After more than two years without live events and face-to-face exchanges, the label and packaging industry looked forward to Labelexpo in Brussels this spring. The disappointment was all the greater when the trade fair was cancelled a few weeks before the planned start due to increasingly uncertain supply chains and the unpredictable developments in Ukraine, as the Labelexpo organisation explained.
LEONHARD KURZ took the cancellation as an opportunity to become active itself. The internationally active thin-film specialist has organised its own in-house exhibition, which will take place from 20 June to 28 October 2022 at its headquarters in Fürth - the KURZ LABEL WEEKS. On more than 400 square metres, KURZ, together with several subsidiaries, will present innovative solutions from the areas of hot stamping, cold transfer as well as digital finishing and printing, but also security labels as well as thermal transfer. "On the one hand, our motivation was to bring the industry together and to quench the prevailing thirst for personal, direct exchange - not via camera and microphone, but face to face," explains Stéphane Royère, Head of Business Area Packaging and Print at KURZ. "On the other hand, there are very many aspects of the label and packaging industry in particular where it makes a world of difference whether you only hear and read about it - or whether you experience it first-hand. Here I could mention the live demonstration of a new machine as an example."
Future-proof digital finishing
Visitors to KURZ LABEL WEEKS can accordingly look forward to plenty of live demonstrations where they can see the machines from KURZ and its subsidiaries in action. One focus will be on digital finishing. At the in-house exhibition, the thin-film specialist will be presenting the latest digital finishing systems DM-UNILINER 2D from KURZ subsidiary MPRINT and DM-UNILINER 3D from KURZ subsidiary Steinemann DPE. Both machines ensure cost-efficient and resource-saving decoration.
The digital metallisation units can be used independently of the existing printing system and process and enable digital finishing in pre-print as well as post-print processing, thus ensuring the greatest possible flexibility. Live at the show, several labels and packaging will be digitally enhanced with varnish effects and metallisation, among other things.
Another highlight from the field of digital printing is the presentation of the monojet® 324 module from KURZ subsidiary MPRINT. The easy-to-integrate system for UV inkjet printing is ideal for printing labels with QR or barcodes, batch numbers and much more. Visitors to KURZ LABEL WEEKS can see the high UV print quality for themselves: an on-site demo will show how labels can be enhanced using the monojet® 324 module and the DISTORUN® cold transfer unit - for example with special 2D barcodes such as the Digital Product Passport from KURZ DIGITAL or the glossy, metallised 3D effects of TRUSTSEAL® SFX technology.
Product security with added value for manufacturers and consumers
In cooperation with its subsidiary SCRIBOS, KURZ develops innovative solutions for safety labels. At the fair, visitors will learn more about a brand new security label that offers significant advantages: reliable brand protection combined with fully automated tamper-evidence for consumers. It uses LEONHARD KURZ's proven TRUSTSEAL® Protect technology, which is equipped with proprietary security features and is therefore particularly resistant to counterfeiting and tampering. The bridge between physical and digital protection is built by ValiGate®, the non-copyable security pattern from SCRIBOS. Behind the QR code on the label, the intelligent structure gives the code a copy-protected identity.
At the KURZ LABEL WEEKS, the design of a label using MPRINT's new, compact MJETeco standalone printing system will be demonstrated - including UV inkjet printing of a digital ValiGate® QR code proof of authenticity on security labels already pre-produced with TRUSTSEAL® Protect.
Hot stamping and cold transfer: unique decorations for every need
With DISTORUN®, KURZ is presenting another module at the trade fair that is characterised by particularly high efficiency and contributes to sustainable, economical production. The material-saving unit, with which single-image and continuous decors can be implemented in cold transfer, enables the reprinting of free areas on transfer products that have already been processed. This means that each roll can be used several times - in keeping with the principle of sustainability. And best of all, the module can be easily connected to existing presses.
The GIETZ FSA 1060 Foil Commander will be used in further live demos. The all-rounder of the Swiss machine manufacturer shines with its versatile application possibilities in hot stamping.
In the field of hot stamping, visitors can also look forward to another highlight: the stamping tools from KURZ subsidiary Hinderer + Mühlich (H+M). The established tool manufacturer recently presented a revolutionary development: NanoEmbossing. With it, patterns as well as gradients, matting and photographic effects can be embossed on labels, folding boxes, book covers or greeting cards.
Sustainability all along the line
Whether hot stamping, cold transfer or digital printing - regardless of the type of finishing, it has always been KURZ's top priority to constantly optimise its processes and solutions in terms of sustainability. The latest advances in this field are shown by the thin-film specialist at the KURZ LABEL WEEKS.
Among other things, KURZ has succeeded in significantly reducing the thickness of the carrier in several transfer products, thus achieving significant material savings. At the trade fair, the company will be demonstrating the ECOFIN® hot stamping quality, which requires only a 10-μm carrier instead of a 12-μm carrier. Another highlight will be the cold transfer grades KPS slim (patent pending) for sheetfed and KPW slim (patent pending) for web applications, which are both only 6 μm.
Visitors will also be able to find out about KURZ's sustainable transfer finishes, which do not require PET to be transferred to the product.
TTR: The three evolutionary stages of label finishing
The thermal transfer sector will also have its own presentation at the fair. Thermal transfer ribbons (TTR) already enable efficient and sustainable label design. LEONHARD KURZ has perfected this technology and implemented forward-looking solutions with special additional functions. The thin-film specialist will present the three stages of the TTR evolution at the in-house exhibition.
The Communicating area forms the basis. This describes the comprehensive range of classic thermal transfer ribbons from KURZ, which ensures the reliable communication of variable data. Branding represents the second stage of the TTR evolution. With its extensive colour palette, KURZ offers possibilities that are so far unique on the market. The coating expert develops thermal transfer ribbons in the respective corporate colours exclusively for the customer. Even metallisation in colour ribbons and filigree details can be perfectly reproduced.
Under the name Protecting, KURZ ignites the third stage of evolution in brand protection and delivers an absolute innovation: with TTR Unique UV and TTR Unique VEROSPEC®, labels and other TTR prints can be equipped with security features. Thanks to KURZ's expertise in the field of coating and security technology, it is possible to integrate hidden information directly into the ribbon. Even the thinnest strips of a barcode show security features in this way. Both versions - TTR Unique UV and TTR Unique VEROSPEC® - are individually tailored to the customer.
KURZ LABEL WEEKS: Appointments available now
A visit to the in-house exhibition is only possible after prior registration. Interested parties can now find a free date in the trade fair calendar on the website. In addition, KURZ will also offer a digital platform where the machines and products on display can be inspected - an additional service for all those who cannot make it to Fürth in person during the promotional period.
At a glance
KURZ LABEL WEEKS - Engineering the Future of Embellishment
Large in-house trade fair from 20 June 2022 to 28 October 2022
www.kurz-world.com
