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PROOFING

ANILOX SPECIAL

COMBINATIONPRINTING

EVENTS

NEWS

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT:

www.flexotechmag.com

ISSUE 143 June 2014

CONVENTIONAL ANILOX. UNCONVENTIONAL QUALIT Y.

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THE FUTURE OF FLEXO®

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Cover_FlexoTech Cover 17/06/2014 15:16

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Asahi Photoproducts stands for innovative products and comprehensive service in all areas of flexo printing. Our decades of experience, established research and the resulting continuous and user-oriented advancement of polymer technology guarantee trend-setting quality. The fact that we always focus on sustainable and environmentally sound concepts is an integral part of our corporate philosophy and gives our products their own value.

AWP. The outstanding printing plate for labels, tubes and film ensures fascinating print results, which are unique for a completely water-based processed printing plate.AFP. The digital hard drive technology is distinguished by a wide range of applications for problem-free processing and print results at a very high standard.APR-Hydroflex. For high-quality printing directly on to corrugated board. Cost-effective and quick to manufacture. The unique capping process ensures outstanding quality on all surfaces.

w w w. a s a h i - p h o t o p r o d u c t s . c o m

Asahi Photoproducts (UK) Limited1 Prospect Way, Hutton Industrial Estate, Shenfield, Essex CM13 1XA Telephone: 01277 232877 • Fax: 01277 [email protected]

Asahi Photoproducts is part of Asahi Kasei E-Materials with branches in England, France, Germany and Italy and an administration and technology centre in Brussels.The stated aim of Asahi Kasei E-Materials is to develop and optimise products which are devoted to sustainable ecology and maximum waste avoidance and, in doing so, offer a high quality standard of technology and service.

http://www.a


3June 2014

&C O N T E N T S C O M M E N T

Anilox special 19

Company profile 15

Combination printing 35

NEWS 5

COMPANY PROFILE: RR FLEXO 15

ANILOX SPECIAL 19

COMPANY PROFILE: APEX 24

ANILOX: VOLUMETRIC MEASUREMENT 27

ANILOX CLEANING 28

MPS OPEN HOUSE 30

SOMA OPEN HOUSE 32

COMBINATION PRINTING 35

PROOFING 41

PRODUCTS & SERVICES 54

Whitmar Publications Ltd30 London Road SouthboroughTunbridge WellsKent TN4 0RE England

Editorial: +44 (0)1892 542099Circulation: +44 (0)1892 514437Advertising: +44 (0)1892 514991Website: www.flexotechmag.comTwitter: @FlexoTechMag

No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted, in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical, photographic,recording or otherwise, without the priorpermission of the publishers.

Colour reproduction byWhitmar Publications LtdTunbridge Wells, Kent

Printed and bound byThe Buxton PressDerbyshire

Published by Whitmar Publications Ltd ISSN 1356–9287Issue no. 143 June 2014

EditorNEEL MADSEN DD: 01892 [email protected]

Online editor MICHAL LODEJDD: 01892 [email protected]

Contributors SEAN SMYTHMARTIN DREHER

Production managerADRIAN JACKSONDD: 01892 779598 [email protected]

Production assistantJAMIE BRISTOWDD: 01892 779598 [email protected]

Advertising managerLINDSEY PEARSONDD: 01892 [email protected] executive

DEBBIE BRIDGLANDDD: 01892 [email protected]

PublisherROB MULLIGANDD: 01892 [email protected]

Business development directorMARIE [email protected]

Marketing managerCHLOË WARDDD: 01892 779599 [email protected]

Circulation NATASHA TROWELLDD: 01892 [email protected]

FlexoTech is published eight times a year. Subscriptions are UK £75, rest of Europe £120 and outsideEurope £165.

While most of the planet isgripped in World Cup fever, weare still busy bringing you newsfrom the flexo universe. Mergersand takeovers seem the order ofthe day with some blurring thelines between flexo and digital ascompanies move into newmarkets or combine strengthswith known partners.

Another trend that has gainedmomentum in the last fewmonths is that of the OpenHouse. As some trade showssuffer, suppliers instead open uptheir own showrooms and invitevisitors to shorter events that aremore focused and veryinformative. Many of theseinclude small seminars andconferences with a handful ofcompanies joining together topresent their wares through tabletops and talks. Between us,Michal and myself managed tovisit quite a few of these eventsand met so many of you in somany different locations that ourheads are spinning.

In this issue, we give the aniloxa lot of attention, looking at cellstructure, ink release, cleaningand volumetric measurement.This is a highly contested marketwith precision engineeredproducts that can make all thedifference to the printing processon your press. I also look at howto combine digital and flexoprinting, while Sean Smythcovers proofing in all its forms.

Now more importantly, thereis another major competitionlooming and that is theFlexoTech Awards 2014! The deadline for entries is 18 July, so it is time to gatheryour best prints, fill in the entryform that you should havereceived with this issue (ordownloaded from our website),and send the whole lot along tous. We’ve got a great panel ofinternational flexo experts justwaiting to judge your efforts – so don’t delay, enter today!

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News

5June 2014

Celebrating its 35thanniversary on 30April, InternationalGreetings Grouprecently welcomedHer Majesty theQueen to its plant inWales for the officiallaunch of the secondUteco flexo pressline. The Queen,along with the Dukeof Edinburgh, sawthe new DiamondHP press in actionand further unveileda plaque commemo-rating the occasion.

A world leader inthe gift packaging,greetings and sta-tionery product sec-tor, IG Group hasplants all over theworld, with Utecomachines installed inthe UK and theNetherlands.

Aldo Peretti, CEO of theUteco Group, invited as astrategic technologicalpartner by the executivesand shareholders of IGGroup, briefly explainedthe machine's main fea-tures to the Queen andintroduced the Uteco

Group to the Duke ofEdinburgh. The Royalcouple were also shownsamples of the many prod-ucts that IG Group makeat the facility.

More than 80 of UtecoGroup's 2,700 machinesinstalled worldwide havebeen sold in the UK,

installed at a variety ofcustomer sites, from multi-national groups to small tomedium converters, usedfor many advanced tech-nological applications indifferent fields, such asfilm, paper and cardboardpackaging and also banknote security.

Absolute Engineering hasinvested in new equipmentto keep up with thedemand for its range ofwoven carbon fibre chambered doctor bladesystems. The latest purchase is a high accura-cy five axis fully robotisedCNC milling machine. Ata cost of $600,000, it isscheduled to be in production in July.

Managing director,Antony Whiteside, com-mented, ‘This machinewill allow us to manufac-ture a higher quantity ofchambers to an even high-er standard, and is areflection of Absolute’s

commitment to providingthe very best product toour customers.

‘New offices and addi-tional factory space havealready been added to ourUK manufacturing facility.Significant investment hasalso been made in new

product development.This will result in thelaunch of additional prod-ucts that are specificallydesigned to optimise theflexo process and thewhole ink system.

‘Investment in peopleand equipment is the keyto our expansion. We haveagreed a long term planthat will ensure that thewhole Absolute teamdevelops and has the products and resources tocontinue to grow rapidly.The next decade will beone of great change forour industry, and we fullyintend to be at the fore-front of that change.’

Royal visit at International Greetings

Key investment made at Absolute

API Foils is investing £5million to boost produc-tion of decorative foils tomeet increased demand.This includes the installa-tion of a new Bobst Gen-eral K4000 vacuummetalliser, which willincrease the Livingstonsite’s capacity for metalli-sation by 150%.

Paragon Inks has promot-ed Martin Fowler to salesmanager for the UK andIreland. Coming from aprinting background, MrFowler has worked forParagon for 10 years in a technical sales role,supporting customersand the team with his in-depth knowledge ofprint and applications.

A new range of opaquewhite inks in the EkoCureUV LED series has beenintroduced by FlintGroup Narrow Web.Designed to providemore than 70% shrink,the new Shrink Whitesare suitable for a widerange of films, includingPVC, OPS, OPP, PLAand PETG.

EFIA has added a newmodule to its Academyonline flexo trainingpackage. The moduleoverviews the principlesand application of leanmanufacturing in flexoand can be viewed onboth computer andmobile devices, includingiPad and iPhone.

Coveris has acquiredleading manufacturer, St. Neots Packaging, aspart of a strategic moveto support its continuedgrowth in cartonboard. St Neots employs over200 staff and has twofacilities in Cam-bridgeshire and a sourc-ing office in Hong Kong.

In brief…

Uteco Group CEO, Aldo Peretti, in conversation with The Queen

Five axis robotic CNC machine

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News

June 2014

Riviera Labels opts for Star Plate Torquay-based RivieraLabels has brought film production in house follow-ing the purchase of the StarPlate inkjet to film solution.The company, which spe-cialises in short run, highquality label production,now has a complete in-house platemaking solutionproviding increased flexibili-ty and control.

Directors Chris Bastowand Peter Burnard, whofounded Riviera Labels in1998, were previouslyreliant on external sources.‘We were buying in filmsfrom service providers whowere using old imagesettingdevices to produce negativefilms for our platemaking,’noted Mr Burnard. ‘Overthe past year or so, this formof film production wasbecoming increasingly prob-lematic due to these image-setters coming to the end oftheir life span. With pricesof traditional imagesetting

film also rising, we need-ed a replacement solutionwhich would deliver thesame quality output.’

The company had pre-viously looked at digitalplatemaking, but foundthe ROI on CTP toorestrictive. The search foran alternative cost-effec-tive solution led them toLabelexpo in 2013 wherethe two directors wereshown the Star Plate solution on the Dantexstand. As part of the eval-uation process, Dantexsubsequently providedboth Star Plate films andprinting plates for theprint test.

Riviera, which prints athigh screen rulings up to175 lpi, ran a full print pro-duction comparisonbetween imagesetter andStar Plate film output. ‘Theprinted results were justgreat with the Star Plate filmoutput matching that of the

conventional imagesetter,’said Mr Bastow. ‘In factwith the inclusion of SmartScreen and the ability tohold a 1% dot on the plate,we have increased the quali-ty of our production which

means we are providing ourcustomers with a betterproduct – it is definitely awin-win situation.’

Star Plate is distributedthroughout Europe byGraphic Republik.

New additions to Omet’s range introduced

Omet’s open house event inMay saw the unveiling oftwo new additions to thecompany’s product portfo-lio, a double unwinding sys-tem and a flatbed hot foil

unit from Pantec.The unwinder is aimed at

reducing waste during jobchangeovers and save time.The operator can switchfrom one material roll to

another previouslyuploaded on the sec-ond shaft of the doubleunwinder, cut, spliceand start printing.

The second unwind-ing shaft is an optionthat can be applied tothe printing presses inthe XFlex line. Thetwo shafts can be usedalternatively so thepreparation of the newroll on the free shaftcan be done while the machine is still in operation.

Overall costs arereduced by 75% andmachine downtime toless than one minuteversus three minutes

on a configuration withoutdouble unwinder whereextra time is needed toremove the core of the fin-ished roll and upload thenew one.

The Rhino flatbed hot foilunit from Pantec can beintegrating inline on theXFlex X6. It can achievehigh relief depths thanks toits longer retention time incomparison to the rotatingprocess; adjustable, accurateprocessing time indepen-dent of the productionspeed, as well as a robustdesign and delivers uniformembossing pressure underextreme conditions.

The unit can be used withlow cost flatbed foil onrotary presses and flatembossing tools, makingsavings in material costs. Inaddition, a special foil savingsystem reduces the overallmaterial supply. It does notimpact on the speed ofchangeover using one-passtechnology, as the emboss-ing systems change is min-imised with a special toolcassette system.

(L-R) Chris Bastow, Riviera Labels, Kevin Adams,Dantex, and Peter Burnard, Riviera Labels

The new double unwinder on an XFlex X4

6_7_Layout 1 17/06/2014 16:51

News

Paragon Inks (Holdings)Ltd, manufacturer of UVinks and coatings for theweb packaging and prod-uct-decoration markets, has been awarded TheQueen’s Award for Enter-prise 2014 for its outstand-ing achievements ininternational trade.

Designed to recogniseand encourage the achieve-ments by businesses, TheQueen’s Award for Enter-prise is split into three cate-gories: innovation,international trade and sus-tainable development.Companies, which applyfor this award, have to gothrough a rigorous entryprotocol and short listingsbased on the informationsubmitted. Out of the thou-

sands of entries in 2014, atotal of 162 awards weregranted. Announced eachyear on 21 April, HerMajesty The Queen’s birthday, the winners are

presented with a crystalbowl and invited to a recep-tion at Buckingham Palace.

Commenting on theachievement, chairmanGerry Merten said,

‘Paragon’s business strategyfor the last five years hasplaced an emphasis on thecontinuous development ofour people, processes andproducts to create an effi-cient and effective compa-ny in a very competitivemarketplace. Being hon-oured with The Queen’sAward confirms to me thatwe must continue our com-mitment for the next fivechallenging years.’

Managing director,Shaun Bennett, added, ‘I’m absolutely delightedand very proud that wehave achieved such a highaccolade in the Queen’sAward for Enterprise andmassive thanks has to go to our staff, customersand suppliers.’

Inks manufacturer receives Queen’s Award

Manufacturers of pharma-ceutical, healthcare, person-al care and FMCG cartons,Reelvison has just installedits second Edale FDC 510flatbed die-cutter to run inline with its existingmachinery.

Based in Lancashire,Reelvision purchased itsfirst Edale FL-5 Cartonpress in 2007. A few yearson and its growth within theindustry resulted in theinstallation of a second FL-5 this time with an FDCincluded. It will be usingthis specific machine toprint high quality cartons,which often includeembossing, Braille and die-

cutting in a single pass.Sales director, Deborah

Greenwood, commented,‘The second FDC offered aslightly larger die-cuttingplatform, this helped usexpand our offering to cus-tomers to include the shelf-ready packaging thatcomplimented the prima-ry packs. Every otherfeature was the samespec as the firstmachine and this gaveus the flexibility to planon both presses. This press has doubled our capa-bility and given us the sparecapacity needed to offerindustry breakinglead times.’

The FDC enablescost-effective, short runfolding car-ton produc-tion. With amaximumspeed of10,000impressions

per hour, theability to nest products upto five across and reconfig-ure the machine for a wide

range of carton sizes andforms without specialisttooling ensures that down-time and substrate wastageis kept to a minimum.

Reelvision installs second Edale die-cutter

The Paragon Inks team outside its manufacturingsite in Livingston, Scotland

The Edale FDC 510 flatbed die-cutter

The new

MBS®-6Efficient. Innovative. User-friendly.

More information:www.ist-uv.com/mbs-6

IST (UK) LIMITEDSt. Andrew’s House, Otley Road, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 1EXTel. +44 1756 700 [email protected]

6_7_Layout 1 17/06/2014 16:51

http://www.ist-uv.com/mbs-6


http://www.ist-uv.com

News

Successful interpack debut for BobstBobst is celebrating a suc-cessful first time appear-ance at interpack, in May,which showed signs thatsales should furtherincrease in 2014.

‘We were able to finaliseprojects, kick-off new ones,foster existing relationshipsand make new contactswith professionals of theindustry,’ said Eric Pavone,business unit web-fed busi-ness director. ‘Not only arewe continuously improvingthe performance of ourhigh end solutions formature markets, we are alsoextending our product offerfor emerging markets. Lastbut not least, our customersappreciate our service

capacities that have beenexpanded significantly overthe last 12 months.’

The business unit web-fed offers printing presses,laminators, web coatingand metallising lines forflexible materials as well as web-fed folding cartonprinting and inline convert-ing equipment. It recordeda sales performance of +8.9% in 2013.

The company said thatits F&K 20SIX range of CIflexo presses is showingexcellent market penetra-tion in both mature andemerging markets, performing especially wellin the USA, Mexico, theMiddle East and China.

FINAT announced thewinners of its 34th labelawards competition at aceremony during its annual congress, held thisyear in Monaco, in earlyJune. Out of the 241awards entries submittedby 49 different companiesfrom 25 countries, thewinner of Best in Showwas Multi Labels Limited,from the UK, with its‘The Irishman SingleMalt’ label.

