The MGI Group will present the new AlphaJET Industrial Print Factory, to be demonstrated with six combined B1 inkjet printing and embellishment functions.
It will be presented at the Paris All4Pack exhibition, from 26-29 November. The AlphaJET is also designed with expansion capabilities for the implementation of Printed Electronic (PE) circuitry applications such as chipless RFID/NFC antennas and OLED flexible screen technology.
The six combined B1 inkjet printing and embellishment functions include:
• White UV Pigment Ink.
• 2D/3D UV Clear Varnish Ink.
• Aqueous CMYK Printing Ink.
• Inline Substrate Sheet Priming.
• Three Curing Methods: LED, IR and UV.
• Variable Embossed Foil Decorating.
In recognition of the significant industry achievement involved in developing the first hybrid digital press for integrated UV/Aqueous printing, packaging and decorative applications, an international All4Pack committee of expert judges has honoured MGI with the prestigious 2018 Innovation Award.
The AlphaJET performance will also mark the public debut of a new MGI partnership with MemJet. The AlphaJET uses the new Memjet DuraLink ink modules and print heads for CMYK colour impressions with 1600dpi resolution. The White and Clear varnish inks take advantage of UV inkjet technology for a revolutionary best-of-breed convergence of digital printing methods. This powerful array of high-speed ink deposition processes allows the AlphaJET to both print and embellish corrugated flute board, paper, plastic and synthetic substrates at 1800 B1 sheets (70.7 x 100cm/28×40”) per hour.
MGI’s product development focus for the AlphaJET is to consolidate the functionality of traditionally separate, disconnected operational workflows, such as primer coating, printing and embellishment and converting, into a single combined ‘All-in-One’ Industrial Print Factory for complete job management.
The AlphaJET also has extraordinarily versatile substrate management capabilities for folding carton materials, corrugated flute board and other specialty stocks and rigid materials such as wood, metal and glass. It features a unique, circular transport carousel with an intelligent tray feeding system for multi-directional ink application to optimise print quality on a very wide range of substrates. The motorised electro-magnetic conveyer rails and intelligent AIS Smartscanner software provides accurate and secure print registration with an unprecedented precision tolerance of only 5 microns (.005mm) on each piece.
The significant advancement of uniting CMYK AQ printing and White/Clear UV decorative ink technologies in a single, inline press workflow provides strength and power for targeting the entire spectrum of retail consumer packaging applications, including new rapidly growing food and child-safe product segments that typically require aqueous-based ink solutions.
Industry analysts have estimated that approximately 25% of all materials printed worldwide are packaging-related products. The AlphaJET architecture has been designed to allow printers and converters to maximise profitability and capture new opportunities in this high-growth sector.
The print enhancement functionality can also blend visual images with alpha-numeric text to produce attractive security and anti-counterfeiting Variable Data Holograms (VDH) for retail brand distribution.
In addition to the AlphaJET, MGI will be exhibiting the award-winning JETvarnish 3D Evolution B1 sheet-fed and JETvarnish 3D Web roll-fed digital enhancement presses at All4Pack. MGI’s Global Partner, Konica Minolta will be demonstrating the dynamic flexibility of their AccurioLabel 190 digital press.
The strength of the MGI and Konica Minolta alliance will be on display throughout the premier three day packaging industry event with samples of digitally-enriched folding carton boxes, labels and flexible packaging products – including AlphaJET-generated ‘Smart Packaging’ examples of RFID/NFC/OLED Printed Electronics applications – available for attendees, analysts and the media.
