BAKER Labels has installed the ‘UK’s first’ Durst Tau G3 Peak LED at its Brentwood headquarters.
The move significantly increases its digital inkjet capacity as the company continues to invest in the growth of its label business.
The new 510mm-wide press was installed last month. Trials, profiling, and operator training followed, before the first live customer work moved onto the machine.
The G3 Peak joins Baker Labels’ existing Durst Tau RSC 340 LED and gives the company more than double its previous production capacity on the Durst platform.
Tom Baker and technical manager Jamie Godson travelled to Durst’s headquarters in Brixen, Italy earlier this year to see the G3 technology in operation before agreeing the investment.
Tom Baker said, “There has been a lot of investment and growth across Bakers over recent years, but labels remain right at the heart of the business. We are seeing plenty of opportunity for continued growth in that side of the company and we need to make sure the production capability is there to support it.
“Our first Durst proved itself to us and became a very important part of the factory, so there was already a lot of confidence in the platform when we started looking at the next investment. The new press gives us considerably more capacity and resilience, but just as importantly, it gives the label team the technology to keep improving the way we produce work for our customers.”
The Tau G3 Peak is capable of running at speeds of up to 79 metres per minute across all colours and has been specified with double white, Hawk AI, Material Edge Protection and the Durst Imaging System.
The Durst Imaging System uses three cameras to monitor the web and plays an important role in material calibration. Hawk AI supports automatic nozzle compensation and colour registration, while Material Edge Protection is designed to reduce the risk of the substrate edge coming into contact with the printheads.
Jamie Godson, technical manager at Baker Labels, said, “The G3 Peak is the next step in the evolution of the Durst Tau platform that we’ve been using over the past few years. It’s difficult to isolate one feature and say that is the most important. The real strength is the collective package and the agility it gives us to deal with the changing requirements we see from day to day.
“Bakers has always been associated with high-quality products and fast turnaround times. Being able to produce at higher speeds, with less downtime and without affecting quality, is something we’re constantly working towards.”
The transition into production has been described as ‘relatively straightforward’ because the core operating principles are already familiar to the Bakers’ digital team. Although the G3 Peak introduces an updated user interface and additional automation, operators who know the existing RSC 340 are working from an established base.
Jamie continued, “The RSC 340 had already set a high bar. I’m happy that the G3 hits the same levels, and the additional upgrades all work as advertised.”
