Konica Minolta adds GM for end-to-end label solution

Konica Minolta has partnered with Grafisk Maskinfabrik (GM), a global player in the label market, to offer its ultra-compact DC350Nano and DC330Mini label finishers to customers in Australia and New Zealand.

The two label finishers will complement Konica Minolta’s digital label press, the AccurioLabel 230 (AL230), enabling the company to now offer a complete end-to-end label solution in the market. It says the GM units’ compatibility with the AL230 offers speed, quality, better registration, productivity, and stability.

James Rolland, technical sales specialist, industrial print, Konica Minolta, said, “Partnering with GM means that customers, particularly in the label converting and manufacturing industries, will now have the option to source a complete label printing and finishing solution from Konica Minolta, which is backed up by the service and support they have come to expect. For printers, access to a complete label print solution that can both print and finish means they can diversify into a high growth area very easily.”

Uffe Nielsen, CEO, GM, said, “The DC350Nano is available for demonstration in the Sydney showroom, and can also be shown virtually giving Konica Minolta the ability to demonstrate a complete roll-to-roll finishing label production solution. We are excited about what this new partnership means and are looking forward to sharing success in this fast growing short-run digital label segment.”

The DC350Nano is a 350mm web width converter, designed for small spaces, measuring only 1,600mm x 1,600mm x 1,700mm high. It is an all-in-one solution with lamination, die-cut, and rewind as standard. The company says it is capable of processing up to 45 linear metres per minute in semi-rotary die-cutting mode, with precision cutting to reduce waste, and accurate processing, over a wide range of substrates. It is designed for label converters with a small digital press, or as a backup to an existing finishing line.

The DC330Mini is the next step up, with a web width of 330mm. It is the latest generation of digital label finishing, redesigned to feature new electronics, a newly designed control panel, and an updated user interface. It runs at 80 linear metres per minute in semi rotary mode. The Mini is 2,700mm long, which the company says gives it “a small footprint compared to other solutions.”

Options available include super gloss, spot UV varnishing, hot or cold foiling, lamination, semi-rotary die-cutting, slitting, and rewind. The Mini is a modular system, making it expandable to scale as needed, with new modules able to be added within hours.

The DC330Mini can be run offline, or in-line with the AL230, with the addition of a buffer unit to improve setup time and reduce waste material. Both units are built to high standards and ensure vibration-free operation making them the perfect complement to the AL230.

The Konica Minolta AL230 has now reached sales of 800 units globally, and says the company “features outstanding colour excellence, food-safe Simitri toners, and class-leading resolution equivalent to 3,600 x 1,200dpi.”

James Rolland said, “After evaluating the available options in the market, it was an easy decision for Konica Minolta to partner with GM. The DC350Nano and DC330Mini both offer strong technical capability and are the leading solutions in this space. On a global level, Konica Minolta previously collaborated with GM on other projects, including the development of the AL230.”