Inkjet ink expert Agfa has teamed up with laminate manufacturer UNILIN to deliver “a breakthrough for digital production printing of laminate flooring and furniture.” The new technology will be presented at the upcoming InPrint 2019 show in Munich.
"UNILIN and Agfa joined forces to investigate the feasibility of deploying inkjet printing for high-volume, high-speed production printing of decor paper used for laminate flooring and furniture," said a media release.
“At InPrint, they will present the outcome of their cooperation: specialized water-based ink-primer sets for high-speed roll-to-roll digital printing on decor paper for laminate flooring and furniture. The combination of dedicated, conventionally coated primers from UNILIN and perfectly matched Agfa pigmented inkjet inks delivers a wide colour gamut with amazing print quality and low ink consumption. Sharply priced, these ink-primer sets will be competing head-to-head with high-volume gravure printing.”
Tom Cloots, director Industrial Inkjet at Agfa, said: “As it is a digital process, inkjet printing can be used during the full life cycle of a design – from the start-up with a very small run, through high-volume production, up to the last few print batches when a specific design is being phased out. This flexibility enables a quick response to market needs, while minimizing unprofitable stock levels.”
Visitors to InPrint 2019 will be able to discover a wide range of laminate samples and discuss the benefits of the dedicated ink-primer sets with experts from both companies.
“Integration within existing manufacturing facilities is easy as this innovative technology is fully compatible with conventional processing including impregnation, pressing, cutting and milling,” said Jasmine Geerinckx, business development manager UNILIN, division technologies.
Meet Agfa and UNILIN at InPrint, booth 510 (Munich, 12-14 November).
Applications Stage, Thursday November 14, 11:00 am:
A quantum leap in digital printing of laminate flooring & furniture – presented by Marc Graindourze, business development manager Industrial Inks, Agfa, and Jasmine Geerinckx, business development manager UNILIN, division technologies
Belgium-based Agfa develops, produces and distributes an extensive range of imaging systems and workflow solutions for the printing industry. Its production and research centres are located in Belgium, the US, Canada, Germany, France, the UK, Austria, China and Brazil.
UNILIN is a global manufacturer of laminate flooring, engineered wood flooring, wood-based boards, melamine boards and roofing systems. UNILIN is a member of the Mohawk group, the world’s largest flooring company, with sales in over 170 countries and over 40,000 employees.