The label, which hasalready won The FlexoTech Award forCombination Printing in2013 and two goldawards at the EFIAAwards 2014, receivedconsistently high marksfrom the technical anddesign judges. Theycommented, ‘At firstglance this label lookssimple to produce but the facts tell anotherstory. The generous useof delicate gold hot foiling especially in thesignature and reversedout areas is worthy ofnote. The fact that 10colours were used toachieve the finished result,along with embossing andvarnishing in a singlepass, is testament to thedegree of control requiredto produce this label tosuch a high standard. Acombination of the bestattributes of the flexo and screen processes haveproduced the result whichmerits the Best in Show.’

The winning label wasprinted on a Gallus EM 280 press using SandonGlobal anilox rollers, Flint plates and Flint UVinks on a UPM Raflatacsubstrate. Pre-press wasprovided by CreationReprographics.

‘The Irishman’ multi-awardwinning label

Eric Pavone speaking at interpack

Multi Labels wins best in show

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News

Gallus bought by Heidelberg Heidelberger Druck-maschinen AG is poised to take a 100% share ofGallus in a move that willsee the two companiesworking closer together inthe digital label sector.

According to a jointstatement released by thetwo companies, FerdinandRu ̈esch, controller ofSwiss-based Ferd. Ru ̈eschAG, will be bringing his70% of Gallus shares to

Heidelberg, as a contribu-tion in kind against theissue of new Heidelbergshares. This will make Mr Ru ̈esch an anchorshareholder, with the ownership of 9% of Heidelberger shares.

As the company hasalready owned 30% of Gallus shares since 1999, it will now hold directlyand indirectly 100% of theGallus Holding AG shares.

The planned completetakeover of the companyaccelerates the develop-ment and use of Heidel-berg’s digital products inthe growing labels sector.

At the Gallus InnovationDays in September thisyear, the two companieswill be unveiling a newdigital printing system for the label market thatincorporates Fujifilm technology.

IST improves its working environment Newbrandingfor mergedcompanies

Flexible working hours, aniPad mini for each employ-ee for Christmas and nowa brand new commonroom to help staff unwind,all make IST Metz GmbHan attractive place to work.

The company has estab-lished its position as a

modern employer over thepast few years with an alto-gether fresher image basedon the model used by suc-cessful US internet compa-nies, such as Google andFacebook.

With spacious commonrooms that offer healthy-

distractions and individual-ly designed workstations,the Americans are leadingthe way when it comes toworkplace design. TheNürtingen-based companywas impressed by this con-cept and decided to followsuit with a new commonroom for employees, whichopened on 3 June.

A 200 square metre large‘bISTro’ combines thestaff kitchen with a breakroom and lounge. In addi-tion to a large selection ofhot and cold beverages,there is plenty of roomhere to relax and chat with others.

‘At IST, there has alwaysbeen great emphasisplaced on maintaining personal contact. The way we see it, we haven’t reinvented the wheel, butwe have created a placethat encourages a goodworking atmosphere and agreater opportunity forpersonal exchange,’explained Dirk Jägers,managing director.

(L–R) Dieter Bernecker, chairman of the workscouncil, IST Metz GmbH, Otmar Heirich, LordMayor of Nürtingen, and Dirk Jägers, managingdirector, IST Metz GmbH, at the opening of bISTro

Flexographic Solutions from grouphuber

®

[email protected] | | www.huberuk.com0115 986 0477

Chesapeake and MultiPackaging Solutions(MPS) have unified underthe MPS name and willshare the same brandingand logo.

The news comes fourmonths after the two com-panies merged in February2014. All existing Chesa-peake locations along withCartondruck, Jet and IPSwill adopt the MPS nameover the coming months.All existing MPS locationswill adopt the new branding over the sametime frame.

A release from the com-pany states it chose thename, Multi PackagingSolutions, because it repre-sents what the company isabout, providing a packag-ing platform that utilisesstate of the art technologiesand versatile capabilities togive its customers whatthey want and providesolutions to their biggestchallenges.

The statement conclud-ed, ‘Our name does notdefine who we are, ouractions and accomplish-ments do. We look forwardto a future of growth andsuccess as one team sharing a common goal.’

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FlexoToolbox is nowavailableFirst shown to visitors atthe FTA InfoFlex exhibition in April, in Baltimore, a new Flexo-Toolbox app for iPhone,iPad and Android devicesfrom Flint Group is nowcommercially available onthe global market.

This interactive collec-tion of tools incorporatesmany different functionsfor simplifying flexo pre-press, plate making andprocess control. The appcan assist platemakers withtasks ranging from the cal-culation of plate distortion,the control of processingparameters, such as solventbalance or monitoringUVA intensity, to the

determination of sleevediameters.

Chinese, French, German and Spanish versions of the app willalso be available soon.

News

Sistrade presents atPolish conference Together with Polish company Grafikus SystemyGraficzne, Sistrade Soft-ware Consulting organiseda successful conference forPolish flexographic industrycompanies in Porto on 15 and 16 May.

With aim of raisingawareness of new technolo-gies in terms of materials/consumables, machineryand production manage-ment software, the partici-pants included HP, Esko,DuPont, Vianord, Praxair,Mark Andy, Rossini,GMG/MMC, FÜLL and ComexiGroup, and a total of 60 participants attended.

Sistrade is a provider ofMIS/ERP systems for the

flexible packaging and labelprinting industry, promot-ing features such as cross-platform, privatecloud, estimating usingtablet, scheduling, job ordermanagement, supervisorycontrol and data acquisi-tion, and manufacturingexecution system.

The ceremony of initiation of Polish Guild of Gutenberg Knights alsotook place during the conference, organised bythe chancellor of the association, Jacek Kusmierczyk, and by Paulo Souto from Sistrade.Established in 1996, theorganisation operates in six European countries.

Martin Automatic boosts productionAksorn Art Paper Cupand Packaging Compa-ny, based in Samutsako-rn, in Thailand, hasadded Martin Automat-ic roll changing technol-ogy to its new EdaleFL-5 flexo carton press.The high performanceMartin MBS automaticbutt splicer providesnon-stop roll feed,enabling Aksorn tomanufacture instantnoodle cups at high volume with a quickturnaround.

The eight colour Edalehas a 430 mm web width,and can print up to 600micron cartonboard. Eachprint unit has twin servos,and the press is fitted witha combination of IR drying and UV curing, and a shingled deliverytable. Roll sizes are typical-ly 3,200 lineal meters of270 gsm paperboard,which the Martin equippedEdale press can now runoff at 150 m/min, on a24/7 basis.

A new app has beenintroduced by FlintGroup

The Martin Automatic MBS at Aksorn allows thecompany’s new press to run continuously on paper cup production

Transfer more label jobs to digital

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News

New slitter to provide increased productivityComexi Group will beinstalling a Proslit S-Tur-ret at the AMB plant, inSan Daniele del Friuli, inItaly, during the secondhalf of 2014.

Founded in 1969, AMBspecialises in printing,lamination and productionof rigid and flexible films,supplying high barrierplates, printed and lami-nated films. It offers awide variety of productssuitable for food packag-ing and industrial prod-ucts, and exports over70% of its production.

‘At AMB, we are trulyconvinced that the incor-poration of the newComexi Proslit S-Turretwill provide us increasedproductivity, efficiency,

safety and, above all, thefinal reel quality that weneed to increase our competitiveness. This willallow us to maintain andeven enhance the confi-dence of our customers inthe products we release.We are convinced it willbring us much success andhelp to increase our mar-ket share,’ said owner, Alejandro Marin.

A single tur-ret slitter, the Proslit S-Turret canhandle a widerange of flexi-ble packagingand with othertypes of prod-ucts, includingaluminum,

paper, adhesives, rigid andsemi-rigid plastics, from350 to 500 microns.

The machine incorpo-rates the Advance LinearWinding System, whichkeeps the lay-on rollerfixed to the frame andmoves the re-wind shaft

as it becomes bigger. Thisensures that the distancebetween the slitting areaand the lay-on shaft arearemains the same, andboth slitting and rewindingquality is improved.

UK agent appointed for waste handling systems BFS Pressroom SolutionsLtd has been appointed asagents for Lundberg Tech,manufacturer of automatedwaste handling systems, inthe UK.

Established in 1946,Danish company LundbergTech is a specialist in vacu-um waste handling fromprocess and print machines.It designs, manufacturesand installs automatedwaste handling systems thatcapture waste at the source,cut it into confetti andtransport it by air directly tothe collection point. Itswaste extraction systemsare designed for handlinglabel matrix and edge trim

waste, and can be pro-vided either as centralsystems or all-in-one units. Morethan 3,000 systems have been installedworldwide.

Kevin Harrison, newlyappointed businessdevelopment manager atBFS, said, ‘BFS Press-room Solutions areproud to representLundberg Tech wastehandling systems in theUK and we are convin-ced that companies whichinstall the system will seeincreases in productivity,reduced volumes of waste,less manual handling and

the possibility of zero toland fill of their waste prod-ucts therefore improvingtheir carbon footprint.’ BFS Pressroom Solutions

celebrated its 25th year ofbusiness in 2013. It is afamily run company, oper-ating from three factorieslocated in the UK.

Extraction system for matrix and edge trim waste

The Comexi ProslitS-Turret

To fi nd out more visit www.fujifi lm.co.uk/gsor email [email protected]

Graphium digital UV inkjet pressGraphium is the industry’s most productive modular digital UV inkjet press with high opacity white ink, for label, packaging and speciality print applications. Ideally suited for complex jobs, it will print on virtually any substrate, maximising productivity, while increasing revenue streams and margins. And, it offers the unique ability to combine integrated flexo stations for hybrid production and inline finishing for converting in one pass.

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http://www.fujifi


Industry insiderViews and news from John A Bambery, non-executive chairman, BPIF [email protected]

As we approach the summer,we can reflect on thevarious exhibitions,

seminars and training workshopsof recent months, and can see thatthe industry is in good shape. Allthe economic forecasts predictingthat the UK economy isperforming well are being borneout by a successful print andpackaging sector. However, onething is paramount and that is thatchange continues to be a dominantfactor. Companies resisting changeare suffering, while those thatembrace it are faring much better.Our recent technical seminar,which looked at changing markets,took the debate concerning digitaland conventional to another level.There is more about this in the magazine.

It is always a pleasure to go to aUK machinery manufacturer andsee our engineering sectorachieving success. At our recentoperator training day, held atFocus Label Machinery, it wasinteresting to walk round the shopfloor and see a full order book and,what is more a significant, apercentage of orders destined foroverseas markets. While Focusmay not be perceived as a majorplayer in the UK label market, it isenjoying success in exploitingniche markets both at home andabroad. This is truly an example ofa UK company that has had to re-engineer itself to survive these

challenging times, and, if I may sayso, doing it very well. Many of itsmachines will not be seen atexhibitions but they are clearlydesigned to take advantage of wellestablished processes andincorporate these with the latestservo techniques.

Although I was unable to go tointerpack in Düsseldorf, Iunderstand that there was asignificant presence of digitalcompanies exhibiting theirofferings and making furtheradvances into new and dynamicmarkets. I wonder how long it willbe before we see drupa andinterpack being merged into onelarge print and packagingexhibition. There are significantoverlaps, and with the generalprinting industry still in decline,this may be one way to stimulateinterest for the future.

As we look forward to LabelexpoAmericas in Chicago, arrange-ments are well in hand for ourstudy tour to see how US labelcompanies and laminatecompanies dispose of their wasteand convert this into a bio massfuel source. Sorting and correctlysegregating waste, funnily enough,is becoming an interesting newmarket. Many companies are nowwaking up to the fact that wastedisposal costs will continue to rise,and these have now reached apoint where the overall costs arebeginning to hurt. Apparently, the

general waste disposal sector is stillvery fragmented, with workingpractices and techniques verymuch focused on what they weredoing many years ago. I believethis is going to change, and wecould see a waste recovery sectorbecoming a growing andprosperous sector. The high costof waste disposal is also forcingcompanies to make changes totheir internal processes, so thatwaste segregation will become anecessary factor in assistingcompanies to control the everincreasing costs of waste disposal.

2014 seems to be the year offactory open days. Mostcompanies seem to have somethingnew to show which is stimulatinginterest. I think that the next bigevent will be RotoMetricsEuropean Open House which is being supported by 25companies and is due to take place at its Walsall premises on 23–25 September.

I wish them well and hope thatthe UK label sector will supportthis very worthwhile networkingevent. My attention is turning nowto 2015, and hopefully we will beable to engage with the industry byorganising more training eventsand technical seminars.

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Company profile

15June 2014

Mailing film specialist invests toenter new markets

First established in 1982 in Norwich, RR Flexo is todayoperating out of premises on

the Threxton Road Industrial Estatein Watton near Thetford, in Norfolk,and offers a fast one stop serviceprinting mailing films, as well asfilms for a variety of products,including tissue wraps, horticulturalproducts, and bags. Founded by RonDodd and Richard Green – the twoRs of RR Flexo – the management

today also includes Andrew Dodd asmanaging director, Richard Lam-bert, production director, and MarkArcher, who is the finance director.

Taking a chanceReminiscing about the move to Watton, Ron and Andrew Dodd lookat the pictures on the wall in theboardroom, which show a disorgan-ised warehouse full of the previousowner’s stock of office furniture.

‘When we took over these premisesin 2008, they were in a right state,’said Ron Dodd. ‘We had made thebig decision to invest and expandafter losing one of our biggestaccounts, and standing in that messyhall was daunting to say the least.’

One of the first initiatives the com-pany took to make up for the loss ofthe large account was to employ itsfirst sales person, someone whobrought with him a lot of experience

in the tissue market and openedmany new doors. This in turnspurred the decision to move to thebigger premises and keep expanding.

Walking through the modern, wellorganised production hall today, it iseasy to see just how much work thecompany has put into succeeding,and how it has gone from strength tostrength by being prepared to investand push hard, attacking new andunknown markets with gusto. ‘You

have to be prepared to try and fail,not just sit back,’ said Andrew Dodd.‘We took a bit of a gamble and managed to get the financial backing,and it paid off.’

On the floorThe move from Norwich includedan old Schiavi geared press and twoUteco Coral 675 wide web CI press-es. The latter two are still runningtoday complemented by an eight

colour Uteco Onyx 876 GLbought in 2009, and the latestaddition, the brand new eightcolour Uteco Onyx 812,installed earlier this year.

Supplied by Eurograv Lim-ited with whom RR Flexo hasa long and well establishedrelationship, the new 1,650mm wide press has a repeatup to 1,250 mm and comeswith full sleeve change forboth printing plates andanilox. It is fitted with fullyautomatic 1,000 mm unwindsand rewinds, with full inlineslitting capability and runs atspeeds up to 400 m/min. Theanilox have been supplied bySandon Global and ALT.

Pressure and impressionsetting is also fully automaticwith Uteco’s proprietoryTouch&Go (automatic aniloxto plate pressure setting) and Kiss&Go (plate to drumauto impression) systems.Registration is performed

with Click&Drag on the Grafikscan2200 defect detection system fromGrafikontrol.

The Kiss&Go system performsthe automatic set up of the printingpressure at the start of every new job.Before that, the Touch&Go functionautomatically sets the initial contactposition of each print unit with verylittle material waste. The systemworks directly by reading the printedcolour on the substrate, adjusting the

A large investment in both new machinery and staff has been undertaken by Norfolk-basedmailing film printer RR Flexo in a bid to expand its expertise further into the wide websector. The company has just commissioned its fourth Uteco press and Neel Madsen went tosee it in action.

This new Uteco Onyx at RR Flexo is one of the widest flexible film presses inoperation in the UK today

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Company profile

printing pressure with high accuracywithout any intervention from the operator.

The system is composed of acompact reading unit, which isinstalled just after the last printingstation on the central drum, and aprocessing unit. The reading unitperforms a scan of each colour print-ed and forwards the data to the pro-cessing unit, which uses a dedicatedalgorithm to process and establishthe optimal printing point while con-trolling the positioning of the aniloxand printing cylinders through a highspeed interface connection.

More investmentInvestment in other equipment todeal with the increased productivityinclude a new 1,650 mm wide sixcamera version of the Camis Irisleeveplatemounter, developed especiallyfor RR Flexo. This is the thirdCamis mounter that the company

has bought from Eurograv over theyears, and it comes fitted with a 900 mm wide Taper-Slide tapeapplication system.

