Heidelberg at its all-encompassing event, Heidelberg Days, demonstrated the latest advancements in its technology to the 150 attendees from across 15 countries at its Print Media Center (PMC) in Wiesloch, Germany.
Shown at the PMC by Heidelberg included its drupa announced Jetfire 50; its Versafire range – Versafire LV and Versafire LP; its offset presses; its flexo packaging option, the Boardmaster; its post press solutions; and Prinect Touch Free, the company’s native cloud software.
A job run on the Versafire LV utilising the fifth colour unit for a ‘vibrant’ effect
Following a survey by Heidelberg, who asked their customers about the biggest challenges they face – 52.72% of the 212 surveyed citing lack of skilled workers as the key issue – the company claims its new hybrid workflow solution will alleviate this problem. Prinect Touch Free, which requires the company’s existing Prinect Production Manager, has three major sections: the pathfinder; decision maker; and auto scheduler. Explained to automate production with no intervention, the software is tailored to the user, evaluating the correct machine for each job based on the delivery date and the most cost-effective option.
Axel Zöller, product manager of Prinect, said, ‘Prinect Touch Free is unique to the industry as it automatically transfers jobs over with no human intervention. The solution is how the industry moves into the future. Rome wasn’t built in a day; it will take time before the solution is completely ready. Prinect Touch Free is said to be in large scale usage as of the later stages of 2025.’
Also, at the PMC – dubbed by the company as the ‘Home of Print’ – Heidelberg showcased its Jetfire 50, a machine available in its portfolio following the announced collaboration with Canon at drupa 2024. A digital solution to its commercial customers, the Jetfire 50 meets industrial requirements in terms of productivity, flexibility, and quality, stated Heidelberg. With a print speed of up to 4560 SRA3 sheets per hour, the machine is water-based inkjet and prints at quality of 1200 x 1200dpi in CMYK. The first Jetfire 50 machine is to be shipped in early 2025.
The company also revealed its Jetfire 75 – currently in the development phase – will be available by mid-2026.
