Xeikon launches press at drupa

During the recent Xeikon Cafe event in Antwerp, Belgium, Benoit Chatelard, President of Xeikon, exclusively discussed with our freelance editor, Nick Coombes, on the company’s development work in the corrugated market. Although still very much ‘under wraps’, through the auspices of the Flint Group, which acquired Xeikon in 2015, the company is working on a high-speed inkjet press for the post-print sector of the corrugated board market.

Offering single-pass production using Flint’s specially developed water-based inks, the target is for a 1600mm wide machine (and later 2400mm) capable of running at speeds up to 150m/min (10,000 sheets/hour), and at the same time having a low capex level. “There is no point in competing directly with existing technology – we need to find and supply niche markets that will benefit from our short lead times and ability to differentiate each box, if required,” he explained.

With Drupa 2020 as a target for launch, Xeikon still has development work to carry out and Beta sites to identify. It is planned to show the machine with feeding and stacking units, and this will require establishing working partnerships with ancillary equipment manufacturers. “Our aim is to cater for board from 1.5mm to 11mm thickness, and essential to the whole operation will be installing the right workflow from software to delivery – so we still have plenty to do!” he concluded.