The Royal Group (TRG), one of the largest independent corrugated box and display manufacturers in the USA, with more than 30 locations nationwide, has invested in a Delta SPC 130 Automatic single-pass inkjet press from Koenig & Bauer Durst to provide mass customisation and high-volume, fully automated digital production to its customers.
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| The Delta SPC 130 is the result of a 50/50 joint venture between Koening & Bauer and Durst, established in April 2019 |
The six-color press, now installed at TRG’s Mid-Atlantic Packaging site near Philadelphia, gives customers the flexibility to print unique versions of high-quality graphics for brands and brand extensions, allowing for mass customisation of corrugated cartons at a large scale.
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| Royal Group's Philadelphia, USA plant |
It’s one of many TRG solutions, which range in scope from industrial packaging and brown box shipping containers to high-end graphic packaging, e-commerce, in-store displays and shelf-ready packaging. These products serve a diverse array of markets, including retail, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, health and beauty, agriculture, tech and home goods, among others.
From traditional to digital print
The Delta SPC 130 Automatic, with its sustainable food grade certified water-based ink technology, provides specific solutions for the food and retail packaging and display industry.The new single-pass press reduces lead times and provides excellent print quality, equivalent to flexo and offset production. Transferring work from traditional to digital production will empower TRG to meet customer needs as the demand for both corrugated packaging and speed to market grow. The printer’s expanded color range, adding orange and purple to the CMYK color gamut, allows it to achieve more than 90% of the 3,000+ Pantone colors, including spot colours for specific brands.
“As both a producer and a converter of corrugated packaging, The Royal Group has made significant investments to acquire the best machinery available in the industry,” says TRG’s Chief Executive Officer Bob McIlvaine. “The investment in the Delta SPC 130 for our Mid-Atlantic site underpins our commitment to process improvement. It will enable us to provide highly automated, world-class printing capabilities at speed while remaining as flexible as possible for our clients as we continue to grow our business. Digital packaging is the future — and we aim to satisfy our customers and meet their needs with innovative solutions.”
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| Uncoated corrugated up to 12mm thick can be printed |
“Successful companies such as TRG embrace trends and offer high-impact solutions for their customers,” says Koenig & Bauer Durst Managing Director Robert Stabler. Brand owners want shorter lead times, sustainable manufacturing practices and products that stand out. The Delta SPC 130 Automatic meets all those needs while providing customers with the latest, most reliable and cost effective production method available. We’re happy to deliver a solution that gives both TRG and its customers the capability and competency to mass customize without compromising quality.”
The Delta SPC 130 prints with a maximum of 6 colours on small formats from 500 x 600 mm through to very large formats with maximum dimensions of 1,300 x 2,100 (optionally 1,300 x 2,800 mm) and a maximum thickness of 12 mm. Maximum productivity at 600dpi is 120 metres/minute, while maximum resolution is 800dpi. The print bars, known as Quadro and with Durst's own ink recirculating system, are fixed for 'single pass' printing as the corrugated board passes underneath. The printheads currently used are Fujifilm Dimatix Q-class delivering 14 picolitre droplets, with the higher resolution Samba G5Ls under consideration.
https://www.koenig-bauer-durst.com/products/spc
