The 2.5m Durst Rho 1312 and 1330 are enhance versions of the Rho 1000 series printers, the Rho 1012 and 1030 respectively, featuring a productivity boost and an advanced media transport with a higher vacuum.
Both printers are approximately 25% faster than their 1000 series counterparts, with the Rho 1312 capable of 620sqm/hr and the Rho 1330 capable of 1,250sqm/hr, compared with 490sqm/hr and 1,000sqm/hr respectively for the Rho 1012 and Rho 1030.
The new devices also feature what Durst calls Gradual Flow Printing, which prints a 1.25x2.5m image with a wide array that does not need to scan back and forth across the media.
The media remains stationery during printing, while low UV pinning of the ink film during printing fixes the image, enabling curing to take place in an external UV dryer, leading to improved printing on heat-sensitive materials and corrugated board.
Colour configurations are the same on the 1300 and 1000 series, with standard CMYK and optional light cyan, light, magenta and process colour addition (orange plus either green or violet).
Like their 1000 series counterparts, the suffix for each of the 1300 series devices refers to the drop size (12pl or 30pl). Roll-to-roll as well as roll-to-sheet options are available for both machines, as well as 3/4 or full automation.
The Rho 1300 series printers and the challenges of digital workflow were the main focus of the two-day event, which featured partner presentations from PrePress Digital, Caldera and Esko Graphics.
Markus Lorenz, partner and managing director of the Boston Consulting Group, also gave a presentation highlighting the potential growth of digital printing in the packaging industry, which currently accounts for just 5% of production volume but is forecast to reach 8-10% by 2019.
This growth is based on the migration of some volume from offset to digital, together with a 4.3% annual increase in corrugated packaging volumes to 114,000 tons in 2019.
Christoph Gamper, chief executive of Durst Phototechnik, said: "We are overwhelmed by the positive feedback and the high number of participants. This is confirmation of the digital growth potential for the packaging industry.
"We are the first manufacturer to develop corrugated applications. Today, we present the Rho 1300 Series, the highest performing digital printing systems available on the market. We provide our customers with a high level of automation and a comprehensive system integration for their respective digital production strategies."
The Durst Inkjet Corrugated Printing Days was attended by more than 120 delegates from 50 European companies.
Pricing for the 1300 series starts from around £700,000 for a basic specification Rho 1312.
