Available as of the start of June with a list price circa £160,000, the AccurioLabel 230 (AL230) will replace the AL190. With Konica Minolta taking orders now, the new machine will make its show debut at Labelexpo in Belgium on 24-27 September.
The most significant upgrade to its predecessor is its speed of 23.4m/min. The AL230 can print at full speed on most coated and uncoated papers, PP and PET media.
Industrial print business unit leader Jon Pritchard said: “I think one challenge that customers have when buying their first digital investment is the difference in productivity; they are used to 80m/min on flexo and the typical digital machine goes at 5-10m/min.
“Having gotten used to flexo speeds, it can be challenging to change that mindset. We have been fundamentally working on improving print speeds and have now done so significantly in a way that puts the AL230 alongside high-end toner presses in terms of productivity.
“Customers want an entry-level price point with the performance of higher-end presses and because of the capabilities of this press we will be marketing to all sizes of printers in all areas of the sector. At this price, there is nothing in the marketplace that can compete.”
Konica Minolta developed its AccurioLabel 230 machine in collaboration with Grafisk Maskinfabrik in Denmark.
Alongside its increased speed, the AL230 can print at its highest resolution of 1,200dpi for runs of up to 1,000m without the need for recalibration.
It can be configured with an overprinting option to allow for seamless printing onto pre-printed media, such as overprinting on flexo white for clear PP labels, and has a built-in speed detector for media feeding to cut paper waste and increase registration accuracy.
Pritchard said R&D for the next generation of the AccurioLabel line would be carried out in Japan, though the manufacturer’s UK representatives would be listening to clients for suggestions on improvements to be made in the future.
“We have only been serving the label market for around three or four years,” he said. “We already have more than 350 installs worldwide and are becoming a significant presence as we continue to make improvements to our machinery.”