In the production hall, a largenumber of plate mounting sleeves siton their racks. Most of these comefrom another Italian manufacturer,Rossini Spa. Andrew Dodd com-mented, ‘We have tried other makesof sleeves, but they just don’t last aslong as the Everstat sleeve fromRossini. We are also trialling Poly-mount’s Twinlock system at themoment supplied to us by Graway.This was brought in especially for aweekly glossy job.’

There has equally been a signifi-cant investment in staff over theyears, which has grown from the 22when the new premises were bought,to 36 today. The latest addition is sixnew trainees, taken on to work on thenew press.

Platemaking takes place next door

at Vieflex, which is run by managingdirector, Paul Evans. The equip-ment here includes a DantexDW4835 plate processing unit, aCDI Spark and a Flint nyloflexCombi processing unit.

In the familyThe four generations of Utecopresses standing side by side at RRFlexo clearly displays the develop-ment in press technology from theItalian manufacturer over the years,from the old six colour Coral presseswhich use about 1,100 metres ofsubstrate on set up, to the new Onyxwhich performs the same processwith under 200 metres of waste.

‘At 1,650 mm, the new big repeatmachine at RR Flexo is one of thewidest presses in operation in theflexible films market in the countryand it gives the company huge scopeto take on work in many differentmarkets,’ said Eurograv director,Mike Attard, who sold the press tothe company. ‘We first started work-ing with RR Flexo in 1997, and it isa great example of a small family runflexo printing company that has benefitted over the years from Utecotechnology and knowhow.’

Andrew Dodd said, ‘When we firstmade the decision to buy this newpress, we sat down and discussedwhich way to go, and the answer wasto hit as many markets as we couldwith our new wider printing capabili-ties. We are now quoting for jobs inmarkets that are completely new tous and it is a steep learning curve,but one which we are confidentlyclimbing by using our vast experi-ence in the mailing films market andapplying our skills to new tasks. Wedo enjoy pushing ourselves a bit andthe new Uteco press has opened upso many new opportunities.’ n

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Anilox

19June 2014

Together with the photopoly-mer plate, the anilox trulydefines flexo printing and

manufacturers are spending a lot oftime and money on developing thesein order to be able to give their customers the best possible inkmetering device. Research and development into cell shapes and ink release continues, and your supplier can guide you in yourchoice of anilox inventory to avoidcostly mistakes.

Longer cellsTime was when a standard aniloxwith 60° hexagonal cells was used formost jobs and it still offers consis-tent, reliable ink transfer with bal-anced support of the plate dots.However, as flexo printing developsso must the anilox.

Technical sales manager at Pamar-co Global Graphics, David Parr,said, ‘Flexo is generally a forgivingprint process, allowing printers to dothings in a variety of ways, thereforehaving the wrong anilox in yourpress isn’t always immediately obvi-ous. However, as the demands of themarket mean that you have to printhigher quality, print faster, changejobs more frequently, reduce yourdowntime and costs, just to remaincompetitive, it is vital for flexo print-ers to understand and control everypart of the flexo process to suit theexact needs of their customers.’

Mr Parr explained that a commonmisconception concerning ink trans-fer from the anilox to the plate is thatthe cell will empty almost all its con-tent, much like emptying a coffeecup, when in reality transfer rates areonly between 25% and 50% depend-ing on cell shape, ink viscosity andpress speed. He said, ‘If you want toprint a large ink film for higher den-sity and better coverage, you need toeither have bigger cells, or have cellshapes that transfer a high amount ofthe ink. In contrast, if you have toomuch ink, causing defects like dotbridging and dirty print, you need toreduce the ink film by reducing the

size of the cells.’ This simple concept is, however,

increasingly complicated by the factthat the demand for higher resolutionprinting means that flexo plate dotsare getting smaller and smaller. Forexample, flexo plate screens of 150l/in (59 l/cm) have a highlight dotdiameter of 19 microns and using thegeneral rule of matching the cellopening to the dot diameter wouldmean the selection of an anilox of1,120 l/in (440 l/cm). Finer aniloxscreens reduce the size of the cellopening, which generally means aproportionate decrease in cell depthand therefore a reduction in cell vol-ume and less ink transfer. This prob-lem cannot be solved by increasingthe depth of the cell as this may leadto more ink remaining in the cell andfaster ‘plugging’ of cells, loss of printdensity, all leading to downtime ofthe press and rejection of the print.

Pamarco’s solution to this problemhas been the development of extend-ed cell technology, the EFlo. TheEFlo engraving has double lengthcells in the direction of printingwhich offer several advantages forflexo printing. First the elongatedcells can carry and deliver to theprinting plate a much larger amountof ink than conventional 60° hexago-nal shaped cells. Secondly, the cells

are engraved at a consistent angle of75° to ensure no moiré clash withflexo plate screens. The increase inink transfer to the printing platemeans that screen counts can beincreased without compromising onthe depth to opening ratios, main-taining good support to flexo platedots and providing excellent ink filmthicknesses on to the printing plate.Finally, the open structure also keepsanilox cells cleaner for longer, help-ing to reduce downtime, loss of printdensity and quality.

‘Since EFlo’s introduction in 2010,extended anilox cell technology hasbeen extensively proven in all flexoprinting disciplines and is now wide-ly adopted as an industry standardfor a substantial number of highquality flexo printing applications.This includes both brown box andhigh graphic post-print corrugatedand HD flexo, currently being usedextensively in flexible film and paperprinting,’ concluded Mr Parr.

Opening a new channelOne solution to the drive for reducedcosts is fixed palette printing, usingonly CMYK (plus orange, green andviolet) avoiding the need for Pan-tones. This requires complete stabili-ty of the printing process and thatincludes the anilox.

Release the ink: choosing your aniloxAs the vehicle that meters out the amount of ink that ends up on the substrate, the anilox iscentral to the flexo printing process. There are various schools of thought as to which cellengraving enables the best ink release, some favour elongated hexagonal cells while othersswear by open channel engraving patterns. With the huge choice on the market today,selecting the right anilox for the job is a challenge. By Neel Madsen.

The laser facility at Cheshire Anilox Technology

19_22_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:17

20

Anilox

June 2014

Sonia Arcos, sales director atCheshire Anilox Technology, said,‘As print runs are getting shorter andshorter, and the costs are being driv-en down with reduced marginsthroughout the supply chain, theneed for faster changeovers makesprinting with 4 to 7 colour process avery appealing option. The benefitsof using less plates, tape, ink andhaving less anilox wash ups and pro-duction downtime are obvious. How-ever, in order to achieve the requiredcolour densities and a comparablecolour gamut, the anilox must pro-vide a highly consistent and uniformvolume of ink to the plate. Improvingink transfer efficiency from theanilox to the plate is key for the suc-cess of this technique.’

The investment in 2012 in a new500 Watt multi-hit fibre laser withcustom pulse, enabled Cheshire todevelop a wide range of new engrav-ings. The latest innovation isMaxfloXT, a channel engraving witha continuous spiral structure, whichis compatible with all ink types andavailable up to 2,000 lpi. The screen-ing software in the new laser hasallowed Cheshire to control the inter-nal dimensions of the continuousspiral channel, widening it to providea higher ink carrying capacity andimprove its release characteristics.

Ms Arcos explained, ‘The conceptof using channel engravings toimprove ink transfer efficiency is nota new one. Channels have been usedfor many years as an effective meansof increasing the ink flow within the

anilox improving transfer efficiency.However, ink film thickness and uni-formity was always more difficult tocontrol in conventional channelengravings. The real challenge is todesign a channel that can effectivelycontrol the volume of ink transferredas well as maximise ink evacuationfrom the anilox. MaxfloXT hasaccomplished both.’

This new engraving promises toimprove ink transfer by up to 15%.Its continuous cell structure has 50%less land area than 60° conventionalengravings as there are less cell walls,offering a more efficient and finerink distribution. Customers arereporting an average increase incolour densities of up to 10% com-pared to conventional engravings,while the smoothness of coverageand a reduction of pinholing areother benefits of MaxfloXT.

Results are immediately visible inthe print, increased densities providehigher image contrast and greatercolour vibrancy. Increasing the den-sity across the full tonal range broad-ens the available range of colours andexpands the process colour gamut.

Another reported advantage of thenew channel engraving is that whenused with UV inks, it eradicates thecommon problem of ink ‘spitting’.The continuous engraving improvesthe inkflow within the anilox stop-ping the build up of ink behind thedoctor blade which forces it to liftand cause the ink spray or spitting.

The company has also developed anew advanced sealant, which reducesporosity to less than 0.5% and fur-thermore offers an improved protec-tion against corrosion. The vacuuminfiltrated sealant penetratesextremely fine porosity and deposit abarrier film on the cell walls, lower-ing the coating surface energy. Itshydrophobic characteristics max-imise the evacuation of ink from thecells and provide a stronger shield tothe anilox metallic base. AllCheshire’s rollers are treated withthis sealant.

More laser powerSandon Global has installed its fifththermal fibre optic laser, which hasbeen supplied by Advanced LaserEngineering (ALE). The companysaid that this investment reflects itsneed to increase capacity and meetgrowing customer demand for itsproducts. The system uses newmaterials and technologies in beamdelivery optics that refine production

and optimise manufacture. The tech-nology enables consistency and sub-sequent quality of anilox engravingsat higher screen counts.

‘We have been working in partner-ship with ALE on new concepts inlaser technology to meet our highdemands for some time,’ said man-aging director, John Millington. ‘Thenew laser will give us the ability tocarry out some exciting new productdevelopments. Sandon Global isdetermined to constantly evolveengraving concepts through ongoingexperimentation. The fifth laser iscrucial in driving these latest devel-opments by utilising its technologicaladvancements and also increasingour capacity so that we can dedicateincreasing time to research anddevelopment. The new laser will becapable of producing greater lati-tudes of engravings aiming toincrease line counts whilst maintain-ing greater volume capability thanpreviously available.’

A sixth thermal fibre optic laser isalso on order for commissioning inAugust 2014. Mr Millington con-cluded, ‘The new laser represents amajor investment for the companyand demonstrates our continuedinvestment programme at a timewhen the global economy is in recov-ery. We are very confident in thefuture of the flexographic printing

industry and will continue to supportits success and progress.’

The company produces a comprehensive range of engravings,including the iPro for HD printing,which features an open cell designfor increased release characteristicsto avoid problems such as ink starva-

The EFlo elongated cell structurefrom Pamarco

Cou

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Cor

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Plate dots need to be slightlylarger than the anilox cells toavoid ‘dot dipping’

19_22_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:17

22

Anilox

June 2014

tion at high printing speeds. Its highopacity white (HOW) and highopacity colour (HOC) were developed for the narrow web market, while for wide web printing,there is the high volume process(HVP) engraving.

Nano nano Anilox Laser Technology Ltd(ALT) introduced its Nano technology in 2013.

Managing director, AnthonyJewell, explained, ‘We developed

Nano to give the printers a newoption for high ink transfer whilstunder the strict constraints of theflexographic process. Since thedevelopment, we have converted aconsiderable amount of customers toNano and they are seeing improvedink transfer whilst using high cellcounts and reduced cell depth. Thisresults in lower ink consumption anddecreased cleaning cycles. Also thedemand for high cell counts cansometimes see an increase in doctorblade scoring or marking to theanilox surface. This has been massively reduced in most applica-tions with the introduction of Nanoanilox technology.’

The company has also continued aplanned investment programme dur-ing 2014 with the introduction of anew micro polishing system andadditional microscope measurementequipment to further increase thecapacity for the accurate production

of anilox rollers and sleeves.Mr Jewell said, ‘We have worked

closely with some key customers tohelp them improve their Pantonecolour matching processes and there-fore reduce print set up times. Thisis achieved by the unique volumetricmeasurement process we adopt withevery anilox produced.

‘With the introduction of HD flexoplate technology, it is even moreimportant to control the cell geome-try and ink volume release. All areasof the industry are developing prod-

ucts that complements each process,anilox included, and we feel that theflexography is becoming strongerand will be the preferred print process for the future.’

ALT is committed to furtherdevelopment and is currently work-ing on other cell structures that willbe available for test and evaluationlater this year. There are also plansto purchase a third laser engravingsystem towards the end of 2014.

Consider the variablesWhen working with specific printtargets and high-end printing, youshould know the size of the mini-mum dot and the opening of theanilox cells your supplier is recom-mending. Ideally it is best to have thecell opening equal to or less than thesize of your minimum dot. This willensure that you can achieve preciseclean print, soft vignettes and noedges when fading to zero, explained

Harper Corporation’s Alex James.Selecting the correct anilox, howev-er, is not just a question of matchingthe size of the plate dot, there aremany more variables to considerwhen deciding which engravingwould be the most appropriate foryour application.

‘Variables to consider can benumerous, so get started by docu-menting the obvious ones. Beginwith your press type and productionspeed. The type of ink you plan onusing will be another factor, as is

substrate choices, espe-cially when dealing withfilm vs paper and uncoat-ed substrates. Uncoatedsubstrates will naturallyrequired more volume ofink due to the absorptivenature of the material.Along with those vari-ables, your polymerchoice and your platetechnology will also play amajor role, especiallywhen using the differentimaging technologies cur-rently available. In handwith the different plateimaging technologies,there are also the differenttape options that can beused in combination with your polymer.’

For the precise transfer of thin ink filmswith micron accuracy,Harper offers the XLT(Xtreme Laser Technolo-

gy) engraving. The company invest-ed over $5.3 million in thedevelopment and installation of theXLT, which has also paved the wayfor a new product, known as XVR,engineered for extended volumeranges and well suited for combina-tion printing of solid and line workon one plate. For heavily pigmentedinks and coatings, it has the XDWchannel engraving.

‘Selecting the right anilox for yourneeds involves proper communica-tion of your variables to your aniloxsupplier. Thankfully in today’sindustry there are a variety of differ-ent engravings to choose from. Workwith your co-suppliers and aniloxsupplier when embarking on newprojects. Keep in mind your vari-ables and your print target and withproper communication your aniloxsupplier will be able to find a solu-tion for any of your print challenges,’recommended Mr James. n

Sandon Global’s laser room

19_22_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:17 Page 21

24

Anilox

June 2014

Consistency is the key with GTT

Apex previouslydescribed GeneticTransfer Technology

(GTT) as a ‘revolution’ in theflexographic industry, howeverit has learnt its lesson in tryingto promise too much too soon.However what it can promise is consistency.

Bas van der Poel, technicalsales manager, said, ‘GTT isnot new but it has now becomestandardised. We can confi-dently state that GTT engrav-ings are the most consistentand reproducible on the markettoday. We know this for a factbecause it has undergone inde-pendent testing in some of themost exacting industrial condi-tions. A high precision, industry-specific tool determined thatGTT rollers had tolerances of approx-imately 2.5% across the surface, andfrom engraving to engraving.’

The GTT slalom channel engrav-ing pattern allows a better ink transferto the plate as the ink is not trapped inindividual cells, as with traditionalanilox engravings. Instead the ink canflow freely through the channel.

This consistent ink transfer allowsprinters to calculate precisely howmuch ink will be on the plate, and socan accurately recreate Pantonecolours on the press from using justthe four process colours. The compa-ny claims that 80% of Pantone colourscan be created with CMYK and thatusing seven colours can replicate up to90% of Pantone colours dependent onthe print parameters used.

It can also improve the quality ofprinting, which is more pronouncedwith the latest plate technology, how-ever even without the most up to dateplates, the company can assure thatprinting will be consistent.

If a customer is curious about thebenefits of the technology, they canhave a trial with the GTT meteringroller, and will even be provided withnewer technology plates from PPPDigital Imaging, so they can see forthemselves what difference it makes.

Apex works closely with repro special-ists, such as PPP, that have experiencewith GTT technology, but Mr van derPoel said customers can go with theirown repro company and it is alwaystheir own choice.

Making savingsHigh quality is important, however thecompany’s solution is also appealingto its customers’ pockets. Savingmoney comes from the fact that allprinting components stay in themachine as each printing station isdedicated to one of the processcolours. If you are printing multipletones from the same four colours thereis no need to remove the anilox rollers,which is when damage is more likelyto happen.

