Visitors to COMPETENCE 18, this year’s Open House event at Bobst's lobal headquarters, will have the opportunity to observe firsthand what Bobt's sees as the future of the printing and converting industries. Solutions to some of the key trends facing packaging converters – such as the need for shorter runs, greater versatility, e-commerce and constant innovation – will be presented at the Competence Center of Bobst Mex, Switzerland, June 5-8, 2018. Attendees will see live demonstrations of selected Bobst machines, and hear from Bobst Services on new developments.

Focus on Innovation
COMPETENCE visitors 18 will see the full range of Bobst expertise in printing technologies displayed together for the first time at the event. Bobst produces machinery for the printing of labels, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated boards with a comprehensive array of technologies, including gravure, flexo and inkjet including multi-process printing). In terms of available press layout and configurations, there is web-fed or sheet-fed; reel to reel, reel to sheet, sheet to sheet. And in the case of multi-process lines from reel or sheet to the diecut boxes or labels in one pass, there is central impression or inline configurations, narrow to extra-large-web, and a long list of capabilities and available options. According to Bobst, the wide range of solutions it offers makes it the only manufacturer covering all applications in the labels, flexible materials, folding carton and corrugated board segments.

“We’ve always addressed market trends and delivered on challenges and needs from our clients,” comments Federico D’Annunzio, Strategic Products Marketing Director, Bobst Business Unit Web-fed. “We also have a record of anticipating market change by introducing new innovative developments and concepts that move away from conventional design and build towards the future of the printing industry."

Smart evolution
Bobst has always been keen to address the challenges converters face in delivering on both brand owners’ and consumers’ requirements. For example, Bobst is touted as was one of the initiators of the move towards the game-changing application of fixed color palette printing in the packaging industry.  This has been achieved within the framework of an integrated digital production workflow from pre-press to output. This is capable of supporting from the technical and profit-generating viewpoints the evolution of market demands towards increasingly shorter run production, shorter lead times, lean manufacturing and conservation of resources.

The main advantages of the Extended Color Gamut (ECG):

• It guarantees brand owners perfect color matching of their packaging worldwide, irrespective of the geographical location of the printing facilities or the different ability of the press operators
• By reproducing up to 85% of the Pantone scale, there is no need to keep huge inventories of spot colors. These can however be added, if required
• It saves time in job make-ready and changeovers as there is no need for color matching, print unit washing and ink changing
• It considerably reduces the consumption of substrates, inks, and solvents
• It delivers a better print quality due to higher lines/in, and consistently run after run
• It speeds up the time to market and speeds up turnaround

In 2013, Bobst launched the REVO Digital Flexo project, a concept applicable to its range of web-fed narrow web inline flexo presses. Developed within a technology team of leading industry partners, Bobst says REVO has succeeded in making available to converters a turnkey 7-color Extended Color Gamut (ECG) printing process and digitized workflow just as suitable for labels, flexible and carton packaging production. REVO is a closed loop solution with fixed partners for consumables, hardware and software equipment and devices.

In 2017, Bobst introduced a fixed color palette for corrugated board post print – the THQ (Très Haute Qualité) FlexoCloud technology. All spot colors are realized from the process colors and there is an integrated process with printing plates and inks from exclusive suppliers and a cloud application for coordinating production. THQ technology also enables new and unique security features required by brand owners.

“Bobst was an initiator of the industry move towards the fixed color palette printing, which is a strategy we are committed to, at Group level,” explains Federico D’Annunzio, “We continue to progress by delivering solutions that deliver the best overall results for converters in the light of the characteristics of some industry segments which might not yet be suitable for a standardization of the whole process."

This is why the ECG system introduced in 2018 for Bobst wide-web CI flexo printing presses is an open system. “We looked at making the ECG process always work optimally on our latest 20SEVEN CI flexo press, be it with solvent-based or water-based inks, and with different pre-press suppliers. To that end, we have introduced a test certification system for suppliers that can ensure our customers of the quality of the results on the Bobst CI flexo presses which use the Extended Color Gamut process,” he concludes.

During the COMPETENCE 18 Open House, experts in substrate processing, converting and printing will be on hand for updates on the latest solutions in the range of Bobst gravure printing presses, and on solutions by Mouvent, the digital printing competence center of the Bobst Group.

