The new models were previewed at Ipex last year and became commercially available in January, with around five UK installations since then. According to Morgana offline business vice-president Ray Hillhouse, they have been “performing very well”.
The semi-automatic entry-level 450, which has a manual feed and an option to add a deep-pile stacker, is priced at around £12,000. The Pro version features a high-pile automatic feeder and is priced at around £19,000.
“Feeding tech is relatively new, and the Pro 450 comes with a great vacuum feeder,” said Hillhouse. “This unique design allows for uninterrupted long runs and hours’ worth of production. No longer is the operator tied up by manual feeding work.
“Our new machines are very topical and fashionable; a lot of people are very interested in lamination as more is becoming possible with digital print. The process has certainly come back into vogue.
“We have also seen an increase in demand for foiling as techniques have developed, as it was quite challenging and expensive with digital before. For a limited time, to meet demand, we will be provided the 450 and Pro 450 with foiling fitted as standard.”
The Pro 450 is designed for “heavy-duty” work, according to Hillhouse, and features an integrated compressor and pneumatic system for lamination on litho and digitally printed work measuring up to 450x700mm. It has a compact footprint of 1.7mx630mm.
Both machines are based on designs from Barcelona-based manufacturer Tauler, that has been making laminating machines “for longer than I can count”, according to Hillhouse.
Morgana has not confirmed plans to showcase the new laminators at any UK shows this year so far, though it will be basing some events around the celebration of its 40th year in business across 2018. In March, it will host Kodak, OKI, Vpress, and Antalis at its Milton Keynes showroom for an event to showcase innovation in digital print.
The £15m-turnover finishing systems manufacturer and distributor employs a team of 75 staff.
