Koenig & Bauer Kammann GmbH

Continuous strong growth

Continuous strong growth in all market segments had made it necessary to expand production capacities. At the beginning of 2020, Koenig & Bauer Kammann GmbH completed its move to a new location which not only guarantees more space and optimised production sequences, but also incorporates an innovative demo and development centre.

New company location

The new factory with 6,000m² (64,600sq.ft) of production space and 3,000m² (32,300sq.ft) of offices was erected on a 27,000m² (291,000sq.ft) site with sufficient opportunities for future extension. The building possesses state-of-the-art infrastructure, such as:

  • More than 65 per cent more storage space for parts and components
  • Automated high rack warehouse
  • Computerised on-demand retrieval with short distances from warehouse to assembly line
  • Assembly space to build 12 machines simultaneously.

It was designed to offer everything which is needed to manufacture fully automatic screen and digital printing machines for the glass and plastics industries.

New company premisess of Koenig & Bauer Kammann GmbH

Demo and development centre

With several permanently installed machines, the new demo and development centre will be the perfect showroom for presentation of the company’s product portfolio and all the latest machine functions. In addition, it is now also possible to print samples, to test new screen and digital printing inks, and to further develop digital printing capabilities.

Introduction of the new machine type HS 300

Parallel to the opening of the new building, Kammann is unveiling its latest development, a highspeed machine for the ceramic decoration of beer and soft drinks bottles. The new HS 300 line was designed for the highest possible speeds and maximum productivity, and achieves outputs more than 50 per cent above those of any other machine on the market with its speeds of up to 300 articles per minute and up to eight printing stations for thermoplastic inks. The first delivery is scheduled for April 2020. A double-speed machine for 600 articles per minute is expected to become available at the end of 2021.

Digital printing of embossing effects

Besides speed and productivity, the HS 300 offers a number of brand-new features, such as:

  • Contactless camera preorientation to the bottle seam, allowing glass manufacturers to reduce the base thickness and thus the weight of the bottle.
  • Freely configurable use of each printing station: Each station can be used to print either on the body or on the neck, and any combination is possible.
  • Print image inspection system to detect mis-prints or colour deviations.

Digital print

Digital printing on glass has also contributed to massive growth over the past 24 months. The increasing demand for decorating machines capable of printing high-resolution images with up to 720dpi in a half-tone process has resulted in more than 20 machines being sold. This machine type has become the industry standard for the decoration of premium beverage bottles (spirits), drinkware and cosmetics containers in a digital process. The innovative technology opens the door not only to high-resolution images, but also to short production runs and individualisation options. Another interesting unique feature of digital printing is the possibility to imitate embossed glass effects by applying multiple layers of clear digital ink, thus achieving any desired thickness. The results are astonishing and have drawn the attention of branch experts. For short runs or exclusive designs, this process eliminates the need to produce special moulds.

3D feel

Axel Bohlmeier

Background photo: KAMMANN HS 300