Removing the need to changecolours in the printing stations alsomeans there is less downtime and lesswaste. The company is confident thatthis will help its customers save moneyon doctor blades and wash up timestoo, however when asked about thepossibility of saving money on ink, Mrvan der Poel said this is a more com-plex issue. ‘Yes it could save on inkbut the trouble is I can’t give any fig-ures on that because there are so manyother factors which affect ink con-

sumption, it is not solely up to theanilox roller.’

Nevertheless, GTT technology canmake the printing process more effi-cient and environmentally friendly,and the accurate recreation of Pantonecolours that it enables also means twodesigns can fit onto one plate.

The company offers a range of dif-ferent roller types from XS to XL,think t-shirts, with the XS leading theway in high definition printing and theXL used for instance for printing anice full tone white.

Despite coming off the back of aneconomic recession, the company is ingood shape after it saw a rise in busi-ness over that period. Jeanine Graat,global marketing manager, said, ‘Inter-est in the GTT products has grownsince 2008. As budgets were squeezedprinters were looking at ways to savemoney, and so the benefits that camewith using the GTT anilox rollersbecame attractive. Over the past 12months, Apex achieved an averageglobal sales growth of 30%, not onlyon GTT, but also on the conventionalanilox rollers, which still form animportant part of the total product range.’

Despite its importance, consistency is not a word that usually rouses much excitement.However, when the benefits of consistent ink transfer are exploited, a whole range ofpossibilities is opened up to printers. This is what Apex offers with its GTT technology. By Michal Lodej.

Apex’s headquarters in Hapert, the Netherlands

24_25_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:20

Anilox

25June 2014

Creating channelsAt the company headquarters nearEindhoven, the Netherlands, allrepairs and checks are all handled inhouse so the company can be certainthe products will be completed to itshigh standards, maintaining the quali-ty of the brand.

A modern, laser engraving depart-ment houses the latest technologylasers, some working on patentedGTT technology, which has been fur-ther developed over the past threeyears, and others working on its rangeof conventional anilox rollers.

The anilox starts out as a steel roll,which forms the base, then the ceram-ic is built up over it. A ceramic andtitanium mix is first ground down intopowder, mixed with water and thensprayed onto the base. It is then fusedto the base with a flame. Once theceramic is built up it needs to besmoothed down. Smoothness is themost important aspect of any aniloxroller, but when using a material ashard as ceramic there is only one sub-stance, which is physically able to dothis, diamond.

The GTT metering rollers are madeby a laser-cutting slalom structuredchannels as opposed to the traditionhexagonal cells. This type of engrav-ing is smoother as the laser is workingas a constant beam rather thanthrough quick short bursts that createthe hexagonal cells. It can also create

shallower cells, which again helps theink transfer to the plate.

For the conventional anilox rollers,the laser still plays an important role.Apex uses a technology called UltraMelt, which can be described ascontrolling the intensity range of thelaser beam that engraves the aniloxcells. The engraving procedure ofeach cell starts with an extreme powershot that determines the main shape ofthe cell. During a secondary low-pow-ered after treatment, the laser beamcloses and hardens the ceramic surfacemaking the surface smooth and shining like a mirror. The companycan produce any cell pattern, fromhexagonal to Channellox and fromLongCell to Trihelical.

The cells and patterns will bechecked against both the customer’srequirements and the company’s own high standards. After completion,the rollers are exported worldwideusing with the company’s own logistics department.

It is important that the headquarters’stringent quality control is replicatedthroughout the company’s officesacross the globe. Several times a yeareach satellite office will send an aniloxroller to be tested by the Hapert development centre to ensure that thequality of brand is being maintainedand that each entity is calibrated in thesame way.

Global playerHaving grown over the last 15 yearsfrom a small business to a worldwideproducer of ink metering rollers, thecompany has today over 5,000 cus-tomers and production locations inIndia, the USA, Brazil and Italy as wellas its headquarters in Hapert, in theNetherlands. Apex has a total of 220employees, a sales force of more than80 and six sales offices.

The company works closely with anumber of partners and took partin the REVO open house eventat Gidue’s headquarters in Flo-rence in June, where the so-called ‘Digital Flexo Revolution’ was demonstrated.

Ms Graat commented, ‘Beingactive on a global scale offeringcustomers the same level of quality all around the world isimportant to Apex, just as impor-tant as being innovative and leading. Apex recently won anaward for the most innovativedevelopment in the field of laserengraving, given by University ofTwente, an important knowledgecentre in Holland.’

All printers know how impor-tant consistency is, and if there isa way to improve it, most wouldagree it is important investmentarea. Apex has moved away frommaking claims that its technologyis a revolution in the flexo industry, however only time willtell just how important GTTtechnology will be in the evolution of flexo. n

Apex offers ceramic laser engraved and mechanically engraved chromeplated metering rollers

The GTT engraving with its openslalom channel

24_25_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:20

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Whether printing labels, flexible packaging or cartons – professional handling, finely-tuned processes and perfect print results are nowadays what flexoprinting is all about. With our DuploFLEX® plate mounting tapes, our Bonding Engineers have developed uncompromising product solutions for you. Would you like to see for yourself? Then put us to the test.

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Anilox

27June 2014

The ability to manage aniloxinventories by knowing thecondition of each roller, and its

suitability to go onto press, throughconsistent measurements and provencleaning techniques, has significantlyreduced ink and makeready waste forthe majority of printer companieswhich have adopted anilox inventorymanagement processes, saving any-thing from £5,000 to over £10,000per month. However, whilst the elec-tronic measurement devices haveproven themselves for consistency ofreadings and repeatability of measure-ments, typically ±0.1 cm³/m² for theprocess anilox rollers, accuracy ofmeasurement has been subjective up until now.

The accuracy of measurement hasbeen a point of contention betweenthe different anilox manufacturers,which rightfully defend their own his-toric (analogue) methods of measure-ments. As reported in a study in 2007,these methods showed significant vari-ations in measured volumes (oftenover 50%). Therefore the need foraccurate volumetric measurement wasrecognised and requested by printerswho wanted a proven reference fromwhich to measure inventory, and forordering replacement aniloxes.

Accurate measurement To prove accuracy, two questionsneed to be asked: How accurate doesthe measurement system need to be?And what reference should be used toqualify ‘accurate’?

Achieving the correct densities inprocess colours is the most costly partof press set up and it is therefore agood starting point. In various studies,it has been shown that process anilox-es engraved to within 0.4 cm³/m², orbetter, of each other will achieve acolour accuracy of typically 3 delta E.So if the inventory is within 0.4cm³/m², the printer will achieve thedesired colour target faster and min-imise waste. Therefore a suitable target for the measurement instrumentwould be to have a repeatable accura-cy of ±0.1 cm³/m² for the range of process aniloxes, and of ±0.2 cm³/m²for coarser screen counts.

With electronic scanning devices, ithas been possible to prove volumetricaccuracy, which has simply not beenpossible with the historic analogue(ink drawdown) systems. The abilityto prove accuracy has been an evolu-tionary process and became a practicalsolution earlier this year. The methodof proving accuracy is through simplemathematics and ‘balls’.

If the diameter of an accuratelyground sphere (ball bearing) isknown, its X, Y and Z dimensions, itsvolume and surface area and any otherparameters can be calculated throughsimple maths. Extrapolating that datamakes it possible to calibrate the elec-tronic scanning microscopes veryaccurately to within ±1 micron, andsubsequently accurately define thevolume of the sphere. Once the 3Dscanning microscope (AniCAM) is calibrated to the sphere, the analysisprogram (Anilox QC application) willcorrectly measure the volumes of anyanilox to be measured.

Proving the theoryIn conjunction with the WCPC, Troi-ka Systems undertook the project totest the depth and volumetric accuracy of a sphere-calibrated Ani-CAM against the WCPC high-endinterferometer measurement systemon a 12 banded anilox, engraved from1,500 lpi down to 100 lpi. Bothdevices used different mathematical

models to calculatethe volumes on thetest anilox.

The correlation ofmeasurementbetween the two sys-tems was exception-ally close. A reportwas compiled by DrDavide DeganelloPhD and SakulratFoulston, who tookmeasurements andcomputed results.

Dr Deganello stat-ed, ‘As there is arecognised inevitablevariability of volumedue to surfaceroughness, minor

variations in measurement wereexpected. However, there is a veryhigh degree of consistency betweenthe two systems. The accuracy of themeasurement systems is certainly wellwithin the required measurementrequirements of the industry.’

ConclusionFor printers, a standard of volumetricmeasurement has now been scientifi-cally proven with a practical instru-ment that can be used on the shopfloor. Printers and anilox manufactur-ers alike can now have the confidencethat measurements are realistic andbased on credible data, from whichthe industry can work from as aproven point of reference.

Will this development have anyimpact on the future of our industry?Almost certainly the ability to measureaniloxes accurately will allow printersto have a reference from which towork from and allow greater freedomwhen choosing between different sup-pliers and to check the quality andconsistency of aniloxes purchased.

It is also anticipated that it will con-tribute to future developments in elec-tronic printing and allow the ongoingdevelopment of ink release character-istics to be calculated from differentengraving shapes and styles, and consequently the optimising of inkrheology for different cell structure. n

Measuring volumeWith recent advances in technology and established mathematical models, it is now possibleto prove accurate volumetric measurement for anilox rollers. This breakthrough is a directresult of considerable development by Troika Systems Limited and the WCPC at SwanseaUniversity, explains Troika managing director, Phil Hall.

Dr Davide Deganello and Sakulrat Foulston in theprocess of analysing the test banded anilox

27_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:21

28

Anilox cleaning

June 2014

Ultrasonic anilox roller damage:separating fact from fiction

Aphrase often heard is, ‘Wedon’t have to clean ouraniloxes really. The work we

do doesn’t require it.’ This is akin to saying, ‘I don’t need to clean myteeth. I only eat certain foods.’ Toachieve consistent, high quality printproduction, implementing and main-taining a regular and effective aniloxcleaning regime is of paramountimportance, regardless of the jobs running.

More to the point, it protects thesignificant investment made in aprinting press, plates, inks and HDdesign software. Without an anilox inprime condition, one simply cannotget the best from the press and thesurrounding elements. Along withconsumable costs, skill level and timeconsumption, the other importantconsideration is ensuring that theanilox remains safe at all times. Thisis where the cutthroat world of aniloxcleaning suppliers becomes murky.Bad-mouthing between competitorsis rife and this is where myths andfalsities are created.

Facts and fictionPrinters need to protect the vastamounts of money spent on aniloxes,especially in these times where highdefinition flexo leads us further andfurther down the path of ultra highscreens. Any suggestion that cleaningequipment has the potential to dam-age this investment will create fear,especially if the printer is takingadvice from those without expertisein different methods utilising com-plex technology.

In truth, there are some horror sto-ries surrounding ultrasonics thatstem from systems which circulatedin the 80s and early 90s, whereequipment was low frequency, lowspecification and generally not fit forpurpose. Anilox damage was possibleas the ultrasound was often not con-

trolled in the correct manner. When sound is put into water, it is

patchy. There are areas of high con-centration and likewise, areas of lowactivity, spelling danger for theanilox. These ‘hot and cold spots’ areultrasonic over and under exposureacross the web width of the anilox.To counteract this, manufacturersuse what is called a ‘sweep rate’.Sweeping above and below an aver-age frequency means the ultrasonicactivity loses that focus and is spreadover a wider area. Imagine a spot-light – the wider the sweep rate, thewider the ‘beam’.

Another key factor is the frequen-cy. Ultrasonic transducers vibrate thebase of a tank, causing it to flex athigh speeds. Due to the speed andthe width of the flex, a process called‘cavitation’ occurs. This is the pro-duction of vacuum chambers (ormicro bubbles) that implode in thefluid and on contact with the anilox.A higher frequency produces smaller

cambers and therefore a gentlercleaning action.

ExpertiseOver the past 21 years, Alphasonicshas never had to replace an aniloxdue to ultrasonic damage, a guaran-tee it confidently gives to all its cus-tomers. It has used its expertise todevelop a number of unique, highlyadvanced technologies designed tocontrol the ultrasound used in a tank.

In-house developments, such as‘Alphasound’, give the operator thechoice between low and high fre-quency settings. The low frequencysetting of 55 kHz can be used onrollers of 800 lpi or under whethercleaning is frequent or sporadic. Thealterative setting of 98 kHz howeverallows the user to clean high screencounts regularly. This could be once,twice or three times a day or even at every ink change. The principle is the flexibility to use a mechanicalcleaning process as a regular cleaning

An essential key to consistently excellent flexographic production is a clean anilox. Gettingthings right at the front end means the press is guaranteed to produce the highest quality,and ensuring the anilox is clean and free from damage is a surefire way of making thishappen. However, this essential and highly significant task is often overlooked or treatedwith less importance than required, says Chris Jones, UK and Ireland sales manager, Alphasonics.

Alphasonics conducted a live trial to show the benefits of their aniloxcleaning equipment

28_29_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:22

Anilox cleaning

method without any risk to the anilox.

With regards to the controlaspects, until recently a sweep rate of+/-5 kHz has assured roller safety.However, a slightly differentapproach was launched at LabelexpoEurope 2013 and is now a standardfeature. ‘Enhanced SuperSweep’uses a much wider sweep rate, tai-lored to suit the ultrasonic transduc-ers used on the system. This meansgoing well beyond the previous tech-nology as at the end of each sweepabove and below the average fre-quency, a peak is reached where thesound is perfectly suited to the ultra-sonic elements. This means safety iseven further assured.

The answerIn order to dispel any lingeringmyths surrounding cleaning ofaniloxes with Alphasound systems, aunique experiment was carried out.A continuous roller cleaning trial wasstreamed online, live from Alphason-ics manufacturing facility over thecourse of five days for 24 hours aday, with no breaks. Watched by acombined audience of 607 viewers,the trial employed the ‘Alphasound’and ‘Enhanced SuperSweep’ tech-

nologies, designed to give viewersfull access to the equipment alongwith behind the scenes access to theproduction facility.

Three brand new 1,200 lpi 400 lpiex production anilox rollers wereused, supplied by some of the biggestand best names in anilox roller pro-duction, including Pamarco GlobalGraphics and Inometa. Coming in atthe equivalent of around five years’worth of cleaning, the trial was con-tinuously captured around the clockby four cameras. Three separate livediscussion and Q&A sessions alsotook place addressing questions field-ed via the Internet and social mediafrom those looking to find out moreabout the trial and the technology.

The rollers were independentlyinspected before and after the trial byTroika Systems, which verified thatall rollers were undamaged andwould be perfect for full production.Results were taken during a final livebroadcast with the viewers beinggiven full access to the measuringprocess with results revealed as theyhappened. Alphasonics has sincepublished the roller measurementsfrom Troika online and the footagewill be posted to YouTube as a con-densed version for viewers to watch

at their convenience. Alphasonicsequipment has been put through anunobstructed and exhausting test,definitively proving that it does notcause any anilox damage.

The outcomeThe idea behind the trial was toprove undeniably that any hint thatultrasonic equipment from Alpha-sonics can cause anilox damage is nomore than a myth, and customerscan rest safe in the knowledge thatthe technology and its capabilitiessimply cannot be questioned whenanilox safety is considered.

Ensuring the printer receives thefull picture is what has driven thecompany. Dispelling links to aniloxdamage therefore gives printersaccess to technology that can have apositive impact on production quali-ty. Regularity is the key factor toensure guaranteed results from thepress. Therefore, an anilox cleaningmethod needs to be flexible enoughto use regularly but at the same time,capable of delivering on cleaningresults time after time.

Alphasonics are confident it hasproven its equipment to be capableof this, and has put a few myths tobed in the process. n

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30

Open house: MPS

June 2014

Opening the door to a new market

The EB flexo press was firstlaunched at Labelexpo lastyear as a prototype, but now

the press is ready for installation andit was Eric Hoendervangers, com-mercial director and co-founder, whoopened the three day event welcom-ing the visitors. He said, ‘MPS has astrong focus on helping customers toexcel by understanding their chal-lenges and needs, and bringing themthe lowest cost of producing labels.’

