Panther Print achieves a world record in flexo preprint with technology from BOBST

Specifically, the BOBST 96S – the latest generation of this machine is called the BOBST MASTER CI 90 SIX – printed 1,174,000 m2 of linerboard at an average speed of 489 m/min and 48,917 m2/h within one day. In other words, including roll and job changes, the press was run practically constantly close to its maximum output of 600 m/min. One of the challenges was the internal logistics.

The excitement was in the air and the smell of printing ink filled the room as Wustermark aimed for a new daily volume record. In general, the technology and the solid construction of the BOBST 96S give the user every opportunity to achieve the highest print quality and productivity in four-layer flexo preprint. But if you want to fully explore the performance limits of such a high-performance machine with an impressive XXL printing width of 2,800 mm, you need ambitious and well-trained employees - who are the pride of Panther Print. Printing is the passion of the entire team, which the world record impressively underlines.

The experienced printers are masters of their craft and do everything to ensure that Panther Print meets the highest quality requirements. They have always loved the highly automated BOBST flexo printing machine that they installed here in 2010. In this print shop, the machine's unique performance data interact ideally with very high-quality printing plates (clichés) and excellent printing tools. All of this enables printers to keep pushing the limits of quality in flexo preprints.

The BOBST 96S installed at Panther Print is equipped with eight inking units on the central cylinder and a separate coating unit. Its high degree of automation in the set-up process and in tool handling, the fully automatic printing cylinder store and the automatic splicing at speeds of up to 450 m/min enable the fastest job changes. A particular highlight of the machine is the BOBST smartGPS system. This innovative offline system for registering and providing prints uses the latest RFID technology and significantly reduces both machine set-up times and waste. The resulting reduction in ink, material and energy consumption benefits the sustainability of packaging production and improves the ecological balance of the products manufactured in Wustermark.

With the commissioning of the world's first BOBST 96S with a printing width of 2,800 mm, Panther Print, as one of the largest privately owned packaging manufacturers, made its mark on the market at the time. This high-performance printing machine places special demands on the mechanical engineering. Its entire technology, including the drying performance and ink supply, is designed to enable top performance in continuous operation. From the point of view of the Panther Group, the strengths of the flexo preprint are particularly evident with high screen rulings on grammage-independent, coated liners. The company also uses the BOBST 96S to print on the thinnest kraft and testliner papers from a basis weight of just 35 g/m2 and is also following the principle of sustainability by using ever thinner papers. Thanks to this capacity, Panther Print can produce between 150 and 200 million square meters of linerboard of the highest quality every year. Panther Print has received many awards for its achievements with the BOBST 96S, including the DFTA award, the most important German award for print quality.