Only months after the introduction of the Xeikon PX3000 UV inkjet digital label press, Xeikon has announced an expansion of its UV inkjet portfolio. The Xeikon PX3000 will become available in both a 4-color and 5-color configuration.

In addition, the new entry-level Xeikon PX2000 was introduced, also to be made available in both colour configurations. All presses within the Panther Series are powered by Xeikon’s Panther technology, use PantherCure UV inks and take advantage of the powerful Xeikon X-800 digital front-end.

“We are excited to be expanding our UV inkjet line of digital label presses so quickly,” says Filip Weymans, VP global marketing, Xeikon. “This rapid product development underscores our commitment to offering a broad portfolio of complementary solutions, for both our Cheetah Series of dry toner and Panther Series of UV inkjet digital label presses. Our goal is to bring to market the broadest portfolio of digital label presses in the industry, together with professional services that help our customers determine which solution is best for their businesses. Our offering also includes workflow and finishing, as these are crucial in enabling a fully integrated and seamless production process in the spirit of Industry 4.0.”

The Panther Series will include the high-end Xeikon PX3000 with a web width of 330mm (13”) and the entry-level Xeikon PX2000 with a web width of 220mm (8.7”), both running at print speed of up to 50 m/min (164.5 fpm) for the ultimate in productivity and throughput on the most optimal web width.

These Panther presses will be available in two color configurations, with the 4-color press field upgradable to a 5-color configuration to allow label converters to add white ink. “The reason for building a 4-color press is that, aside from the lower investment cost, with inkjet technology, performance of the heads is affected by the usage. Low usage, which can be the case for white ink, can result in reducing the uptime of the press. As some label printers do not need white ink, we believe offering the Panther presses in a 4-color configuration services exactly their needs.”

The Xeikon Panther Series presses run on patented PantherCure UV inks, which use a combination of LED and mercury UV lights for curing – a concept that offers several benefits such as more consistent curing over time, lower energy consumption, a longer lifetime of the curing source and limited heat exposure to the substrate, which makes it possible to print even on heat-sensitive substrates. PantherCure UV inks offer high lightfastness and are resistant to heat chemicals, water, scuffing and scratching, making it ideal for use on pressure sensitive self-adhesive labels for the beverage, health and beauty, industrial chemical, household chemical and industrial markets. These inks deliver a tactile finish and 3D look and feel with uniform gloss appearance.

Driven by Xeikon’s X-800 digital front-end, the Xeikon PX2000 and Xeikon PX3000 excel in efficiency and productivity, and can be integrated perfectly within any label production environment, including Xeikon’s dry toner digital label press portfolio. “In recent benchmark studies, we have seen that the Xeikon X-800 can save printing operations up to one hour per shift thanks to smart job queuing, job optimizer impositioning, color management, and other capabilities. Our workflow technology is a true differentiator that allows customers to get the maximum out of their presses,” comments Weymans.

Xeikon Panther Series presses also feature full rotary printing with variable repeat, consistent 600dpi at 2 bit printing quality and the ability to print on common self-adhesive substrates, including coated paper, PP, PE, vinyl, BoPP and PET.

The Xeikon PX3000 5-color will be commercially available in March 2018, and first orders are already being taken from a few early-adopters. Xeikon ran live demonstrations of the Xeikon PX3000 on its stand at Labelexpo Europe.