The EB is the cheapest press thathas ever been available from MPSand it is aimed both at companiesstarting out in label production andthose that want to extend their labelproduction with a cost-effective labelpress. It is designed for printing andconverting self-adhesive labels and isavailable with a print width of 360mm and a material width of 370 mm.

The EB in motionThe new machine has three mainfeatures which all help the operatorto decrease the time it takes tochange jobs and to cut down onwaste. These features, iSet,Crisp.Dot Light and iStop, were themain focus of the demonstration

during the open house event. With Crisp.Dot Light, there is no

gear connection between impressionand plate cylinders. This means the gear profile has no influence on the pressure settings and so will

not affect the consistency of the print quality.

Pressure control is configuredusing a set of knobs, which include aclick function. This simple featuregives the operator another way bywhich to control the tension ratherthan just relying on sight. With iSettechnology, not only the left andright pressure settings of the platecylinder/anilox roller can be set, butalso the parallel pressure settings.

During the live demonstration, thelabel design and repeat size werechanged. This was done within fiveminutes before the press was up andrunning again. The printing cylin-ders have a lightweight design, whichmakes job changeovers easier. WithiStop technology, the print cylinderand anilox roller will remain in printposition while the press is stopped.Therefore once the press hasstopped, for example after a rollchange, and re-starts, the print unitsresume printing without any waste.The press on the day was usingseven colours: CMYK, orange,green, purple plus a clear varnish.

When it comes to cleaning a printstation, the doctor blades, anilox

rollers and ink wells are all fitted withhandles for easy removal.

With a configuration of up to 10print stations, the EB press can alsobe equipped with a double die stationsuitable for front and reverse side

die-cutting, sheeting and slitting.Various converting applications,

such as web turner bar, de-lam/re-lam, and laminating solutions includ-ing cold foil, can be implemented atany location along the press using itsflexible positioning rail system. Addi-tional features, such as crossovermulti-layer labels, can also be added.

A range of drying options is avail-able, including UV drying, IR com-bination drying and hot air drying.These modules allow this entry levelpress to be upgraded as and whenthe customer requires, keeping itsuitable for companies as they growand take on more complex work.

The conceptWhen asked what the thought pro-cess was behind the press, Mr Hoen-dervangers explained, ‘We did astudy of all the different aspects ofprinting which can affect the effi-ciency of a press room, and took intoaccount every aspect of the press.What we found was that one of themost important factors in a produc-tion environment was operator moti-vation. We can build anything, evena rocket to the moon, but if it doesn’thelp the operators, their motivationand productivity will go down. Whencompanies come to make a secondinvestment, we want them to comeback to us. That is why this press hasbeen designed with so many user-friendly features.’

Keeping the press simple means it does not come with automatic reg-istration control as standard, howev-er, according to the company thepress is so well built it does not need one, although it can be installedon request.

The EF press Also on display at the open housewas the EF multi-substrate press, adifferent machine aimed at a com-pletely different level of the market.This is built on a non-operator inter-vention concept, aiming to help theoperator by automating most pro-cesses to improve efficiency.

New entrants to the label market may stay away from manufacturers at the upper end of thescale for fear of investing too much too soon. To make itself more accessible to those withsmaller budgets, MPS opened the doors to its Didam headquarters, in the Netherlands, toshow off its lowest priced press yet, the EB press. Michal Lodej reports.

Eric Hoendervangers, commercial director and co-founder,presenting the EB press to the visitors at the open house

30_31_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:26

Open house: MPS

The EF is a short-web press avail-able in a range of different widths,and comes with a sophisticated tem-perature control, which opens it upfor use with heat-sensitive substrates.

The company describes the pressas having offset matching quality,which it says it achieves by separat-ing the printing from the web trans-portation system. This gives thepress better tension control, which is key for the high quality it

can achieve.All data programmed into the press

is stored in a memory bank forrepeat jobs. During the demonstra-tion, it took just 23 metres to com-plete set up and registration,emphasising its low wastage. Chang-ing the design repeat size and sub-strate took just a matter of minutes.The company is focusing on timesaving as it claims that by saving just10 minutes per job will allow time for

an extra 400 jobs per year.It is clear that MPS has done its

market research carefully with thelaunch of the EB press, making itbetter suited for short run work anddesigned to make the operator ashappy as possible. By making it thelowest priced press produced by thecompany, it is opening up the brandto a new level of the market.

The three-day event was a greatsuccess with over 120 existing and

potential customers, partners,suppliers and press fromEurope, South Africa, India,Pakistan, Turkey and Zimbab-we, attending.

Mr Hoendervangers said,‘We appreciate the number ofvisitors who took time to attendour open house last week. Itgave us the opportunity toshowcase our new EB and EFflexo press technologies andshare our industry knowledgeand capabilities with leadinglabel printers. Our manufactur-ing floor was buzzing with con-versations after each session,and feedback from visitors hasbeen overwhelmingly positive.It was an overall success foreveryone involved.’ n

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The new EB press incorporates the latest technologies from MPS developedto deliver optimal performance while reducing costs

30_31_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:26

32

Open house: Soma Engineering

June 2014

From David to Goliath: Soma aimsfor heavy weight status

Soma’s Globe facility is a modernenvironment where the compa-ny provides guests with demon-

strations. It has recently added the‘Villa’, a brand new training centre setin a renovated house, which was origi-nally built in 1928.

Sales director, Peter Lechner, said,‘We use events, such as this confer-ence, to give our time to the cus-tomers. When you have your guestscoming all the way from China, Japanor America you need to make time forthem, so we have plentyof staff around for thewhole event to makesure customers aregiven the attention they deserve.’

The main attractionat the Flexo Challengesconference was the newOptima press, whichwas launched at the K Show in Ger-many last year. Since itwas introduced, thepress has alreadyexceeded sales targetswith 10 installations onfour different continents.

Ladislav Verner, owner of the com-pany, said, ‘The press was exactlywhat the market wanted for shortruns. The Optima was built on theability to do short runs. The nextLabelexpo will see additions to thepress, which will enable it to be usedfor label printing.’

Fixing the paletteThe company’s open house was notjust a chance to see the Optima pressrunning live, but was also an opportu-nity to learn more about how to makethe printing process more efficientwith a number of presentations fromkey partners. The presentationsfocused on a range of topics fromcolour management to a brand’s perspective on packaging.

Dave Kershaw, business develop-

ment manager at PPP Digital Imag-ing, spoke about the company’s Fixed-Palette printing technology. With thissolution, it is possible to print Pantonecolours from the standard set of pro-cess colours, CMYK. He said, ‘Webelieve we can unlock the potential ofthe colour gamut with this software.This can increase the colour rangefrom seven or eight up to 15–20colours. This would reduce waste andeliminate wash up times.

‘For this to work we need stability

and reliability, this leads to a morevibrant image and also a higher resolu-tion means better quality. For us atPPP, it really is a case of less is more.With our Fusion imaging and platetechnology, combined with our ITRsleeve offering, coupled with Fixed-Palette, we truly believe we are nowentering a new era in flexography.’

Bas van der Poel, technical salesmanager at Apex Group of Compa-nies, picked up on four colour printingtoo and discussed about how printerscan save money with their choice ofanilox rollers. He said, ‘Anilox rollersare more important than people think.Apex has invested in new laser tech-nology to produce its GTT rangewhere the laser is ideal in giving asmoother finish and allows better inktransfer. These are ideal for fixed

palette printing as the structure of theGTT profile enables a much morecontrolled ink transfer.’

Carl Garner, Reproflex3 businessdevelopment director, presented thefacts on up coming EU regulationsand how smart technologies are help-ing the industry to overcome the challenges it is facing.

One of those technologies is Pack-linc, designed to enable almost anyprinted surface to contain a unique,hidden code within its graphics. This

means more information can be car-ried by any part of the packaging.

He also spoke about the company’sTetratone software, which enables thereproduction of the full Pantone bookfrom the process colours. This isachieved from four colours usingKodak Flexcel NX technology. Theworkflow allows a press to produce afull Pantone book simulation for aclient to see the spot colour in thismake-up prior to print production.

Marek Honetschläger, innovationmanager of Budweiser Budvar, gavethe perspective of the brand owner.He said, ‘Customers are not interestedin the process behind the packagingthey are interested in the product andthe emotions the packaging can evoke.’

He emphasised that consistent mes-

In May, Soma Engineering invited guests to its Flexo Challenges conference held at itsmodern facilities in Lanskroun, Czech Republic, to showcase its latest machinery, which thecompany believes is good enough to make it a contender as one of the top manufacturers inthe flexographic industry. Michal Lodej reports.

The new conference centre, the Villa, stands across the road from the Soma Globe

32_33_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:27

Open house: Soma Engineering

33June 2014

sages and packaging that communi-cates the brand through attractivedesign are essential features of Bud-weiser Budvar’s consideration.

Guests were also treated to presen-tations from Piotr Stawinski, Chespa,on the latest plate technology, and the ups and downs of flexograph-ic converter’s career as told by Nick Crow.

Presses in actionDuring their visit, guests were given afull tour of the Soma facilities andthen taken to the press demonstrationroom in the Soma Globe. First up wasthe Premia press.

Available in print widths of 820,1,050, 1,270 and 1,450 mm, the Pre-mia has eight printing decks and canprint at speeds up to 500 m/min on awide variety of substrates.

Using the Falcon II automaticimpression setting and semi-automaticregister system, rollers are aligned toenable kiss printing. The impressionset up is conducted without printingand using plate protection. Thismakes it possible to go back to theunprinted material and unwind roll toset the register from zero. This systemalso minimises material waste byassessing the static print registermarks. According to Soma, total material waste is around 50 metres on set up.

The job shown was printed usingjust four colours with the PPP Fixed-Palette technology to produce spotcolour simulation and also includedthe Packlinc technology to show it in action.

Next the visitors were shown theOptima press. This is designed tomake short runs more profitable bybecoming more efficient. It has eightprinting decks and has a print width of620 or 820 mm and a roll diameter800 or 1,000 mm.

Petr Blasko, marketing manager,said, ‘The Optima is already in opera-tion on four different continents.Soma did its market research andfound that quality is getting better andmore consistent, however, runs aregetting shorter and prices havereduced throughout the market. Welooked at these issues and created apress to tackle them. We reduced run-ning costs by reducing energy andstart up is also more efficient.’

This press ran two designs. FirstPET bottle wraparound labels, andsecond, the Budvar silver beer labelsprinted on paper.

Designs that have a small area of

expensive metallic ink, such as theBudvar label, can be printed using ametallic ink cartridge, which will onlyuse the ink required on the designs,keeping the ink cost down.

It is features like these that havehelped the company to reach its targetnumber of sales well within a year, andare what the company hopes willattract the type of customers it is nowtargeting, as it aims to assert itself atthe top table of the industry.

Reaching for the topOnce very proud of its reputation of being a mid range option for flexo printers, the company’s management team has its sights set onthe manufacturers at the top end ofthe market.

The company’s first step has beento employ a new sales director, who can take Soma into the marketsdominated by the big names in theflexo industry. They found this in Dr Peter Lechner, the newly appoint-ed sales director from Germany, whoalso happens to have a Czech wife,making him well positioned to intro-duce the Czech manufacturer into themore conservative German market.

His predecessor, Pavla Kusa,daughter of company founder andowner, Ladislav Verner, has steppeddown from her position but was clearthat the company will be heading into a new and exciting decade underDr Lechner’s guidance. She said,‘With this appointment Soma ispreparing for a new decade of becom-ing more competitive. Using Peter’sknowledge to move to a new level wewill take the fight to the more conser-vative markets, such as Germany and Switzerland.’

Although he has only recently started the job, Dr Lechner is alreadyoptimistic about the future of thecompany, ‘The company is full ofyoung staff guided by a few olderemployees like myself. We are focusedmore on the future than our competi-tors, maybe because we are youngerso we have to move a little faster.

‘There are cultural differenceswhich help us, engineers are given alot more respect in the Czech Repub-lic than in other countries, and I thinkthat is why we create such good quality products here.’

Speaking about the new decadeSoma is set to embark on, Mr Vernersaid, ‘I talk about innovation, but ofcourse we will continue to innovatebecause nobody buys yesterday’snewspaper, but real innovation is tocustomise your products to yourclients’ needs. It is innovation withcustomisation, which will make itrelate more to the customer. The busi-ness owner had his own business planwhen he started out and we want to beable to enable this plan with ourmachines instead of him changing hisbusiness plans to match us.’

When asked if the target was toshake off the mid range image the company had previously beenaccustomed to, the answer was anemphatic, ‘Yes, definitely,’ from both Mr Verner and Dr Lechner incomplete unison.

Mr Verner concluded, ‘It is easierfor Soma to integrate different materials with smaller changes thanthe bigger competitors and the level ofquality from Soma is brilliant. Whenbig goes against talented, talented winsevery time.’ n

Guests saw demonstrations of the Premia and Optima presses

32_33_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:27

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Combination printing

35June 2014

While digital printing tech-nology seems to be takingcentre stage at most indus-

try shows these days, it does still onlyaccount for somewhere around 7%of the labels and packaging market.Flexo is the older calmer brother ofthe two, quietly printing billions andbillions of labels and miles of flexiblepackaging, not to mention foldingcartons, corrugated boxes, wallpaper,tissues, envelopes and newspapers.Digital, however, offers a number ofother benefits and is gaining momen-tum, moving in on the older estab-lished technologies.

But is it either or? Or is now thetime to follow the trend and combinethe two to achieve the best for yourcustomer? Up until now, it has main-ly been in labels that we have seenthe two together, but as digital takeson all areas of packaging, it can nolonger be ignored, but should beused to best advantage.

While some printers decide to godown one route only, be it flexo ordigital, others branch out and investin both technologies. Many labelprinters have digital presses runningside by side of conventional ones inorder to use the strengths of both for maximum productivity. Thereare also combination machines,either flexo presses with digital mod-ules added or digital presses withflexo stations alongside inkjet ones.Here we take a look at some of these hybrids, which can offeradvantages to your business in termsof meeting demands for short runproduction, variable printing and quicker turnaround.

Flexo with added extraOmet first introduced the JetPlusdigital inkjet unit in 2012, and at itsrecent open house in May, the com-pany announced that the test phaseof the product has been completedand that it is now fully operational ata customer near its Lecco headquar-ters in Italy. This customer hasinstalled an XFlex X6 with the fourcolour inkjet module, which has an

average speed of 50 m/min. It alsofeatures inline die-cutting usingOmet’s Monotwin Cut system forfast turnarounds through one-passlabel printing.

The open house event attractedover 150 visitors and saw three of thenew hybrid systems sold. The systemwas printing several live jobs duringthe event to demonstrate the highspeed of operation and fastchangeovers.

Nilpeter still offers the Caslonprint system jointly developed withFFEI, which can work either as astandalone unit or be integrated as amodule into the FA line of flexopresses. The four colour UV inkjetsystem offers speeds up to 50 m/minat web widths of 340 mm or 420mm. It features an optional spot

colour unit that can bepositioned before or afterthe main CMYK unit forvarnishing, printingwhite or other spotcolours.

A collaborationbetween Heidelberg andGallus sees the LinoprintL inkjet printing systemoffered for high quality,short run and variableprinting, alongside Gal-lus’ well establishedrange of flexo narrowweb presses. The compa-ny furthermore used itsECS 340 print platform,which is based on techni-cal granite for extra sta-bility and robustness, tocreate an inline finishingoption for digital labels,the ECS C.

The modularapproachThere are several suppli-ers offering smaller bolt-on full colour digitalmodules that can beinstalled on a traditionalflexo press to convert itinto a true hybrid for

inline one-pass printing and convert-ing. While digital is not an optionthat can compete with long runs offlexo, there are still many jobs thatneed variable printing added. Inthose cases, a single colour digitalinkjet unit can be positioned at theend of the line to provide this service.

