Expanding its range of printing technologies away from traditional sheetfed offset, the German manufacturer has come up with the notion of printing on three-dimensional items.
4D printing is the name give by Heidelberg to customised, flexible digital printing of three-dimensional items such as soccer/golf balls, drinking bottles, and other curved surfaces. The company has developed a four-colour inkjet press, the Jetmaster Dimension 250, to print customised images and logos on objects up to a diameter of 250 millimetres.
According to Jason Oliver, head of digital, Heidelberg is planning further inkjet developments in time for next year’s drupa in Düsseldorf in May. “Heidelberg supports creative players both within and outside the print media industry with technologies that go beyond conventional printing. 4D printing based on inkjet technology paves the way for high-quality, cost-efficient customized surface finishing of mass-produced consumer goods, even in small quantities,” he said in a press release.
Although Heidelberg first unveiled its 4D-printing concept a year ago, initially it was only for black-and-white printing. It will launch the Jetmaster Dimension 250 at InPrint 2015, which is taking place in Munich from November 10-12. It also signals Heidelberg’s entry into click model charging with an agreement that covers ink consumption, maintenance and consumables.
So far two Jetmaster Dimension 250s have been sold; one to a German start-up company from the food retail sector that intends to personalize packaging in store. Customers will be able to watch the process and take the packaging and contents with them immediately. The other is to an online printer in Liechtenstein, which offers a variety of balls with different print designs on its dedicated platform www.balleristo.com
“All kinds of customers are using 4D printing from Heidelberg. This shows we are on the right track to open up new market segments ourselves by also getting companies outside the industry interested in printing,” says Oliver.
The focus on inkjet follows Heidelberg’s absorption of label press manufacturer, Gallus, with its launch of a new digital press, DCS340 at Labelexpo this month. Heidelberg has worked on developing its own inkjet technology for more than a decade.