German label printer Bube Concept has installed flexographic printing and converting equipment from Rotocon to increase production efficiency and expand into niche markets.
The investment centres on a Rotocon RFP 350S servo-driven press built on modular sleeve-based flexo printing technology with triple-servo precision. The press supports fast job changeovers and production speeds of up to 200 m/min. Its configuration includes a BST web guide, web cleaner, corona treatment, six flexo printing stations, six UV LED curing units, two die-cutting stations, and a BST video inspection system. Alongside the press, Bube Concept also acquired a Rotocon plate mounter and an automatic four-spindle turret rewinder with hotmelt glue. The rewinder incorporates Lenze servo drive technology, automatic core alignment and loading, a finished-roll unloading system, and integrated machine interface controls.
Founded as a specialist in pressure-sensitive label production for industrial customers and small to medium-sized enterprises, Bube Concept combines customized solutions with digital and flexographic printing technologies. The company operates from its headquarters in Pulheim, a branch office in Dresden, and a production facility in Remscheid, supplying customers across various industries with labels, product inserts, package inserts, and thermal transfer ribbons.
“We chose this machine because Rotocon could provide all of our special requirements from a single source, beyond the pure flexo printing units,” said Ingo Bube, managing director of Bube Concept. “Folding units, sheet feeders, turner bar units, fully automatic turret rewinding, die-cutting units, a digital print head for variable print images, as well as a unit for separating liner and top material, could all be integrated into one machine without requiring third-party interfaces. We did not find another machine on the market offering a better overall price-performance ratio than Rotocon.”
Bube added that the collaboration with Marco Aengenvoort, Rotocon Europe managing director, was constructive throughout and instrumental in developing the right machine configuration for the company’s production needs.
The new press will enable Bube Concept to produce pressure-sensitive labels on rolls and sheets, labels with reverse-side printing, variable data labels with sequential numbering and codes, leporello-folded (fanfold) labels, and sheet-fed applications using UV printing units with sleeve technology.
“This replacement investment provides us with a significant gain in efficiency and the opportunity to develop additional niche markets,” Bube said. “In view of new environmental protection regulations, particularly regarding waste management and solvent-free inks, as well as increasing price pressure in the market, this system is of great importance for safeguarding jobs and unlocking new customer potential.”
