At the Pre-Drupa Media Conference held at Messe Düsseldorf, Hiroshi Kida, corporate VP and executive general manager of Fujifilm’s Graphic Communications division, spoke about the company’s history, with the overall group celebrating its 90th anniversary this year.
He said Drupa 2024 would be the first major exhibition since it combined its graphics businesses, leveraging Fujifilm’s strengths across its broad analogue-to-digital offering for the printing industry.
“This change has enabled us to bring together a unique outstanding portfolio, which nobody else has,” he stated.
Hiroaki Shimosaka, senior general manager at the Graphic Communications division and GM for Digital Printing, was visibly enthused, and said: “I’m very, very happy and excited to be here back in Düsseldorf!
“But after eight years, why not be excited? This is now a very, very powerful business and it’s the start of our journey. So, fusion and evolution are in progress.”
Fujifilm has taken on additional space in Hall 8b and plans to use every cm.
Launches will include new mid-range models in its line-up of Revoria toner-based presses to boost the offering in that portfolio.
The new Revorias are different from those launched last autumn. The new Revorias will be equipped with speciality colour technology.
The B2 duplexing Revoria Press GC12500 toner device will be shown with post-press finishing and a robotic paper handling workflow.
“This machine goes beyond the limits of dry toner technology,” Shimosaka stated.
“It’s easy operation, as if you were using an A3 dry toner device.”
Technology demonstrations will include: “the world's first pressure adhesive toner" that promises the ability to add adhesive for, eg, peel-apart direct mail products all in one process.
Also new is “RGB colour gamut printing with a new speciality colour”.
An inline bookletmaking module will be shown in partnership with Plockmatic Group.
Drupa will also be the global launch for the Jet Press 1160CFG continuous feed inkjet, featuring Fujifilm paper stabilisation tech that he said would “overcome most difficulties” of high-speed inkjet printing.
Fujifilm’s high-speed inkjet reel-fed devices have only been available in Japan and Asia up until now, and where it has installed 150 units already of the 160m/min 1160CF device.
Fujifilm now has more than 300 Jet Press B2 inkjet presses running around the world, and at Drupa the 750HS fourth-generation press will be the focus.
On the wide-format front, new AquaFuze ink technology is said to combine the benefits of traditional UV curing with aqueous ink. It uses micro capsule know-how originally developed for thermal paper.
An Innovation Zone will feature Fujifilm Dimatix printheads and inks, including the new DE1024 Digital Embellishment Printbar for varnishes.
A new printhead is also promised, with details under wraps until the show.
Fujifilm has five orders in hand for its Jet Press FP790 flexible packaging inkjet press, including a second press for Eco Flexibles in Northampton, which recently installed the first FP790 outside of Japan.