A cost-effective label printing solu-tion comes from Focus LabelMachinery, which offers the hybridd-Flex digital inkjet system featuringa digital inkjet module from Industri-al Inkjet with Konica MinoltaColourprint drop-on-demand print-heads. The servo-driven press printsat speeds up to 50 m/min in fourcolours plus white and has a singleflexo station for printing and var-nishing or coating. It is available in

Sworn enemies or partners in crime?Two technologies, one that has been around for over a hundred years, and one that is still inits infancy – are flexo and digital mutually exclusive or is the way forward to combine theirstrengths? Neel Madsen looks at some of the possible combinations that are on the markettoday in the narrow web sector.

Focus Label Machinery’s d-Flex is a true hybrid press

35_37_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:30

36


June 2014

three widths and finishing optionsalso include foiling, laminating and die-cutting.

Industrial Inkjet Ltd (IIJ) manufac-tures a range of print modules in theMonoprint i series, either in single ortwo colour through the MonoPrintmodule, or CMYK with the Colour-Print version. These are availablefrom 72 mm to 352 mm wide inup to 70 m/min print speed forthe narrow web market,although the company canalso supply much widerunits for the flexible pack-aging market and for fold-ing carton applications.

Part of the CoesiaGroup, Swiss companyHapa AG has two hybridpress models that incor-porate its digital drop-on-demand module withflexo. The top-mounted Hapa 230Hybrid UV 4-in-1 Foil Printing Sys-tem prints web widths up to 310 mmat speeds up to 21.6 m/min, whilethe Hapa 237 Hybrid prints webwidths up to 370 mm at speeds up to31.5 m/min. Both print in up to fourcolours and can be integrated intocontinuous or intermittent motionpackaging machines, and print on avariety of blank or pre-printed roll-fed substrates including aluminumfoil, paper, PVC, medical paper and Tyvek.

At Interpack in May, Hapa intro-duced the next generation multi-touch interface panel, which is basedon HTML 5 web technology andwill be available as a retrofit to existing system from the middle ofnext year.

Colordyne Technolo-gies has introduced a full colourdigital inkjet retrofit unit that can befitted onto an existing flexo press.The CDT 1600-PC Retrofit digitallabel and tag printing platform fea-tures memjet waterfall technologyand prints at 1,600 x 1,200 dpi at 49m/min with aqueous inks. Combin-ing the spot colour capabilities of a

flexo press with the high colourgamut of this module will increasethe colours achievable even further.

‘Two of the most discussed issuesin the flexo label industry are ‘Which

technology offers the best look andfeel of flexographic printing?’ and ‘Is there a technology that can beretrofitted onto an existing flexopress?’,’ said president, Sean Marske.‘I am pleased to say that Colordynehas listened to the industry and isproactively offering solutions in theform of our Production Class DigitalFlexo-bility upgrade.’

After an enthusiastic response inthe US, the company is now workingon implementing a support pro-gramme to put in place for the European market.

UK-based Domino Printing Sci-ences offers modular solutions for avariety of applications. The K600iinkjet single colour printer can beintegrated into an existing press lineto provide variable data printing onlabels and tags as an added extra.

Configured to the print widthrequired, the module can add textdown to 3 point size, bar codes orsequential numbering or addresses at speeds of up to 150 m/min. Itprints with UV curable inks and isnow also available with aqueous inkfor porous materials. The companyhas to date sold over 100 K-seriesprint modules.

A helping handA large number of digital inkjetpresses have seen the light of day inthe past couple of years. While someare solely digital, many add flexo sta-tions as part of the line up, often toperform functions such as coatingand varnishing as well as foiling oradding special inks and colours.

US press manufacturer Mark Andyunveiled its intention to enter thedigital market in October last yearwith the launch of its Digital Seriespress platform. This six colour (pluswhite) UV inkjet press platform is atrue hybrid that can be configured ina variety of ways, drawing on thecompany’s years of expertise inflexo. It can incorporate 330 mmwide flexo stations, which can beused for top coating, security features, cold foiling or for adding metallics, spot colours or other specialised inks, amongst others.

The press runs at speeds up to 76m/min printing on pressure-sensitive

paper and film, unsup-ported paper and

This digital module fromColordyne can be retrofitted ontoan existing flexo press

Omet’s new JetPlus digital inkjet unit has been installed at a customer site and is in full production

35_37_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:30


film in thicknesses between 25 to 356microns. The drying options on theflexo modules are ProLED, UV, andhot air with chill rollers.

Named after a species of butterfly,new Graphium press builds onFFEI’s Caslon experience and is

already selling well. Printing on awide variety of substrates from 40 to250 microns, including films andmetallic, the modular press can alsoincorporate flexo stations to broadenthe applications. Available in twowidths, 330 mm and 410 mm, and

working at three speeds 25,35 and 50 m/min, it usesdedicated Fujifilm Uvijet inksin CMYK plus high opacitywhite on the digital stations,and up to six on the flexo sta-tions (two colours before thedigital printing modules andup to four after). Inline die-cutting and variable dataprinting are optional.

The press manufacturerEdale has supplied the webtransportation system, whichis based on its FL-3 platform.The press is firmly positionedas a rival to conventionalpresses.

‘This is the leanest methodof producing short-runlabels,’ said Andy Cook,FFEI managing director.‘With more jobs, shorter leadtimes, lower costs and mini-mal waste, Graphium offers

converters and commercial printerslooking for additional revenuestreams a powerful solution for meet-ing complex customer requirementsin rapidly changing markets.’ n

The Linoprint L press is a digital press offered by Gallus

35_37_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:30

38

Pre-press

June 2014

Improved productivity and qualityat Jones & Brooks

Established in 1876, Jones &Brooks is a family run business,which supplies print solutions to

the NHS across the UK. The compa-ny has developed a wide range ofproducts, which is used across a greatnumber of hospital departments frompathology laboratories to A&Es. Addi-tionally, the company offers a highlycompetitive standard printing service,in-house design service, store and sup-ply capabilities, quick turnaround, online ordering, all from its facility in Rochdale.

Having already installed new cut-ting and folding equipment to boostfinishing efficiency and quality, thecompany has recently invested in aDigiWash DW 2735 plate processingunit from Dantex, for use withAquaflex Optima waterwash flexo-graphic plates, along with a Star Plate system.

Processing powerThe DigiWash system has been specially developed by Dantex as anextended form of the successfulAQF7900 Combination Unit. It has adual-action wash for superior cleaningresults and an automatic brush heightadjustment option for different platethicknesses. The Aquaflex Optimaflexographic plate allows high speedprocessing, gives excellent resolution,long press life and greater re-usability.It is compatible with all ink types,including UV, water and solvent, andis available in a digital format with apatented super matt black mask car-bon layer. Dantex reports that its cus-tomers are achieving print quality thatis successfully challenging all other current options.

Insufficient colour strength can bean issue, but Aquaflex achieves densi-ties comparable with gravure. Tradi-tionally produced solvent wash platescan leave images looking weak andinsipid, and suffer from heavy dot gainon highlights. This plate promises togive better colour strength and ink lay-down leading to greater vibrancy, andits 1% minimum dot has printed as

low as 3% to 5% in flexibles so far.The plate offers superior ink release

characteristics and requires little clean-ing during printing and removal. Sol-vent plates have a tendency to lift fromthe mounting tape, hence printersoften have to use edge-seal andprimers, and furthermore, poor elas-ticity means that the plates can have fitissues. Optima stays on the tape withno edge lifting while both fit and regis-ter appear greatly improved. Moreimportantly common print issues nor-mally associated with printing finescreens are overcome.

Reduction in dot gain‘Prior to the installation of the newDantex DW system using the OPplate, production was plagued byexcessive dot gain, where a 2% dotwas printing at 40%’, said pre-pressmanager, Martin Robinson, ‘We hadunbelievable results from the Optimatest plates and a great deal of supportand training from Dantex from thestart and throughout the installationperiod. We invested in the new systemand now get very high quality printedresults and up to an 18% reduction indot gain. We now have a great deal ofconfidence in the quality we can pro-duce and a greater understanding ofthe platemaking issues we used to have.’

The plates are easy and fast to

produce and the company now expe-riences no plate lift. Additionally itnow has confidence that proofs can beaccurately matched and is able to givecustomers that same assurance. Sincethe installation, Jones & Brooks hasbeen able to print at a higher linescreen and is now trialling full colourjobs, which would not have been possible using its previous system.

On filmThe specialist printer has also made atransition from using a standardchemical imagesetter to produce filmsto using the Star Plate solution on anEpson inkjet printer. This is a digitalimaging solution designed for directinkjet imaging to film with the abilityto produce high quality screening. Star Plate uses the actual dots of theoriginal RIPped 1-bit data, preservingdot patterns, screening and dot gain calibration.

The Actual Dot technology pro-vides powerful imaging controls oninkjet printers to produce an extremelyhigh quality dot formation. The soft-ware is proven to produce fine solidline work and hard dots up to 175lines per inch. The calibration set upcreates curves to suit different pressdot gain requirements. Adjustmentscan be easily performed in the software allowing fine tuning of thecalibration curve. n

Specialist health print provider, Jones & Brooks sees innovation and investment as the bestway to ensure its customers’ requirements are met in this ever changing and demandingmarket. It has recently upgraded its pre-press facilities with a raft of products from Dantex.

Jones & Brooks has made new investments in its pre-press department

38_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:31

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Focus Label Machinery Ltd: Kendryl Park • Chapel Lane • Bingham Nottingham • NG13 8GF • England • Telephone: +44 (0) 1949 836223 • Fax: +44 (0) 1949 836542E-mail: [email protected] • Web: www.focuslabel.com

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Proofing

41June 2014

Flexo proofing can be atortuous process, usu-ally expensive, but

always taking too long.Flexo printing is charac-terised by the very widerange of substrates, use ofspot colours and great pressdiversity. Converters knowthe ins and outs of theirproduction equipment andadjust the platemakingaccordingly, learning thepreferred dispro and trap-ping settings with optimalscreen rulings and angles inplatemaking for a particularpress and ink combination.The result is that there arefew consistent standardsacross flexo and producingan accurate contract proof(with the correct colours onthe right substrate) usingdigital methods is consider-ably more difficult than incommercial printing. Thismeans there is still a goodmarket for flexo proofingpresses where the characteristics of a particular machine/ink/substrate combination can be accurately reproduced.

Brand colours remain importantwith consistency demanded acrossmany designs in many regional mar-kets. Developments such as onlinesystems are helping colours to bemanaged for flexo.

Proofing machinesThere are a number of manual waysof proofing spot colours before goingto press still widely used. Harper Scientific offers a controlled ink drawdown proofer that consistentlylays down the same ink film weight asa press with changeable anilox and doctor blade combinations.

Dutch distributor Print Proof Solu-tions sells the Perfect Proofer, an auto-mated proofing system with aninstalled base of 100 systems world-wide. The table top device is air drivento control speed and pressure over a

proofing plate, until it matches a par-ticular press. There is a simpleunwind/rewind mechanism and UVcuring is available.

Analogue proofing machines are stillwidely used and there is competitionwith the leader probably JM Heaford,based in Altrincham, Cheshire, whichmakes platemounting systems andmulti-colour flexo proofing presses.The proofers can be used with water,solvent and UV inks, onto label stock,thin PE or BOPP films, and carton-board. The machines are custom builtfor a particular application. Typicallysleeves would be used for both aniloxand plates, and machines can be fittedwith a video system to register pre-mounted plates. The proofing drum(that carries the substrate) is stainlesssteel, ground to CI drum tolerances.Variable drum diameters offer proof-ing lengths of 500 mm up to 5 metres.Tensioning bars across the drumensure that the substrate is correctlytensioned prior to proofing. The

impression can be set automatically ormanually to 10 microns or better andthere is pre-inking for water-based andUV ink applications. This improvesink density on the first repeat, max-imising the number of proofs availableper print cycle. Register control on theservo machine is electronic andmechanical on the geared machines.Wash off drive systems are fitted foranilox cleaning and ink suction sys-tems are available as an option for removing excess ink from the doctor blade nip at the end of theproofing cycle.

Cloud colourProofing presses have the advantageof being able to use the real job sub-strates and inks with the job plates,guaranteeing accurate spot colourmatching. The drawback is the timeand cost in getting the plates and inks,and there are several digital solutionsthat claim to have solved these prob-lems. The use of process colours is

Go on then – prove it!Contract proofing for flexo remains important for approvals. In many cases, the match to thefinal job is not very good, particularly where spot colour jobs are run on older presses on arange of substrates. There are analogue systems designed for flexo, and digital developmentsare arriving to help improve the situation. By Sean Smyth.

PantoneLive integrates with a multitude of systems

41_43_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:34

42

Proofing

June 2014

increasing while the rising use of standards means that there are oppor-tunities to eliminate proofing entirelyfor four colour jobs with the converterprinting to the agreed standard whichhelps, while there are digital systemsthat offer good colour matches.

In 2012, Pantone launched Pan-toneLive, a cloud based colour man-agement system aimed to help brandsachieve the correct colour across vari-ous substrates and print processes.The X-Rite owned company has beenworking with several partners, includ-ing Esko, Sun Chemical and Wind-möller & Hölscher. The concept is tostore all the colour assets online andprovide access to approved companiesacross the supply chain, includingtrade shops and flexo converters. Theidea is to use a digital method to sup-port how and when decisions oncolour are made, then apply the necessary control and technology togive the approved colour on any sub-strate, printed by any process includ-ing flexo.

The digital colour standard is heldby Pantone in a cloud based databasethat can be accessed by approved par-ties anywhere at any time. Pantonedelivers a colour communicationinfrastructure to control the access tothe standards, providing content deliv-ery as needed rather than a specificworkflow solution. Using correctly cal-ibrated proofing the system providesaccurate colour, so instead of markingup an area of spot colour with a Pan-tone reference the correct colour canbe rendered on an inkjet proof.

Esko’s systems are used in much of the label and packaging pre-press,and it offers the FlexProof module as part of Color Engine. This providescontract proof data to drive a range of

calibrated inkjet printers, and can belinked to the PantoneLive libraries.

Just one bitAnother system that uses the RIPpeddata in a ROOM (RIP once, outputmany times) workflow is Star Prooffrom Graphic Republik. It reproducesthe final job dot patterns, screeningand rosettes on the proof to simulatethe flexo printing process characteris-tics. There is a powerful set of produc-tivity features for managing specialspot colours, oversize printing, softproofing, progressive proofs, simula-tion of mis-registration and it providesa remote proofing option to let cus-tomers print contract proofs locally oninkjet printers in their own offices, soshortening approval cycles andimproving service levels. The masterStar Proof station sends colour cor-rected data to remoteprint stations, socontrolling outputand it can proofsimultaneously on multiple printers.

The heart of thesystem is the Isi Cali-bration System thatprovides a compre-hensive set of tools toachieve excellentcolour matchingbetween proof andthe press, with finecontrols to matchinks with calibrationcurves and dot gaincompensation. Thisuses spectropho-tometer measure-ments to analyse andcompare the flexopress target charts

and proof printer calibration charts.These readings are input to Star Proofand a system profile is created for thespecific press, which is then saved forfuture use. There is a new version(7.0) coming out in the summer andthis will broaden the functions further,while making the system easier to use.

The software also addressed thegrowing trend for extended gamutprinting with CMYK. Managingdirector, Steve Donegan, said, ‘Thevast majority of current inkjet proofingsolutions are not designed to show onthe proof how an expanded colourgamut ink set will look on press – thisis because they were originallydesigned for offset proofing, which ispredominantly a CMYK environment.However, the developers behind StarProof had the foresight to use a Rasterformat in the form of 1-bit Tiff orEsko Len files to create proofs. Asidefrom the dot structure, being able toadjust individual ink sequence, opacityand overlap on the proof are just threeareas to consider for anyone seriousabout adopting a multi colour printingtechnique, something that Star Proofdoes exceptionally well.

‘We already have customers whoprint with an extended colour paletteand Star Proof correctly shows on theproof how CMYK + orange, greenand violet ink mixes look on press.This has further proven its credentialsas a future-proof solution for the flexo industry.’

GMG Color has developed power-ful quality standards in flexographicand packaging printing with its Flexo-

The Epson Stylus Pro WT7900 with white ink isoften the printer of choice for proofingflexographic and gravure print jobs

Digitally proofed flexo prototypes from GMG Color

41_43_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:34

Proofing

Proof system. This is promoted as ‘thedigital proofing standard for flexo withCTP’. It creates halftone proofs, usingthe data that drives the platesetter,directly processing the 1-bit RIPpedplatesetter data. This means that theexact dot structure and position canbe inexpensively proofed on inkjetprinters, showing potential errorsbefore platesetting and the start of apress run.

