Horizon at the Hunkeler Innovationdays 2025
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At the Hunkeler Innovationdays 2025, Horizon presented innovative technologies for networked and automated digital print production: from book production and direct mail applications to brochure production - including a world premiere. Very positive reactions from the specialist audience and many intensive discussions made the event a complete success for Horizon.
Connected in Lucerne
6,800 visitors from 100 nations came to the 15th Hunkeler Innovationdays to experience the latest technologies and their networking live. “This year's motto 'Connect' was omnipresent and was reflected not only in the cross-exhibitor and cross-process solutions, but also in the great atmosphere at the trade fair,” says Thomas Heil, Head of Sales at Horizon GmbH, praising the atmosphere in Lucerne. “The Hunkeler Innovation Days are always an ideal platform for networking, intensive exchange and deepening cooperation with industry partners,” summarizes Thomas Heil.
PUBLIC MAGNET: iCE STITCHLINER MARK V
Although all the solutions presented by Horizon met with great interest from visitors, one stood out: the world premiere of the first inline connection of a Horizon iCE StitchLiner Mark V with a Canon varioPRINT iX3200 sheetfed inkjet press. This inline solution enables the production of brochures in a single pass - with outstanding quality and maximum speed.
The Horizon iCE StitchLiner Mark V was also well received in conjunction with Hunkeler's roll processing technology: Three different jobs with different cut-off lengths and formats were produced from one roll. All the necessary settings on the unwinder and sheeter as well as on the iCE StitchLiner Mark V were made fully automatically by scanning a barcode. The system also included the HSF-50 high-speed sheet feeder, which enabled the feeding of single sheets at a speed of up to 45,000 sheets/h (A4 cross-feed). Changeovers between roll feeding by the unwinder and single sheet feeding by the HSF-50 are quick and easy. This versatility of the iCE StitchLiner Mark V enables seamless integration into various production environments and ensures efficient and automated finishing.
Robotics in use
The use of robotics rounded off the automated production processes shown by Horizon in order to relieve machine operators of repetitive, physically demanding tasks and to make the processes as efficient as possible. On the one hand, robotic arms took over the feeding of book blocks in the fully automated book production, consisting of the two perfect binders iCE Binder BQ-300 and BQ-500, connected inline to the iCE Trimmer HT-300. On the other hand, an AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) traveled between the Canon and Horizon booths. It transported applications printed by Canon to the Horizon SmartSlitter - safely and reliably even in dynamic environments thanks to intelligent navigation and simple operation.
