Xeikon has announced the launch of its new Fusion Embellishment Unit – Xeikon FEU. This latest addition to its already broad portfolio of digital equipment for labels, builds on the company’s ambition to provide and equip label printers and converters with the most comprehensive portfolio of innovative digital equipment for the broad scope of label print manufacturing. The Xeikon FEU offers label printers and converters maximum flexibility to meet the demands of brand owners and designers striving to achieve high end, eye catching, unique, entertaining and creative labels. With complete digital finishing and embellishment capabilities, Xeikon’s FEU is based on MGI technology and provides UV spot varnish, tactile varnish, foiling, 3D textures and holograms across a wide range of substrates including clear on clear, common BOPP and paper facestock up to natural structured papers. The Xeikon FEU will be commercially available in Europe and North America as from October 2020. 

Filip Weymans, Xeikon’s VP marketing, says, “In a world of ever-evolving consumerism, we are seeing significant and ongoing changes in behavioural patterns. Consumers are more discerning and brand owners are demanding more from their designers and printers. In packaging and retail, there is increasing pressure for creative innovation and higher levels of productivity. To that end, Xeikon is first and foremost addressing the needs of its customers. We continue to adapt to current trends and with the launch of the Xeikon FEU we are offering our customers maximum opportunities. The workflow integration built around our X-800 Vectorizer will ultimately provide our customers with all they need to effectively move towards total digital label print manufacturing.”

Using Xeikon’s Fusion Embellishment Unit, label printers with an existing portfolio of wine, premium beer, gourmet food, spirits and health & beauty labels will be able to achieve easy and fast proofing of new designs and faster times to market. With no need for tooling and reduced setup times, this economical solution offers superior levels of creative quality finishing on smaller volumes of labels. Using inkjet technology, any defined label area can automatically receive spot UV varnish with or without raised 3D texture effects. Similarly, for foiling applications the digital label area can receive digitally controlled foil with or without raised 3D effects with limited complexity compared to analogue.

Xeikon’s FEU is a stand-alone solution. This enables it to embellish printed materials originating from different technologies. It is also able to pre-print foil onto substrates, thus meeting the many new brand-owner needs for today’s label designs. Optionally Xeikon’s FEU can be equipped with a semi rotational diecut unit so that it will deliver fully embellished and finished labels. Whilst Xeikon’s focus at present is on label applications, the new FEU has the potential to address other applications over time.

Weymans concludes: “Xeikon’s long term goal is to offer its customers the broadest range of products which address the digital transformation of print manufacturing  Well established industry partners, like in this case MGI digital technologies, very often haven proven products that integrate very well in this digitization process. With this latest addition to our portfolio, one of the most important benefits for our customers is the availability of integrated digital technologies – all provided and supported by supplier – which ensure maximum productivity throughout the manufacturing process. The combined provision of digital printing and digital embellishment will enable label printers to run high-end, short to medium sized jobs at substantially reduced costs with a shorter time to market. Xeikon continues to lead the way as a trusted advisor and supplier of innovative digital systems for the global label community.”