中文BOBST has introduced the latest generation of its MASTER 6003 gravure press, targeting packaging converters that need to improve production economics as run lengths shorten and material costs stay under pressure. The updated platform incorporates the company’s LeanPrint inking system, which optimises ink delivery from the tank to the pan through redesigned pipework and a shorter circulation path.
Compared with the previous configuration, the system reduces the volume of ink in circulation by 60%, limits atmospheric exposure, and cuts solvent consumption by up to 40%. A redesigned ink pan positioning system enables precise, automated adjustment relative to the gravure cylinder, supporting consistent ink transfer at high production speeds without manual intervention. Together, these changes are intended to reduce material consumption, minimise waste, and improve working conditions while maintaining the print quality and productivity associated with industrial gravure.
The MASTER 6003 also introduces additional automation and production monitoring. Integrated ink measurement uses pressure sensors to give operators real-time information about ink consumed, the volume circulating through the press, remaining prepared ink, and estimated requirements for completing a job. A dedicated HMI display makes this visible during production, while energy monitoring tracks electricity and compressed-air consumption to help identify inefficiencies and support resource reporting. An automated cylinder pre-washing system removes dried ink from engraved cells without manual cleaning, completing cleaning cycles across the required stations within one minute.
The redesigned auxiliary trolley simplifies ink-tank handling and cylinder positioning during changeovers, with improved accessibility and floor-level loading intended to reduce operator effort and setup complexity. These are practical, operator-facing improvements rather than headline-grabbing novelties, reflecting BOBST’s focus on evolving a proven platform.
Davide Rossello, Process R&D Manager Gravure at BOBST, said the objective was to evolve a proven platform with practical improvements that reduce consumption and routine operator intervention while providing better information about production performance. For flexible packaging converters, the combination of reduced ink circulation, lower solvent use, faster cleaning and more efficient changeovers addresses several important cost drivers simultaneously.
The addition of resource monitoring also supports growing customer and regulatory expectations for documenting material and energy consumption. As brand owners face stricter sustainability reporting requirements, the ability to quantify ink, solvent and energy use on the press floor becomes a commercial asset, not merely an operational nicety. The upgraded MASTER 6003 is therefore positioned as a more data-driven and resource-efficient gravure production system.
Gravure remains a mainstay of long-run flexible packaging and decorative printing because of its consistency and speed, yet it has long carried a reputation for high ink and solvent volumes. BOBST’s LeanPrint approach attacks that perception directly, arguing that converters need not fundamentally change their manufacturing processes to capture meaningful savings. In a market where margin pressure and environmental scrutiny are both intensifying, that message is likely to resonate.
Source: INKISH.NEWS (inkish.news)
Gravure remains a mainstay of long-run flexible packaging and decorative printing because of its consistency and speed, yet it has long carried a reputation for high ink and solvent volumes. BOBST’s LeanPrint approach attacks that perception directly, arguing that converters need not fundamentally change their manufacturing processes to capture meaningful savings. Environmental regulation is tightening across European packaging production, with solvents under increasing scrutiny and brands committing to measurable emissions reductions in their supply chains. A press that documents ink, solvent and energy use on the factory floor therefore becomes a commercial asset, not merely an operational nicety. In a market where margin pressure and sustainability scrutiny are both intensifying, BOBST is betting that practical, retrofittable efficiency gains will resonate more with converters than radical process change.
Flexible packaging gravure competes with flexo and, increasingly, digital printing for short and medium runs, but retains an edge for very long runs where its speed and consistency are unmatched. The environmental case against gravure has historically centred on volatile organic compound emissions from solvent-based inks and the large volumes of ink held in circulation. By attacking both at the press level, BOBST positions the technology to survive tightening regulation without converters abandoning proven, high-throughput assets. Total cost of ownership is the metric that ultimately decides capital decisions, and lower ink and solvent consumption, faster cleaning and better energy visibility all feed that calculation. BOBST’s broader portfolio spans flexo, digital and converting equipment, so the upgrade also reinforces a message of continuity: converters can modernise incrementally rather than rip and replace. For a market wary of disruption, that evolutionary pitch may prove as important as the raw efficiency numbers.
Early customer reaction to the upgraded MASTER 6003 has emphasised exactly the attributes BOBST targeted: less ink on the floor, less solvent in the air, and more information on the screen. For production managers running gravure around the clock, the automated cylinder pre-washing alone can reclaim meaningful operator time at every changeover, while the integrated resource monitoring turns sustainability reporting from a manual chore into a by-product of normal operation. BOBST has positioned the upgrade as available to existing users as well as new buyers, a sensible move that extends the technology’s reach without forcing converters to replace serviceable press platforms. In a capital-equipment market where replacement cycles are long, retrofitability is a powerful commercial lever, and it underscores BOBST’s confidence that efficiency, not novelty, is what gravure converters will pay for.
