Konica Minolta to focus on industrial print market with Accurio brand

drupa marks the official launch of Accurio, Konica’s new branding for inkjet and digital workflow portfolio

With the commercial launch of the AccurioJet KM-1 at drupa, Konica Minolta embarked on its goal to claim leadership in the industrial printing market. Focus of the company’s research will revolve around key industrial applications such as label and packaging.

The AccurioJet KM-1 is one of the first offerings under Konica Minolta’s new ‘Accurio’ line. According to Konica Minolta, the Accurio brand name signifies “the advanced, automated and, most of all, accurate nature of Konica Minolta’s technology”.

The AccurioJet KM-1 was presented in the B2 inkjet printing zone of Konica Minolta’s exhibition booth, and performed in combination with MGI’s JETvarnish. The system aimed to show visitors a wide range of benefits such as hybrid printing with the integration of KM-1 into existing offset processes, duplex printing and larger sheet sizes, as well as printing on packaging board, lightweight papers and textured stock.

Additionally, the AccurioJet KM-1 won the ‘Best Cut Sheet Color B2 + Printer’ at the EDP Awards 2016. The bizhub PRESS C71hc, which likewise was on demo at drupa, took home the ‘Best Cut Sheet Color Light Production’ award. The digital printing system was launched to the Southeast Asian region early this year.

The B2 Digital inkjet press is capable of printing high-quality images, comparable to those of sheet-fed offset printers. Targeted at the commercial printing market, a wide variety of paper media can be used. The KM-1 uses Konica Minolta’s inkjet head and ink design technology, combined with the image processing technology founded on toner-based digital printing.

The product can print on sheets up to 585 mm x 750 mm in size, allowing effective impositions including 6-up imposition of US letter size and book cover printing, and is also capable of duplex printing. Konica Minolta’s proprietary single-pass inkjet technology combined with the high speed UV (HSUV) ink technology enables high-speed printing.

---

Next Generation KM-C

Konica Minolta unveiled a prototype of its next generation UV inkjet technology at drupa, the KM-C. It is a B1 format UV inkjet digital press targeted at the commercial print and packaging sectors, and is the first printing system developed from top to bottom by Konica Minolta.

The KM-C utilises technology from AccurioJet KM-1, giving it superior image quality at 1,200 x 1,200 dpi resolution, as well as excellent colour stability, inline sensor and image correction and the ability to print on a wide range of paper substrates without pre-coating.

KM-C is built around a flatbed sheet-feeding platform designed by Konica Minolta that enables easy processing of materials such as cardboard and micro flute. Paper thicknesses of between 0.3 and 1.2 mm can be handled easily. The press is capable of printing up to 2,200 B1 sheets per hour with a maximum paper size of 760 x 1,060 mm.

“drupa is one of the world’s greatest print shows and Konica Minolta is showing that it has the scale and expertise to grace such a formidable stage. We have one of the largest stands here in Düsseldorf, and with products such as the AccurioJet KM-1 and the technology demonstration of the KM-C, we are proving that Konica Minolta’s stand is truly one that every printer with an eye on the future should have on their schedule,” said Olaf Lorenz, general manager, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe.