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PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

Star product
Scodix Ultra 6000

This B1 digital packaging embellishment press can deliver a wide range of finishing effects, says Simon Eccles

built by TS Converting Equipment in the
UK. This works by heating the cured pol-
ymer to make it tacky so it accepts the
foil. Up to four different foil rolls can be
applied side by side.

What’s the USP?
Nixon stresses productivity compared
with conventional embossing, foiling and
other embellishments. “Digital can’t do
everything, but it does a high proportion
of what makes sense,” he says. It’s the
value-added that makes it most attrac-
tive, he says. “For every pound you get for
plain print, you could get £1.50 with
Scodix embellishment.”
The four polymers and some of the
eight effects are unique to Scodix, com-
What does it do? and embossing is already widely used. pared with its main digital embellish-
Specifications According to Mark Nixon, vice presi-
This is a B1-format sheetfed digital ment competitor, the MGI JetVarnish
embellishment system that sits at the top Process Piezo inkjet dent of global sales and marketing, the range. “Analogue is my competitor, not
of Scodix’s range. It can print high gloss, with UV-LED cured attraction to packaging converters isn’t
with raised and/or textured effects simi- clear polymer and just because it is digital, but because it is MGI,” says Nixon. “There’s room for
lar to embossing, with optional over-foil- inline foiling more economical. “Changing conven- both of us in the market.”
ing. tional foiling for packaging jobs is pain- How easy is it to use?
In total Scodix reckons that the Ultra Resolution ful, especially with metal dies and
6000 has up to nine functions, most of 2,540x450dpi makeready, etc,” he says. “If you can feed a press and are com-
them special effects. The standard six are How does it work? puter proficient, that’s all you need,” says
foiling; ‘sense’ (raised and textured fin- Media types Coated/ Nixon. He says that it’s getting harder to
ish); spot gloss; metallic (over soft-touch uncoated paper, The Scodix Ultra 6000 is a purpose- find people proficient in working with
plastics, laminate
laminate film); and glitter (another foil- built inkjet embellishment printer that
ing effect). The options are Braille; crys- Surface compatibility uses an optically clear polymer cured by conventional dies for embossing and foil-
tal (creating facetted gem-like shapes); Offset, HP Indigo UV-LED. This can be built up in multiple ing. “We offer three days’ training and
and cast & cure (a holographic/diffrac- ElectroInk, inkjet, layers to give raised 3D effects. The poly- follow up a couple of months later.”
tion effect). The final option is variable lamination, toner mer clarity means that lens-like dome or
data support. cast & cure diffraction effects are possi- Sales and support
Max sheet size ble.
When was it launched and what mar- 760x1,060mm Up to 250 micron heights are possible, Nixon says that the 6000 has seen 50%
kets is it aimed at? although Nixon says that 40-50 microns of all recent Ultra sales. “We’ve installed
Sheet weight range 12 in the last two quarters.” So far there is
The B1 Ultra 6000 was introduced in suit most work and don’t need special
October 2020 alongside five B2 models 135-765gsm (up to handing at the finishing stages. Variable just one in the UK, with the user remain-
2mm thickness)
that are market-specific variations of the heights and textures can be created from ing anonymous.
original 2015 Ultra 101/102, addressing Max print area greyscale ‘height maps’ in the artwork file Friedheim sells and supports the
commercial print, e-commerce web-to- 700x1,000mm – Scodix provides pre-set texture files for Scodix range in the UK. So far it has sup-
print and packaging (including web-to- Photoshop.
pack). The 6000 is intended for Sheets are fed into the machine from a plied seven of Ultras including the lone
commercial packaging work, where con- pallet, delivering to a stacker. As stand- 6000. Nixon says that 398 Ultras have
ventional metal die-stamp based foiling ard there is an inline cold foiling unit, been sold worldwide since 2015.
“Scodix reckons that the Ultra 6000 has up to nine functions, most of them special effects.”

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