The machine was installed at Kalas’ Boston, Lincolnshire premises in April to support the recent installation of the UK’s first HP Indigo 30000 Digital Press. It was manufactured by Duran Machinery and supplied by Duran’s UK agent Friedheim International.
Kalas had previously been focused on label products for the horticultural industry, but is now looking to expand into the carton market with the Indigo and gluer working in tandem.
Sales director Matt Evans said: “We’ve not put too many jobs through it yet as we are still in the commissioning phase with the 30000 but we needed a complete production line. To produce cartons fully in-house using the 30000 we already had the die-cutting facility but needed the glue line."
The Indigo was slated to be fully up-and-running by January but Evans said the company had experienced “teething problems” with the installation and commissioning process. He said, however, that these issues have now been resolved.
The Omega folder-gluer can perform a variety of folds at up to 400m/min, taking sheets of up to 720mm in width. Kalas’ machine has the option to be retrofitted with Omega’s Braille Embossing System, which Evans said the business may opt for if it attains certification to print for the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. It already has BRC food accreditation and other certification processes are "currently under consideration".
“Because of the nature of the 30000 we were not really bothered about the speed, it’s more the fast makeready times and reduced wastage,” he added.
“We wanted a machine that was of a compatible sheet size to the HP 30000, which is also the same sheet size we work to throughout our factory, and we wanted it to be capable of short, fast makereadies. There were very few others.”
Kalas managing director Jonathan Padley said that the machine would be "proving its worth" if it tackled products for the pharmaceutical and healthcare markets.
14-staff Kalas also runs a KBA Karat and houses a range of finishing equipment, including Bobst die-cutters for its horticultural labels.
