CS Labels buys Xeikon 3000 label press

The Xeikon 3000 was installed last week to replace a Xeikon 300 and the West Midlands firm is awaiting a second finishing machine to handle increased throughput.

CS Labels bought its first digital press two-and-a-half years ago, but digital printing on its two Xeikon 300 presses now accounts for some 60% of turnover.

“Our flexo and screen printing equipment is still important to CS Labels and our customers, but digital has certainly taken over as our main production system,” said managing director Simon Smith.

The web-based Xeikon 3000 has a top speed of 9.6m a minute and can process a wide range of substrates, including self-adhesive, co-extruded and unsupported films, transparent and opaque foils and paperboard.

The five-colour system offers an imaging width of 32.2 cm, up from 30.7cm on the Xeikon 300, and can print spot colours, special security inks for anti-counterfeiting and opaque white for a no-label look on transparent material.

Smith said: “This latest purchase shows our desire to continually invest in the very best label production equipment. The Xeikon 3000 images to a higher resolution and produces even more reliable consistent quality over a wider colour gamut.”

When the second finishing machine is installed both units will be run offline to give the firm greater flexibility.

“There were times when [only having one finishing system] caused bottlenecks in production. With the increased throughput of the Xeikon 3000, we definitely need two finishing systems,” said Smith.

CS Labels prints and finishes a wide range of products including self-adhesive labels and barcodes.