Mechanical, modular, money-saving: the compact flexo press that delivers time after time

This is a popular and highly regarded inline flexo press, with over 500 installations worldwide. Because the press is modular and can be tailored to each customer’s needs, equipped with all the necessary add-ons to make a complete portfolio of self-adhesive label applications, BOBST wanted to understand more about how its customers are utilizing the machine and the impact it is having on their business. The feedback provides an eye-opening demonstration of just how easy-to-use the VISION M1 is, and how it delivers consistent performance in quality and repeatability for customers year after year.

The flexible press
The VISION M1 is a very cost-effective, automated modular, flexo press dedicated to label production. It is a mechanical, shaft-driven press, available in two widths – 370mm and 430mm. It’s ideal for converters searching for repeatable high print quality, operational efficiency and flexibility in press configuration. It allows users to print, embellish and die-cut a variety of self-adhesive labels in a single pass, boosting job speed, reducing waste, and keeping costs very competitive.

As a modular press, it is very adaptable, allowing each user to create their own configuration with the numbers of printing units they need. But regardless of the configuration, the machine brings productivity, compactness and consistent quality job after job.

“We have two VISION M1s, and we use one for short runs and the newer one for long runs, usually printing from 10,000 to 80,000 linear meters,” says Juan Casti, Press Operator at Graforsa, a producer of self-adhesive labels for major brands in the fresh and frozen food sectors based in Spain. Both machines at Graforsa are 370 mm wide and configured to print in 8 colors, along with a suite of finishing equipment.

“We choose the machine for each job according to the format to be used to carry out the label production, and according to the magnetic cylinder we have in the machine to optimize the changes and the jobs being inserted. The main objective we want to achieve is that we try not to waste time during job changeovers. If a job of a customer is already in the press and just needs different variations, it takes us only five minutes to switch from variation A to variation B. For a complete job change, it’s about 30 to 45 minutes.

Graforsa has seen significant reductions in both setup and production times, as well as improvements in productivity and margins. Quick and reliable setup and changeovers are enabled by the in-built Flower technology, a feature designed to automate and speed up the job changeover process, minimizing downtime and waste.

In addition, the VISION M1 can be equipped with the Print Tutor camera, which supports fully automatic register setup and control to minimize waste and downtime. A laser-assisted pre-register system for cylinder positioning reduces setup time and improves accuracy.

The fast changeovers are a benefit that many customers appreciate.

“We mostly print self-adhesive labels on the VISION M1,” says Mr Jagannath Wagle, CEO of Sigma, a producer of top-quality labels for businesses based in the UAE. “We print around 350,000 sqm per month on the VISION M1, or one million running meters. Most of our runs are medium length as we usually handle around 30 job changeovers in a single day (made up of three shifts). One of the reasons we chose this press is because of the very fast changeovers and the very low number of failures”.

Simple and sustainable
Another important aspect of the press is the reduction of waste and energy consumption, helping customers to meet their sustainability goals.

The VISION M1 is extremely compact – in less than only seven meters, customers can have eight flexo printing units plus two die-cutting stations. This is extremely beneficial for self-adhesive label production and even more so if embellishment such as cold foil is involved, because the very short web-path means reduced waste of substrate.

It is also extremely simple to use. The easy-to-operate HMI touch panel simplifies machine operation, making the press totally user-friendly even to novice operators.

“We are very happy with the mechanics of the press, it is very handy and easy to use,” says Paolo Gaspari, CEO of Titanform, a specialist printer of adhesive and personalized labels based in San Marino. “Most of our jobs are long runs of simple labels, up to four colors. It’s practical and simple to produce complete, high-quality labels in a single pass. It also has a clear advantage with profitability.”

Indeed, the VISION M1 delivers the best Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for label production , helping customers to boost profitability.

“One of the reasons we chose the VISION M1 is for the price,” says Stylianos Batsios, CEO and Founder of Batsios Labels, a company at the forefront of label manufacturers in Greece. “It is capable of printing on any substrate for self-adhesive labels, and its low maintenance and competitive running costs deliver an excellent Total Cost of Ownership. It’s simple and easy to use, and a great performer for our long-run simple labels.”

“A fantastic piece of engineering”
Regardless of the individual setup of each machine, the VISION M1 enables all of its users to consistently produce high-quality prints at higher speeds, enhancing productivity and meeting increasing customer demands for speed and quality.

“For our production floor, it brings everything we need to stay ahead of the competition - simplicity, versatility, economy, and a compact footprint,” says Roberto Cotterchio, Owner of Cograf, a labels converter serving clients across the wine, spirits, food, pet food and neutral labels market in Italy.

“It’s a fantastic piece of engineering and fits effortlessly into a more connected ‘Industry 4.0’ workflow. It has a fantastic register control. It can operate at high speed with lamination and cold foil, physically boosting our output volume without sacrificing precision or quality.”

In the several years that the VISION M1 has been available, it has made a significant impact for over 500 of BOBST’s customers and on the labels industry more widely. It ticks all the essential boxes – quality, productivity, sustainability – while its flexibility means that it can be adapted for different purposes, now and in the future.

“Ultimately, it boosts our capabilities and helps us to achieve more for our customers, making it an extremely valuable addition to our fleet,” says Mr Cotterchio. “From the very first run, the advantage was clear – and we couldn’t be happier with the result.”

Would you like to find out more about the VISION M1, understand how it could benefit your labels business? Start configuring your own press, or  book a demo at BOBST Competence Center in Firenze!

BOBST