Initially the modular machine was launched to the UK in April, but a host of additional modules, first shown at Cartes in Paris in November are now available to the UK.

According to Kern UK general manager Peter Jolley, the key addition is inline laser etching, which enables the user to laser-etch one or both sides of the card before processing it as normal.

The K90 is available for £240,000, with single sided laser-etching available for an additional £80,000 and double-sided etching for £140,000.

Other additions for the machine include a card carrier, multi-card feeder for the gift card market, and a read/print mode which reads a card’s ID.

Jolley added that there would be further additional modules available in 2012.

He said: "What everybody is trying to do at the moment is take steps out of the process, everybody wants more of that. The laser-etcher offers that and we are in discussions at the moment about other processes that will take steps out."