Xeikon has revealed details of its latest Panther inkjet technology, announcing the upcoming launch of the Xeikon PX3300HD, a new 1200 dpi digital press designed for high-quality labels. Set to debut at drupa 2024, the press offers a 330mm printing width and speeds up to 70 m/min, even with high-opacity white printing. The Xeikon PX3300HD utilizes the newly developed PX-Cure LED HD ink series, ensuring optimal curing and supporting sustainability objectives for converters.
Jeroen Van Bauwel, Director Solution Design at Xeikon, explains, “As inkjet technology evolves, there’s a growing demand to update Xeikon’s Panther portfolio with a higher resolution option. Hence, we’re introducing a 1200 dpi engine to complement the existing 600 dpi range. The Xeikon PX3300HD will empower printers to achieve excellent quality at higher productivity levels in a cost-effective manner.”
The Xeikon PX3300HD excels at producing durable, full-color labels for various markets, accurately reproducing up to 88% of Pantone colors within Delta E 2 (rising to 94% within Delta E 3). To meet the requirements of the higher resolution engine, Xeikon developed new PX-Cure LED HD inks. These inks offer sustainability benefits similar to the PantherCure UV LED series for Xeikon 600-dpi inkjet presses, including energy savings and longer lamp life, resulting in less waste.
The new press utilizes Xerox W-Series industrial inkjet printheads with dedicated waveforms and Xeikon’s screening software. It is also prepared for hybrid printing, offering the option to add Xeikon’s modular inline LCUs (Label Converting Units) and a large unwinder for extended production runs.
The Xeikon PX3300HD’s efficient print workflow is powered by the Xeikon X-800 DFE (Digital Front End), providing faster job turnaround and just-in-time delivery. The software includes Pantone color management, enabling easy conversion of the latest Pantone colors for press and substrates. The press also features an inline camera for quality inspection, adjusting registration and compensating for missing nozzles in an automated way to ensure consistent high quality and extend printhead lifetime.
Van Bauwel concludes, “This extension of Xeikon’s inkjet capabilities offers customers a cost-effective opportunity to scale their businesses, supplying profitable luxury market segments with exceptional productivity and quality. We are currently conducting customer trials and will begin sales at drupa. Attendees are invited to visit Hall 11, booth A01, to experience the PX3300HD 1200 dpi press running live and discuss their future in inkjet for labels and packaging with Xeikon.”