EFIhas used Drupa to show off a brand new printing and converting line, the Packsize X5 Nozomi, which can take in blank corrugated substrates, print and then form a complete box, all in one line for an integrated on-demand box printing solution.

Packsize, which makes automated packaging packaging solutions, has developed the X-series of automated box converting machines. So it seems like a fairly obvious step to combine this with digital printing, leading to a partnership with Fiery.

The line moves from right to left, starting with the corrugated feeder. This can take in corrugated boards from four Z-fold supply feeders simultaneously, meaning that your choice of widths and the line can switch from one size to the next from box to box. Liz Logue, vice president of corporate business for EFI, says that it can produce 30,000 different types of boxes based on size and shape.

The first step is to cut a board from the chosen roll. The print unit has been fully integrated into the Packsize. It applies a primer and then prints in CMYK plus orange, using EFI’s UV LED inks. From there, the board is die cut, then formed into the box and glued. The boxes are output to a conveyor belt that’s fitted with a label print and apply unit, so that shipping details and hazard labels can be automatically applied to the box. 

From left: Frank Pennisi, CEO of EFI, with Ken Hanulec, EFI's VP of worldwide marketing. Photo Nessan Cleary

The entire system is fully automated and will run with very little operator intervention, apart from picking the boxes up from the end. The system can produce one box every six seconds, which translates into a maximum of 600 boxes per hour though the actual number will vary depending on the size of the boxes. 

Ken Hanulec, EFI’s vice president of worldwide marketing, says that later this year EFI will offer a second configuration for producing flat boxes that will be easier for converters to ship to their customers.

The entire system runs off Packsize’s PackNet production system, which includes cloud-based data analytics. Naturally, the print unit is driven by a Fiery front end. 

Frank Pennisi, CEO of EFI, says that it’s suitable for a range of different uses, from converters through to manufacturers, adding, “Our primary target market is logistics companies and then we will work backwards to other markets.”

EFI's Packsize X5 Nozomi produces a fully formed box on average every six seconds. Photo Nessan Cleary

Packsize has operations in Europe and the US, with its main manufacturing plant in Sweden, which is where the bulk of this new machine is produced. The X5 Nozomi is currently in beta testing at a customer site in the US but is available to order now with deliveries slated from January 2025.

Alongside the X5 Nozomi, EFI has also announced a number of other new Nozomi variants which should all be available by the end of this year. These include the 12000 MP, which will print to aluminium for metal packaging such as cans. There’s also the long awaited 14000 AQ, which adds water based inks to the existing 1.4 meter-wide 14000 platform and a 17000 SD, which is a 1.7 meter-wide machine for the sign and display market. I’ll come back to these in more detail next week.

In the meantime you can find further details on the X-series from packsize.com and on the X5 Nozomi from efi.com.