The waterless B3 press will be launched at Ipex. It will be available in four- and five-colour versions and a four-colour plus coater model is in the pipeline.

KBA UK managing director Christian Knapp said the firm would take orders at Ipex and expected the first machines to ship to the UK in the autumn. No price is available yet but Knapp said it would be "keen".

"With our DI and conventional presses we now have a rounded-out product range with something for everybody," he said.

The Genius is manufactured under an OEM agreement by Metronic, based close to KBAs Wrzburg home. Metronic will sell it in its specialist market areas of plastics and foils, while KBA will focus on print.

"Its a truly interesting product for all those GTO and Speedmaster 52 users out there," Knapp said.

The Genius printing units are positioned in V-shaped assemblies around a central impression cylinder. And, in common with KBAs 74 Karat, it features keyless inking units with anilox rollers and doctor blades.

It weighs in at four tonnes and the five-colour has a footprint of 9m2. It can handle a broad range of paper and cartonboard and, in conjunction with a UV package, can handle plastic and film up to 0.8mm. It will run with Presstek, KPG or Toray waterless CTP plates, or Torays waterless analogue plates.

KBA will show the Genius alongside its first B3 press, the 46 Karat DI, launched last November as part of a strategic alliance with Presstek. Knapp said he was "very optimistic" of securing sales rights for the 46 in the UK shortly.

KBA will also debut its inline aqueous coating unit for the B2 74 Karat at Ipex. The optional coater "dramatically" increases the machines range of applications, said KBA.

By Lauretta Roberts