Labelexpo Day 3: Gallus optimises label power

Gallus is showing the whole range of possibilities for digital and conventional label printing and converting with its extensive product range on its stand. The company says it has a focus on digital printing and converting as a growth market.

Dierk Wissmann, ANZ national sales manager for Gallus at Heidelberg, said, “Gallus is showing a raft of innovation on its label printing systems – conventional, hybrid, and digital – as the company builds on its leading position in the market.”

Among the innovations at the show is a digital print bar for digitally printing an opaque white, a new rotary, quick-change die-cutting unit, and further optimised features for conventional narrow web printing on its Labelmaster solutions.

Speaking to Print21, Wissmann said, “The Labelmaster eight-colour, for instance, now has complete job change in less than three minutes, and that includes printing, foiling and die cutting change.”

Wissmann explained that, while the Labelmaster eight-colour has a fixed configuration with two changes possible, the Labelmaster ten-colour Advanced can have virtually unlimited configurations.

Gallus launched the Digital Printbar, an inkjet printing unit designed specifically for digital insetting of opaque, digital white. With a printing width of 430 mm, the new, shiftable Digital Printbar benefits from inkjet-based digital print technology and achieves opacity similar to screen printing, says Gallus.

Gallus is premiering its new Rotary Die-Cut unit for quick change die-cutting formats in less than one minute, and it is being demonstrated at the Gallus Labelmaster. The new solution means die changing can be achieved in less than ten minutes.

The hybrid label press Gallus Labelfire combines industrial inkjet printing with conventional label printing at printing speeds up to 70 m/min. At Labelexpo it is showing a range of digital finishing possibilities with the integrated Digital Embellishment Unit (DEU).

The Gallus Labelfire is designed for digital production of narrow web products, especially self-adhesive labels. The Gallus Labelfire on show comes with a range of finishing possibilities – flexo printing and cold foil embossing, combined with digital finishing with the Digital Embellishment Unit (DEU). If integrated inline, as shown during Labelexpo, the digital finishing technology of the DEU creates tactile relief effects and matt or gloss spot coatings in various thicknesses digitally. The advantages: shorter set-up times, minimised cleaning and no costs for additional tools. Inkjet low migration inks for the Digital Printing Unit (DPU) of the Gallus Labelfire, under the Heidelberg Saphira Digital inks brand, were introduced.

Gallus launched its Your Smoothie programme, to highlight its variable data capabilities with Labelfire. These include iVDP industrial variable data printing for high volume text work, the regular VDP variable data printing and the fVDP full variable data printing for each print different to the next at full speed.

The Gallus Smartfire entry level digital label printing press is also being shown live at Labelexpo, and is attracting plenty of attention. Gallus says it is ideal for short runs, and that this press is a cost-effective, professional solution for anyone who is looking to move into digital label printing.