integrated laser enables fully automatic job changeovers without interrupting production.

Adams describes SCN’s Tau 330 as a technology that will complement every aspect of the company’s production operations – replacing some screen and digital jobs, and a full 98% of its flexographic jobs. The inline laser finishing capability was a key factor in the company’s decision to purchase the Tau 330, he says. This capability reduces the need to order dies, which eliminates a main consumer cost, allows faster job change-overs, decreases lead times by up to 50% and increases flexibility. SCN plans to use the Tau 330 to expand in its current markets, as well as move into new areas such as food packaging and POP.

“Durst is a privately held company, like we are, that delivers outstanding customer service throughout the process,” Adams says. “Durst people know how to take care of their clients. It’s a great company and they make fantastic machines.”