More than 500 guests experienced the latest developments in package printing at Windmöller & Hölscher's open house on March 27 and 28. Visitors from around the globe attended demonstrations showing how fast an optimized printing processes can be. 

Just 3 hours after a group photo was taken, the image was produced on the new NOVOFLEX II at speeds of 600 m/min. Job changes every 5 minutes demonstrated the efficiency of the W&H machines and intelligent automation systems for short runs. The highlight was the premiere of the NOVOFLEX II high-performance flexographic printing press, which can print the most challenging jobs at maximum speeds.

W&H demonstrated the performance of the new system by switching between two images at a speed of 600 m/min. Both jobs were high line count graphics with particularly hard leading edges of plates. The first image was the group picture taken in the morning. The conversion from image to finished print in 3 hours was made possible by an optimized overall process.

Partner KODAK FLEXCEL used the FLEXCEL NX Ultra solution to produce ready-to-print Ultra plates in less than one hour. The NOVOFLEX II with its clearly structured printing unit as well as automatic storage and sleeve ejection system enables a sleeve change in just a few minutes. The EASY automation modules ensure fast setting as well as impression setting and register setting in less than 90 seconds.

"We wanted to demonstrate that flexo printing, with its high quality and proven process reliability with modern W&H machines and an optimized overall process, enables enormous flexibility and speed. The reactions of the guests showed: We were successful," says Hermann Veismann, head of the printing division at W&H.

The MIRAFLEX from W&H is the market’s best-selling press with more than 650 machines worldwide.  W&H showed the MIRAFLEX II in two versions: The proven dual-port and a new compact single-port that requires less floor space. Thanks to the face-to-face winder configuration on the single-port, there is a central loading and unloading area for the winder, which shortens web and operator distances. In addition to a pure four-color process job, The single-port showed further developments in the fully-integrated VISION print monitoring system.  The audience was particularly interested in the unique heads-up display and the intelligent print defect classification.

"The developments presented are part of our focus on PACKAGING 4.0: intelligent machines, intuitive operation and integrated processes," says Veismann.