The Open House will also highlight several other solutions from Bobst, including:

Hot foil stamper

• EXPERTFOIL 142: The only genuine solution for hot foil stamping in format size VI available on the market today – an essential advantage when margins are tight.

Diecutters

• MASTERCUT 145 PER and MASTERCUT 106 PER: The most automated and productive die-cutters on the market. These high-speed machines deliver fast, uninterrupted production and a superb quality of the finished product.

Folder-gluers

• MASTERFOLD 75 with EASYFEEDER / BATCH INVERTER 4 + CARTONPACK 4 / CASE ERECTOR: The world's fastest, most automated, most versatile and most ergonomic folder-gluer line. It can be set up in minutes and delivers efficient and reliable non-stop production of outstanding quality products.
• MASTERFOLD 230 with GYROBOX XL: With its modular design, single box set-up and superb reliability, this machine is built to last, and it is perfectly placed to meet not only your current production needs, but also any future changes in your business and markets. With GYROBOX XL, it can rapidly produce complex designs in a single pass, particularly e-commerce boxes.
• EXPERTFOLD 110: This extremely versatile folder-gluer allows you to produce an impressive number of box styles in a wide range of materials at speeds of up to 450 meters per minute. Easy to operate, it delivers both striking productivity and boxes of unrivalled quality. SPEEDWAVE 2 can be added, mainly for the production of crash-lock bottom boxes, and dramatically reduces the set-up time and ensures maximum productivity. A range of other modules can be installed, including IMPACK packers.
• EXPERTFOLD 165 and SPEEDPACK fully automatized line: Designed to provide complete control during the folding process, whatever type of corrugated board or litho-laminated boxes you produce. SPEEDPACK is the natural extension of a corrugated folder gluer - delivering perfect and smooth high speed packing, all day, every day. Along with amazing speed, this automated corrugated box packer also offers superb flexibility in its configuration and in the materials and styles it can handle.

In addition, there will be a range of other machine demonstrations available upon request.

Print samples, services and more
Samples displayed in a dedicated area of the Competence Center will show Bobst's comprehensive capabilities and process technologies for printing labels, flexible, folding carton and corrugated boards packaging. A selection of samples printed using the Extended Color Gamut (ECG) process will highlight Bobst's capabilities, including samples from the REVO team in Florence, THQ technology in Lyon and ECG Center of Excellence in Bielefeld. These capabilities are unique in the industry, achieving outstanding results in terms of output quality and workflow efficiency with every printing technology and on different substrates.
A static module of Bobst M8 LEMANIC inline flexo printing press will be available for viewing. Featuring web widths up to 1070 mm and speeds up to 400 m/min, with option of ink types, drying systems, and reel-to-reel, reel-to-sheet or reel-to-blank, the new web-fed machine is ideally suited to meet the growing demand of the folding carton segment. 

As well as seeing the machines and their outputs first-hand, attendees will also have the opportunity to hear about some of Bobst's unique service offerings:

• Connected Services: The benefits of partnering with Bobst do not finish after a machine is purchased. Bobst is leading innovation of connected services that boost productivity and profitability for owners of Bobst machines. There will be live demonstrations of the entire portfolio of available services.
• Tooling: Exceptional equipment deserves exceptional tooling. Bobst tooling solutions provide optimized productivity on any die-cutter. All tools satisfy the same quality and reliability requirements that underpin our reputation. There will be the opportunity to consult with tooling experts on how to manufacture tools that optimize quality.
• Digital Inspection Table: This is a novel technology designed to drive quality assurance, productivity and virtually remove print production errors. It incorporates digital projection for the proofing of printed sheets and diecut blanks, whilst providing real-time visual representations to match product with digital proofs. Attendees can find out how it uses HD projectors to illuminate the product sample with quality control imaging, enabling the operator to easily see if quality standards are matched or compromised.

“We are excited to welcome representatives from the folding carton, corrugated board and flexible materials industries to our Open House event,” says Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO. “We believe that the line-up this year offers the most comprehensive line-up of future-ready innovation available in the industry today. For the first time we will showcase substrate processing, printing and converting in one single event, as we believe that the integration of these three processes is key for our clients who each day cope with the new requirements of brand owners. Having all these innovations in one place makes us all very proud to be part of a pioneering organization shaping the future of the packaging industry.”