The centrepiece of its stand at LabelExpo in Brussels was 'inc.pod', a three-walled display intended to show off the latest developments in Ink.jet's coding technology. The display will also feature on E&B's Ipex stand.
Topping the bill will be the MPP system, which is capable of running on four, eight or 16 heads. The eight-head version has a print width of 100mm, while the 16-head version can cover 200mm. While the four-head has been available for two years, the eight- and 16-head versions have just recently been released.
“The MPP system is a more robust version of Inc.jet’s previously-released MC system,” said E&B chairman Iain Buckham. “It allows for more functionality and its increased head capacity allows it to take on larger jobs.”
Merthyr Tydfil-based printer Stephens & George (S&G) installed a four-head MPP system this summer as part of the first integration on a new Sitma machine, rather than a retrofit as before.
S&G group bindery manager Marcus Partridge said his company chose the MPP system because “it is more user-friendly, greener, reliable and cost-effective than our old CIJ system”.
Alongside the UK debut of the MPP, E&B will also be showing the Integra lifting belt, which was developed and manufactured in the UK by the Alton-based company’s own engineers.
It is able to lift a product, including a single carrier sheet, off the main drive conveyor of the main transport, such as a wrapping or envelope enclosing line. The product can then be precisely controlled for inkjet printing.
Described by E&B as “unique to the market”, it will be central to their Ipex display which will also include three more of Inc.jet’s inkjet systems – MC, Uno, and Core – and a sample maker from Array Graphic using the Uno technology, which visitors will be able to use to print designs on to any product they brought along.
Buckham said: “With the combination of the different systems, we want customers to know they can print on to almost any substrate they want to.
“These six items are all compact but they could make a huge difference to a company’s profitability and productivity. We intend to show Ipex visitors how simple it is to update their systems with maximum impact.”
Regulars at Ipex since the 1950s, Buckham said the event is key to help E&B to tap into the “very important market” in the UK. “Obviously Ipex changed in a way people didn’t like last time by going to London, but now it is back in Birmingham and a lot of our usual customers have returned,” he said.
“It won’t be the same as what it used to be, but our presence there will be bigger than it was at the last Drupa so we hope to see lots of customers old and new interested in the dynamic way we will be displaying the products we have on offer.”
E&B comprises 25 staff across its Alton headquarters and Petersfield factory.
