The world’s biggest offset press manufacturer, Heidelberg, has launched a new press for the carton packaging market, the Cartonmaster CX-145.
Heidelberg says the rationale for the launch of the new Size 6 press, format 1050x1450mm, is the above-average annual packaging growth of long-run folding carton printing for food, beverage, and consumer packaging.
The company is ready to take orders for the Cartonmaster, which will become available for delivery and installation next year.
The new press is fully integrated into Heidelberg’s Prinect digital workflow. It joins the company’s webfed flexo Boardmaster, launched at drupa, in its packaging portfolio.
Remarkably, the new Cartonmaster is based on the existing Size 6 Roland 900 press, and is produced in partnership with former arch-rival and fellow German offset press manufacturer manroland. The two companies have been in talks since last year over the new Cartonmaster.
Heidelberg originally entered the VLF (very large format) market, dominated by manroland and Koenig & Bauer, two decades ago, but has had no VLF press since 2022, when it narrowed its portfolio and stopped producing its VLF press, as well as its B1 digital press Primefire.
Australia has both Roland 900s and Koenig & Bauer 145 presses running, in both packaging and display print applications.
The new partnership between Heidelberg and manroland continues Heidelberg’s strategy of using established print solutions in its workflow, it already has deals with Ricoh in toner-based print, Canon in inkjet, and Masterworks – its major shareholder – in finishing solutions.
The press can be integrated into both the Heidelberg Prinect workflow and the workflow solutions of third-party suppliers, and customers can access performance data for their press in the Heidelberg Customer Portal. Besides the actual press, the package on offer from Heidelberg also covers sales, installation, training, and support, including service and consumables.
“Our new Cartonmaster CX 145 makes Heidelberg a full-range provider for folding carton printing,” said the company’s chief technology and sales officer, Dr David Schmedding. “As part of our growth strategy, we are expanding our range of solutions for the packaging sector and, at the same time, plugging a gap in our portfolio.”
