PRINTING United Expo Hot Products Spotlight: Durst Group Tau RSC Inkjet Label Press

(Editor's note: This review of the Durst Group Tau RSC, which will debut at the upcoming PRINTING United Expo, is part of an ongoing series featuring longtime industry consultant David Zwang's rundown of his "Must See" products that will be on the show floor.)

If you have attended PRINTING United Expo, or SGIA in the past, you have undoubtedly heard of Durst. To many, they are known for their wide-format inkjet and dye-sub printers that target signage, décor, textile, ceramics, corrugated, etc. However, Durst also manufactures inkjet label printers as well, and they are widely used throughout Europe. They are especially known for their Tau RSC (Resolution, Speed, Color) modular label press platform, which was introduced in 2017.

Durst Group Tau RSC

This year, the Tau RSC label printer makes its debut at PRINTING United Expo 2023. This 1,200 dpi production inkjet press uses Dimatix Samba heads for high-quality printing and targets the prime label market. With the option of 8 colors (CMYKOGV+W) running at up to 100 mpm (328 fpm) with 95% uptime, it provides a great alternative to digital label presses and even medium-run flexo production without the time and cost of plates and makeready. The Tau RSC is not just for labels, and can easily do flexible packaging print. The available UV inks can support a wide range of label and flexible packaging substrates.

Tau RSC UV inks also do not contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as described by EU definition Council Directive 1999/13/EC. They are BS5609 certified and have achieved UL compliance, chemical resistance, and excellent light fastness and heat resistance, making them suitable for outdoor applications. This makes the inks great for industrial applications as well.

The Tau RSC  press is available with print widths of 330/420/510 mm, and an external jumbo winder with a roll diameter max. of 1,016 mm (40"), with a max. weight of 450 kg (992 lbs.) At PRINTING United they will be showing a roll-to-roll configuration, but they can integrate other modules in-line with partners to provide embellishments like varnish, foil, etc. They will have lots of printed samples and videos there to show the output of what can be configured with the RSC and other 3^rd party solutions.

They are trying to show that labels do not just have to be done on traditional digital, and you can also run some medium- and long-run jobs at very high quality, with great uptime, with easier operator training and interaction, and a lot less consumable cost. The Tau RSC is not living in that little space of really short run and variable output; they are providing short- to medium-run variable data labels with inkjet.

You can also expect to see some of Durst’s other equipment in the booth, like their wide-format printers for signage, textile, décor, etc., as well as information on their corrugated and folding carton business with the Koenig & Bauer joint venture.