Adding printers in addition to the Dyss X7 digital cutters that it already sold alongside its KaseMake software enables the firm to offer a complete print and cut system to customers.

"Print was the missing piece of the jigsaw," said AG/CAD general manager Paul Andrade. "Increasingly our business is about the point-of-sale display market and away from packaging prototyping to production."

The Apollo GH2200 that will be exhibited uses 16 Ricoh Gen4 printheads offering CMYK light cyan and light magenta, white and clear inks. It uses variable droplet sizes from 7pl up at a maximum resolution of 1,270x1,220dpi. The range includes machines in both hybrid and flatbed configurations in widths from 1.6m to 2.6m-wide and is available with between eight and 24 printheads with a maximum throughput of 110sqm per hour.

"Flatbed UV printing is a highly competitive market but this is a very competent machine with a good mix of productivity and quality," said Andrade.

Version 10 of the KaseMake software includes a news IN3D store visualiser feature to enable clients to see a representation of their packages and displays units in-situ. Other new features include additions to the library of 3D design templates for packaging and display units, in particular more free-standing display units (FSDU) and templates optimised for honeycomb boards such as Hexacomb and Re-board.

"Visualiser was a logical addition to the 3D side of our software," said Andrade. "People want to see their products in a retail environment, and this enables a walk-through – it’s a bit like being in a video game."