Many RIPs allow the result to beinspected on screen, a physical proofcan be shared and allows customers tosee the result at their leisure. Thisallows the effects of overprinting andtrapping settings, as well as correctioncurves, have a decisive influence onthe subsequent printed result. Shouldproblems occur at this point, such asan unfavourable screen angle, incor-rect trapping or overprinting settings,or some RIP interpretation errors, thiscan only be detected at an early stageby means of a halftone proof createdwith the original RIPped data. TheGMG FlexoProof XG (ExtendedGamut) module is an additionaloption, which enables users to makethe most of the expanded colourgamut of Epson Stylus Pro x900 and HP Designjet Z3200 printers

with white.

More solutionsThe Oris Flex Pack // Web softwareprovides both soft proofing on screenand colour managed files that can beprinted on Roland wide format inkjetmachines. The application uses apatented ‘four dimensional iterativecolour management software’ which,combined with the custom interfacefor Roland VersaCAMM VS printers,provides production flexibility forhalftone and continuous tone proof-ing. It uses a special extended gamut(XG) inkset where the light inks (Lc,Lm) from Roland are replaced withorange and green, and the CMYK setis changed to widen the printablecolour space is significantly larger, sothat most Pantone colours can be ren-dered accurately.

Kodak offers its Approval NX Digi-tal Colour Imaging System as a proof-ing option with the Flexcel NXtechnology. The Approval systemaccurately builds and predicts flexocolour and on-press imaging charac-teristics. There is a contract-qualityproof on the job substrate that can bequickly matched on press with confi-dence. The process uses wide gamut

colour donor sheets, receivers andspecialty materials to build the colourand the system allows accurate repro-duction of most colours, includingmetallic options.

Converters with digital productiontechnology commonly use the pressesto make proofs and prototype that areidentical in every respect to the pro-duction run. Of course flexo printerscan do the same, but the costs andtime is much more.

In labels, digital converters can sellmachine time to customers to developtheir designs. They can print multipleversions onto the final stock to see theeffects of making colour and minordesign changes. The best results canbe cut to shapes and applied onto thepack to determine which works beston the job substrates, knowing that theproduction runs will be identical.

As better control of analogue anddigital proofing for flexo develops, thiswill become less of a competitiveadvantage for the digital converters.Reducing mistakes and time is valu-able for all parties in the chain andwhile customers demand the reassur-ance of a proof there will be continu-ing hard copy flexo proofdevelopments. n

Focus Label Machinery Ltd: Kendryl Park • Chapel Lane • Bingham Nottingham • NG13 8GF • England • Telephone: +44 (0) 1949 836223 • Fax: +44 (0) 1949 836542E-mail: [email protected] • Web: www.focuslabel.com

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Platemaking

45June 2014

First founded in 1994, Flex-Punkt Druckformen’s recentrelocation to newly built head-

quarters in the town of Melle, inLower Saxony, has enabled the com-pany to put in place well-organised,rigorous workflows. The floor spacehas been more than doubled withoffice space and conference roomscovering some 800 sqm, coupledwith a production hall of 1,250 sqm,including extensive sleeve storagespace, to cover current needs whilestill leaving scope for future expan-sion. The company, which employs28 staff, runs its platemaking opera-tions in two shifts while digital reproand data preparation activities areconducted in a single shift.

‘Nowadays, we are so flexible inour operations that we can simplyask our customers what they want,because we can do anything,’explained Günther Weber. ‘Any-thing’ is the way the managing direc-tor and sole partner of the companydescribes the wide range of flexo-graphic printing plates it produces.The business uses direct laserengraving technology to manufactureelastomer endless sleeves and platesas well as photopolymer sleeves andplates in house. The plates suppliedare used primarily for printing flexi-ble packaging on foil and paper sub-strates for a vast range of food andnon-food products, as well as forpaper napkins.

Innovative technology In addition to its new premises, Flex-Punkt has also invested signifi-cantly in digital platemaking equip-ment in recent years. Alongside twosystems for direct laser engraving,and a laser imager for photopolymersleeves, the company has been work-ing with a new Kodak Flexcel NXwide system since August 2013.

‘There were two main reasons forinvesting in the Kodak system. Onthe one hand, more and more of ourcustomers were asking for printing

plates that would permit high resolutionflexographic printingor give them an easypoint of entry into the world of higherscreen rulings. On the other hand, weneeded a replacementfor our ageing LAMSlaser system that dated back to 2000,’ Mr Weber continued.

‘We chose the Kodaksolution because thesystem as a whole isuser friendly and easyto get to grips with.The imager is fast andthe plate material isvery good – it driesexceptionally quicklyafter washing. Thathelps us respond to urgent caseswhen customers need their flexoplates without delay.’

Simple integration Flex-Punkt has divided its digitalpre-press operations into adesign/repro area, in which employ-ees concentrate on creating and pro-cessing one-ups as well as onproofing operations, and a so-calledlayout area. ‘All we had to do wasconnect the Kodak system to ournetwork and create new output hotfolders and we were ready to startproduction,’ said Mr Weber.

One air-conditioned section of thenew production hall houses all of theimaging and direct laser engravingsystems, with the Kodak imager and wide laminator installed next toeach another.

‘We have set ourselves the goal ofsupplying as many printers as possi-ble using just a single plate type,namely Flexcel NX plates, thus limit-ing the number of plate brands weuse,’ Mr Weber added. The compa-ny uses Flexcel NX plate material infour different formats and in four

thicknesses, however, 90% of theplates are produced in the 1.14 mmthickness, which is the preferredgrade in the high-quality segment.

The company supplies plates to awhole range of printing works. Volker Ruge, operations manager,explained, ‘One advantage in thecurrent environment is that the mar-ket is now familiar with this plate.Using Flexcel NX plates, printerscan achieve better results and moveup to the next screen resolution with-out needing to make any majorchanges. If they previously workedwith a 106 lpi screen, then theseplates allow them to switch to a 122lpi or 132 lpi screen without anygreat difficulty. Provided everythingis optimised, it is possible to achieveoutstanding results with even finerscreens using this plate.’

‘Another important aspect is that,thanks to Digicap NX screening, theplate delivers a larger volume of inkto the substrate,’ Mr Weber stressed.‘The increased density of the solidsmakes the printed image more striking than ever and is greatlyappreciated by flexo printers.’ n

Flex-Punkt chooses Kodak technology to raise quality‘The highest possible standard in platemaking’ is German platemaking specialist Flex-Punkt’s philosophy – a claim that goes hand in hand with very high quality demands. Thecompany has recently invested in a Kodak Flexcel NX wide system to rise to this challenge.

After UV exposure and removal of the TIL, theplates are washed and dried in an automaticprocessing line

45_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:34

46

Show review

June 2014

There is a long and wellestablished tradition inthe US for the flexo

industry to get together underthe auspices of the FTA. Thisspring, the industry gatheredin Baltimore and the eventwas a runaway success.

‘We are positively thrilledwith the turnout,’ said JayKaible, FTA’s director ofmembership and businessdevelopment. ‘We have seenthe show grow more than 30%in both exhibitors and atten-dees in just four years. Thisyear’s event solidifiedInfoFlex’s importance to themarketplace, and for thosetwo days in April, it was the heartbeat of the package printing and converting industry.’

Flexible infoHeld at the Baltimore Con-vention Centre, InfoFlexbroke all records when over1,800 visitors came through the doors. There were 10 aisles tobrowse where hundreds of solutionswere showcased in the 260 exhibitor booths.

Exhibitors were more than satisfiedwith the footfall during the two dayevent. Anthony Foley, vice president,Trisoft X which amongst others is adistributor of the Camis range ofplate mounting equipment in the US,said, ‘We have been inundated withenquiries and the stand has beenvery busy. It has been a great show.’Owner of Graymills, Linda Shields,said, ‘This has been one of the bestshows ever.’ Brad Vette, corporatemanaging director, OEC Graphics,agreed saying that the stand hadbeen extremely busy with customerswanting to see its solutions.

At the annual banquet and awardsprogramme, honours were given tothe 106 award winners of the 2014Excellence in Flexography Awardscompetition. Amongst the winnerswas Marvaco Oy from Finland,which also won at the FlexoTech

Awards last year and at the 2014EFIA Awards in March, and yes, thegreen Esko hat made it across thepond for an appearance on stage asthe company accepted its prize.

The winning entries were exhibitedat the convention centre as part ofInfoFlex, so visitors could inspect theprints up close and personal.

Forum debatesThe FTA Forum presented a num-ber of seminars, many echoing thethemes that are also prevalent in theUK and Europe, including extendedgamut printing, managing pressroomefficiencies and optimising the flexoprocess. The Flexo Quality Consor-tium (FQC) teams set up by theFTA reported back on the many andvaried projects they undertake, suchas anilox cell volume measurement.

During the ‘Emerging Flexo Mar-kets’ session, Lynn Bornblaser of theMintel Group, looked at the trendsin packaging and what is drivingconsumer behaviour. She outlinedthree mega trends, focusing on the

experience of the consumer with theproduct and how packaging adds tothis, how health benefits havebecome important and affect the wayproducts are presented, and how the faster pace of life has changedconsumers interaction with productsand packaging. She said, ‘Packaging can create ‘badge value’ by marryingcoolness with enhanced use for best success. It can also help pro-mote health benefits and offer enhanced convenience.’

Interestingly, many of the packag-ing examples Ms Bornblaser used toillustrate her points were from theUK, such as The Saucy Fish Com-pany’s convenient packaging of fish,and the use of electroluminescentinks on Bombay Sapphire labels.

Jim Reiman, director of brand pro-tection for Sun Chemical, spokeabout the demands from brands forprotection against counterfeiting ofproducts. Conservative estimates saythat $700 billion worth of value islost each year. The vast majority ofsolutions aimed at protecting prod-

Baltimore hits homeThe American flexo association held its annual gathering during the last week of April.Under the heading ‘Breaking New Ground’, the FTA presented its informative Forumseminars alongside the InfoFlex table top exhibition, which offered ‘A Gold Mine of Solutions’.

(L–R) Mario Mucciacciaro, executive VP at Uteco North America withLeonardo Gobbi, VP marketing and sales Uteco Group, and Mike Attard,director of Eurograv

46_47_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:36

ucts are print based, how-ever, Mr Reiman said thatthere is no bullet proofsolution. ‘If counterfeitersput in enough time, theywill succeed in foolingsome of the consumers,some of the time,’ he said.Sun Chemical recom-mends a layered effectapproach for maximum protection and deterrence.

Printed electronics and‘smart’ packaging wasanother topic coveredalong with late stage variable printing withlasers for added value.

There were also sessionsfor newcomers to theindustry in the form ofFlexography 101 and 102.It was interesting to see asignificant number ofyoung students taking partin the Forum, and in one case present data from astudy of UV vs UV LEDcuring, which they had conducted as part of theirdegree in printing at California Polytechnic.

The final section of theForum was an update onthe ‘FIRST’ initiative, acertification programmeintroduced in 1997 andcurrently in its fourth edition. This supports amethodical approach toprocess control, optimisa-tion, fingerprinting, char-acterisation and process

improvement. There arethree categories of opera-tor certification: press, pre-press operator andimplementation specialist,each with three levels,while the full companycertification can be appliedfor once 40% of the press-room staff, pre-press staffand management/produc-tion staff are individuallycertified. The FTA willperform an on-site audit of the company and dis-play the certification on its website.

Italian flavourThe Italian manufacturersassociation of machineryfor the graphic, convertingand paper industry,ACIMGA, was also supporting the event byhosting a seminar whereACIMGA president andOmet sales director,Marco Calcagni, and former president, FeliceRossini, welcomed some90 participants.

Mr Calcagni said, ‘Withthis seminar, we intend topromote the meeting andsharing of ideas betweenrepresentatives of the mostimportant companies in the global market and Italian manufacturers.Indeed, ACIMGA represents the top technol-ogy manufacturers in theglobal flexo industry.’ n

The FTA’s Sharon Cox interviewing Brian Bishop,president, Gallus Inc

46_47_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:36

48

Film extrusion

June 2014

When the father of coronatreatment, Verner Eisby,founded Vetaphone in his

hometown of Kolding, he was inad-vertently doing the most enormousfavour to one of Denmark’s leadingconverters, located just 15 minutesdown the road. Schur Flexibles(Denmark) is part of a group thatalso has production sites in Ger-many, the Netherlands, Poland,Greece and Finland, and employsmore than 1,000 people. Essentially afull-line supplier of high barrier flexi-ble packaging, the group serves prin-cipally the food, tobacco andhealthcare industries, and is one ofEurope’s leading providers of flexiblepackaging to the fresh food market.

Film extrusionThe production facility in Bjert,which formerly included print capa-bility, is focused today solely onblown extrusion of PE film, witheight Windmöller & Hölscher linesfilling the six-storey factory to theroof. All of the lines are fitted withVetaphone Corona-Plus VE2B units,of which four are co-ex three layerand four are mono layer treaters, andall are covered by a preventativemaintenance contract that involvesscheduled visits by technicians eachyear, and provides Schur withunbroken 24/7 operation.

Production at the plant has acapacity of 50 tons per week, withthe lines extruding at 200–450kg/hour at widths of 600–1,800 mmon thicknesses of 12–230 microns. It is, to say the least, a tough workingenvironment for the technologyinvolved, and production and logis-tics manager, Werner Nielsen, isquick to praise the reliability of hismachinery and long-time skills of hisproduction team. With Denmarksuch a high-cost country for produc-tion, Mr Nielsen is keenly aware ofthe need to maximise output efficien-cy, and machine reliability is one ofthe key factors. ‘We need to be able

to set and forget,’ he said, alluding tothe corona units that can be seeneverywhere in the production hall.‘They don’t breakdown, and thequick change cartridge design allowsfor easy maintenance and replace-ment by our operators or Veta-phone’s technicians,’ he added.

Mutually beneficialThe proximity of the two companieshas proved beneficial both ways. ForSchur, it offers the latest technologythat is locally manufactured byexperts, and for Vetaphone, it offersa test bed for new designs in a toughcommercial environment that couldnot otherwise be replicated. Onemight say it is a ‘win-win’ situation,and clearly one that has been ofmajor benefit to both parties, withSchur attaining key industry accredi-tations like the Green NetworkDiploma, DS/EN ISO 9001:2008,and the BRC global standard forpackaging materials. For Vetaphone,it has been a step on the way tobecoming undisputed market leader– a fitting result for the company that invented corona treatment as a technique.

Most of the extruded film thatSchur produces is used for high

quality lamination of up to three layers, and printed by gravure in asmany as 11 colours, and in flexo upto 10 colours for the growing mar-kets of Europe and Eastern Europe.With high quality end packagingrequiring multiple value-added processes, the consistency of the

corona treatment is essential if expensive waste is to be avoided.Vetaphone salesdirector, Jan Eisby,commented, ‘Aswith most things inlife, you get whatyou pay for. Weare seldom thecheapest solutionon straight pricegrounds, but wehave a better payback and superior whole-lifecost than any com-petitor, which is evidenced by the

level of repeat business we enjoy.’Schur’s plant has seen steady

growth over the past five years.Extruding initially for group con-sumption only, careful and continu-ous investment has seen output growto a level that now supports externalsales. According to maintenancemanager, Brian Voss, ‘Vetaphoneprovides us with stable production,and offers fast supply of parts andservice that are competitively priced.With the preventative maintenancecontract in place, they tick all theboxes as far as we are concerned.’

It’s small wonder that a workingpartnership that began half a centuryago still flourishes. To listen to bothof the companies involved, it is clearthey need each other, and benefithugely from doing business witheach other. There is, I believe, a lesson to be learned here by some oftoday’s manufacturers of so-called‘new technology’! n

Long-term cooperation bringsmutual benefits The working partnership between the Schur Flexibles Group and Vetaphone dates back 50 years to the early 1960s. Nick Coombes visited the company’s extrusion plant in Denmarkto look for the secret of this long-standing success.

