The new "second generation" Stora Enso Gallop Powered by Xerox is launched this spring, with the new, larger sheet size Xerox iGen4(TM) EXP press and an enhanced coating unit. The new edition of Gallop supports the biggest sheet size in the digital printing market and has an integrated inline inspection system and a new technology for coating.
The requirements in pharmaceutical carton manufacturing are very demanding. Therefore Stora Enso Gallop is featuring new developments and improvements to its inline package printing line introduced in 2008. With the new Xerox iGen4(TM) EXP press the printing area has increased by 15 %, and the line now supports 364 x 660 mm (14.33 x 26 inches) sheets, allowing many more package blanks to be printed, coated and die-cut on one sheet.
Coating technology has been enhanced by the new coating unit, Stora Enso Pinta, especially designed for digital packaging production. Set-up times have been minimised by using a sleeve which is easily replaced for new jobs, and an automated cleaning system increases the coater's total efficiency. Water-based coating is applied for the production of pharmaceutical packages, but ultraviolet coating is also available as an option. The buffering stacker is integrated in the coating unit and forms a sheet pile to be passed to the Gallop DC 66 die cutter. The coater is also available as standalone version.
An image inspection system has been integrated for in-line checking of the printed characters of every single sheet. The inspection takes place immediately after printing and covers every sheet - even the smallest text flaws or dirt are reliably detected. In pharmaceutical packaging it is essential that all details printed on the carton and leaflets are complete and correct and leave no room for misunderstandings.
Job integrity is guaranteed by using a 2-D scanner at the Stora Enso Gallop DC 66 die-cutter. The system checks 2-D codes from each sheet; if there is a discrepancy, operations are stopped.
Digitally printed packages already achieve a major share of the market in several segments, such as pharmaceutical products, media, software and consumer electronics, with their specific needs for multiple language versions of varying sizes. The second generation Gallop will extend the profitability of digitally printing package blanks to areas we have not yet seen: food and confectionery, seasonal specials and even cosmetics packaging.
"We are committed to continuing our innovative development work on the digital printing of packages. This is what the increasing versatility of consumer goods marketing needs," says Ismo Saarinen, Vice President of Stora Enso New Packaging Solutions.
"Optimising the latest developments in Xerox's iGen technology, coupled with Stora Enso's new finishing technologies delivers an unparalleled solution for digitally produced short-run folding carton production," said Valerie Thomassin, Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing, Xerox Europe. "The second generation Stora Enso Gallop will enable brand owners to achieve an increased return on marketing investment. Converters will be able to produce more jobs and satisfy the growing requirement for zero inventory and on-demand supply chains."