Vetaphone Corona-Plus unit at Schur Flexibles

48_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:40

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51June 2014

After opening theseminar, chairmanJohn Bambery

introduced Tim Smith of X-Rite who gave a presen-tation highlighting the needfor good colour manage-ment. He concentrated onthe subject of ink returnsand how the efficient use ofa colour measurement andprediction system willenable companies to max-imise the value of their inkreturns. This will not onlyreduce costs but will alsothe need for storage andwill turn waste into a cash generator.

X-Rite’s IFS (ink formu-lation system) will enablecompanies to set up an ‘inreturns’ department whichwill formulate colourmatchings, enabling inkwaste to be re-formulated to accuratePantone colours. Mr Smith empha-sised the need for good colour proof-ing and exact ink formulations fromthe company’s ink supplier.

Keeping to the theme of ink, thenext presentation was by Neil Terryof Sun Chemical, who updatedeveryone on the current state ofaffairs regarding EU and nationallegislative requirements. This was ofparticular relevance to the subject ofink migration.

Tax savingsIt is always good to hear about taxrebates from the HMRC, so the pre-sentation by Rachael Hart of HowardLynch, a company specialising inthis subject, was of great interest.She went through the proceduresthat allow companies to fully utilisethe R&D tax credits that are current-ly available. Her company hasachieved success in giving advice to a number of printing companies onhow to make their application to theHMRC, and one such company inthe self-adhesive sector has receiveda six figure sum by way of R&D tax credits.

MPS’s owner, Eric Hoender-vangers, followed with a presentationon his company’s findings relating tothe current state of the industry andhow good team play can generatesuccessful and well managed companies. He presented his viewson the current state of the industry’swork mix. This was broken down byrun length, mix of colours and complexity. He also highlighted theway machines are currently beingconfigured and the need for companies to adopt a ‘pit stop’ mentality to changeovers. The message was that successful teamplay will bring rewards.

Against this backdrop, Mike Fairley presented the new LabelAcademy, which will be launchedofficially at the forthcoming Labelexpo in Chicago, in September.He gave some examples of the typeof training modules being developedand how these will be used as anonline training resource to complement on-the-job training. All modules can and will be certificated by way of issuing diplomas.

Digital printThe next two presentations,by Jonathan Pritchard ofDomino and Guy Martin ofEpson, concentrated on thehistory of inkjet and howquality has improved, andon the wide spectrum ofmachinery now available.Making a good return is notnecessarily based on howmuch you spend on equip-ment. Also important is themachinery you use and themarket for which it isintended. Both explainedhow relatively small compa-nies can generate good rev-enues through an internetbased business using digitaltechnologies. Many of theorders for these companieswill be very small, but thekey factor is that they canuse digital production for

making the label bespoke to the cus-tomer or name of the individual.

Julia Cole of HP then went on topresent the case for digital, and howbrand owners are using very innova-tive techniques and communicationsystems when designing their labels.She gave many illustrations from theUSA and Europe on how changingattitudes are generating a completelynew outlook for label design and implementation.

The final presentation of the daywas from Matthew Burton of ABGraphics International who con-firmed that label finishing is no longer the Cinderella of the industry. He quoted cases whereboth inline and offline finishing systems are improving productivity,creating changes in working practices and fully embracing newtechnologies. He also cited instancesin the US where digital laser die-cutting is also creating completely new markets.

The seminar was rounded off byclosing remarks from John Bambery,who gave a brief summary of theevents planned by BPIF label’s for2014 and 2015 events. n

Spring gathering offers adviceBPIF label’s second technical seminar of the year took place recently at The Marriott,Breadsall Priory, and offered a variety of subjects relevant to today’s successful self-adhesivelabel industry.

Chairman John Bambery opened the seminar

51_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:42

52

Colour management

June 2014

Has grey balance become obsolete?

When it comes to technicaladvancements and marketgrowth, flexography has

been the clear winner in the domain of dominant packaging printing processes over the past years. This will certainly persist throughout thecoming years, but there are someimprovements to be made in order toenable this. One of them refers to thecost of pre-press. Preparing the filesfor printing in flexo does cause a rela-tively large effort timewise, coupledwith the necessity for a far-reachingspecific expertise.

The main reason is the mostly ele-vated first printable halftone dot thatmany flexographic printers have to livewith. The threatening breaks invignettes and voids of the mixedcolours achievable through autotypicalcolour mixing require a far-reaching process specificicalllyretouching of the CMYK image files. It is therefore fully justified that several system vendors and flexoprinters work intensively on the reduc-tion of the first printable halftone dot.The German DFTA TechnologyCenter, too, has developed its owntechnical solutions for its membersand prints all its internal projects withlinear transfer curves – and conse-quently without any process specificadjustments of the respective imagefiles – very successfully.

But as soon as the majority of flexoprinters have achieved this qualitylevel, there is another hurdle in way ofeven greater market success. It is

namely not only the elevated firstprinting halftone dot alone that ren-ders the transfer of existing image filesfrom other printing processes to flexoquite difficult and laborious, it is alsothe grey balance that adds to thisequation. This is where the G7approach can potentially help!

With G7 it is the grey balance thatgets the focus of attention. Grey bal-ance is the combination of tonal valuesin the coloured process inks cyan,magenta and yellow, that yields neutralgrey in printing. In that the ratiosbetween these three inks vary over therange of different grey tints, the greybalance needs to be considered two-dimensionally (see fig 1).

Grey balanceGrey balance may be considered to bethe stable pole of image reproductionand multicolour printing. As opposedto saturated colours, the human eye isvery sensitive to greys and to theirpotential colour casts, which is whyparticular manipulations of the imagefiles need to be undertaken to com-pensate for respective deficiencies. Ifone print process differs from theother substantially in this respect, theimage files must be modified accord-ingly during the transfer, whichexplains the greater effort and cost. If,on the other hand, both print process-es do adhere to a neutral greybalance, the image files maybe transferred with minimumlabour and cost (ignoring thefirst printable halftone dot inthis case).

However, for the sake ofreporting the full truth, it mustbe expressed very clearly atthis point, that it is NOTadvisable to transfer imagefiles directly from one processto the other if the files havebeen personalised for one ofthem. Instead, it should be theoriginal files (RGB images forexample) that must be handedover and prepared for therespective target print process,because apart from the firstprintable halftone dots and

grey balance it is the so-called colourseparation that personalises the set offiles for a specific print process.Colour separation is a technical termfor the composition of mixed colourswith more or less presence of the blackprinter. These may differ substantiallybetween individual print processes.Nonetheless, in that agencies do con-stantly deliver image files that havebeen prepared for offset lithographythrough using the ISO Coated V2colour profile in Photoshop for themode change between RGB andCMYK, it is a sheer fact that we dohave to rework image files that havebeen prepared for other print process-es for their use in flexography.

Digital colour managementFocusing on grey balance may easeour lives substantially. However, thisknowledge is not exactly new, so whyhas it been forgotten apparently? Theanswer is in the application of digitalcolour management in pre-press,where the entire colour gamut – notonly the grey axis, but this one, too – isbeing considered. Thus, it looks to theuser as if grey balance adherence oroptimisation respectively is notrequired anymore. This is a falsebelief! It is exactly because the colourprofile contains and seems to correctall the potential mistakes – a much too

Even if the roots date back several years, the G7 initiative has only just reached the Europeancontinent. G7 is based very strongly on grey balance. Prof Dr Martin Dreher, scientificdirector at the DFTA Technology Center, answers some potentially open questions andexplains his vision on how to optimise press conditions in flexography today.

Prof Dr Martin Dreher

Fig 1 Example of grey balance printprocess (X axis:grey scale, Y axis: dotpercentage)

52_53_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:45

Colour management

53June 2014

high dot gain as well as a disturbedgrey balance – our vision to thepotential print derailers isblurred. From a sheer math-ematical standpoint, colourprofiles that have been basedon disturbed print conditionsdo work indeed, but in prac-tice they lack precision andare badly reproduced.

So the G7 approach isindeed helpful, yet one criti-cal annotation against itsworking practice must bemade here. The centre of theG7 approach is the practicalevaluation of the grey bal-ance. In order to do so thespecific targets arrange com-binations of CMY that,based on experience, mayyield neutral grey. As thespecific combination of tintsthat will produce neutralgrey cannot be predictedupfront there must be varia-tions of the target values,most of them producingnon-neutral colour casts.Operators then must pickthe most neutral grey tintvisually. This must be doneover several tonal areas along the print gradationfrom light to dark. This, inmy point of view, is an outdated andinadequate procedure in that it is diffi-cult, hardly reproducible and mayyield grey balances that shift from onecolour cast to the other over the tonal range.

Instead, grey balance may nowadaysbe calculated with the highest level ofprecision from a very limited numberof colour measurements. The DFTATechnology Center offers the respec-tive calculator software which has beenverified in its functioning many times.The evaluation of the grey balance isbased on seven deliberately modifiedcolour blocks per tonal range block,which may even be reduced to onlyfour colour blocks if space on the testtarget is scarce (see fig 2).

Establishing a standardAs we now have learned about theimportance of grey balance, it remainsto be explained how the grey balancemay be incorporated into the printconditions (ie a combination of sub-strate, printing ink, printing press,printing plates, etc) plausibly for har-vesting the fruits of optimum stabilityof the print process and ease of filepreparation. This is how you optimise

the print conditions:1. Evaluation of the opti-

mum amount of ink transferfor the processinks CMYK overthe analysis of thecurves derivedfrom an inkingexperiment in theCIELab colourspace. Here Iwould like to pointto an article writ-ten by ChristianWeber (Opti-mierung vonProzessfarben,Flexo+Tief-Druck5-2010). He sug-gests adjusting theoptimum amountof ink transfer onthe maximum sat-uration of therespective colourthat may bederived easily fromthe shape of theink’s CIELab

curve. Ifone staysbeneath thisoptimumsaturation,the print

results will be less brilliant and vibrantthan might be possible otherwise, andif you go beyond the point of opti-mum saturation one loses vibrancyagain though the darkening of therespective ink, plus it adds extra costto the process through over inking. Atthis point I would like to remind allthose of you using the extra ink trans-fer capabilities of the flat-top printformes not to exaggerate and over-stress their processes. The respectiveink transfer experiments for this opti-misation step may practically be car-ried out on a proof printing press.

2. The first production press trialwith a test target including stepwedges and grey balance test elementsyields the press characteristic curves(please measure relative colourimetricintensity) and the respective informa-tion about grey balance. The DFTAgrey balance test target and grey bal-ance calculator software can be usedfor this.

3. Calculation of suitable compensa-tion curves for platemaking accordingto the information derived from step 2.

4. Secondly platemaking under con-sideration of the calculations from step3 and second proof print with a test

target that verifies the gathered cogni-tion and, if okay, uses a colour man-agement test target for colour profiles.This test target may be either one ofthe following:

a. An ECI chart or similar, meant toproduce a full colour profile from therespective colour readings (this proofprinting must be considered as a sepa-rate print job).

b. The DFTA Print Control Stripfor calculating the measurement infor-mation for a full colour profile fromonly a few colour readings (may berun alongside a regular job and thuscauses hardly any extra cost).

5. Generating and verification ofpress colour profiles and proofing profiles using either:

a. Measurement data from the aforementioned ECI test chart; or

b. Measurement data derived fromthe DFTA Print Control Strip.

The DFTA Technology Center iscurrently busy developing a softwaretool that carries out and eases thejudging of the five aforementionedsteps.

ConclusionConcentrating on grey balance for thecoloured process inks CMY with theG7 approach is highly plausible andmay yield substantial benefits in tech-nical and economical respect. Greybalance does not deserve to be shiftedaway from our technical focus, it israther the case that particularly themodern workflows using digital colourmanagement do require a stable bal-ance in the target print process.Adhering to grey balance eases andstabilises these workflows significantly.However, the sheer technical approachof evaluating the particular combina-tion of halftone tints that neutraliseone another, as it is suggested by G7,may be optimised using the softwaretools developed by the DFTA Tech-nology Center in Germany.

Users may take five steps to optimisethe printing process thereafter. At theend of the day, they will achieve a sta-bilised print condition with the respec-tive colour profiles or digital proofingprofiles as an add-on, which providethe predictability for the later printresults as long as the print conditionsare held constant. This may as well beconsidered as a (house) standard,which, due to the presence of contemporary colour profiles, may becommunicated back to the customer.This in turn may give the customerenhan-ced trust in the predictability of flexo. n

Fig 2 Examples of test targetsthat enable calculation of thegrey balance from a limitednumber of colour readings

52_53_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:45

54

Case study

June 2014

Founded originally in the 1950sas a steel merchant by MrHawl and Mr Pickles, what is

now HP Labelling began to producemetal and plastic tags in 1962 for thesteel industry, and even today steeltags represent some 15% of the com-pany’s business. As Chris Bobbertquipped, ‘We have no competitionfor the work, and process 10 to 15orders each day on machines thatwould delight a museum!’

Real growth The company moved into the labelbusiness proper in the late 1970s, butit was the installation of Mark Andyinline flexo presses in the 1990s thatsaw the beginning of real growth,and today the HP Labelling Group,which includes the former Peter Frey& Sons operation in Cape Town, hasthe largest number of label presses ofany company in South Africa, and allare Mark Andy. Products flowing offthe presses include self-adhesivelabels, wraparounds, promotionallabels and peel and read labels.According to Mr Bobbert, HP is oneof the country’s top five label con-verters, and supplies a wide range ofproducts and services to a growingportfolio of customers across southern Africa.

Growth has come organically andby acquisition, with Mr Bobberthimself joining as recently as 2013when his company Multiprint Labelswas merged into the HP Labellinggroup. In all, the company has 10Mark Andy lines: six 2200 presses inCape Town, three more in Johannes-burg, plus one of the PerformanceSeries P5 lines. The two plants com-bined employ 125 staff, who areproud of the ISO 9001:2008 qualityaccreditation they have achieved,which was further enhanced with themodification of the premises thatallows a better workflow pattern.

Markets served include the food,beverage, bakery, cosmetics, andpharmaceutical industries, while MrBobbert claims he is making progress

in the wine industry, which tradition-ally has not been self-adhesiveinclined. But while the label businessoffers high growth potential, it bringsa fierce level of competition, with topquality printing seen as ‘a given’ andthe rising costs of raw materials andproduction squeezing profit marginshard as brand owners maintain thepressure for keen prices. ‘Our futurevision is towards expansion becausewe believe that is the way to combineoffering the best value to customerswith a good financial return,’ he said.

Key to successSouth Africa, as a label convertingcountry, is blessed with a high levelof new technology. Of the estimated500 label presses in commercialoperation, more than 30% are MarkAndy flexo lines, and the P5 at HP’splant in Johannesburg represents the

latest in servo technologyfor flexible productioncapability. According toMr Bobbert, ‘The P5 ishighly specified, and isideal for the peel andread work that we aredeveloping to cope withthe demand for moreinformation on eachlabel. We can add valueinline in a single passacross a broad range ofsubstrates, and turn jobsaround quickly – it’swhat the market isdemanding, and we arewell set up to cope.’

One of the keys to suc-cess with the new P5 hasbeen the Mark AndyVPM plate-mountingsystem, complete withdual cameras and moni-tors. It has simplifiedand speeded up produc-tion procedures, and isoperated by one personwho prepares each joband mounts the plateswith absolute precision,

before moving on to the next job.The VPM, allied to the CtP systemthat HP has installed, has cut plateproduction time, improved platequality, and by removing the needfor toxic solvents, provided animproved operator environment.

With sales expected to top Rand90 million in 2014, the company isseeing growth in demand fromneighbouring countries Mozam-bique, Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria, andeven Zimbabwe. With average runlengths now around 20,000 labels, itis taking a close look at digital tech-nology. ‘We need to keep a close eyeon costs, and digital may offer asolution on short run work as long aswe can maintain a high service level.Most of Africa is US dollar based, socompetition from India and Asia istough. It’s a case of striking the rightbalance,’ he concluded. n

Specialisation opens new marketsfor leading label converterNick Coombes spoke to Chris Bobbert, CEO of one of South Africa’s largest label producers,to hear how consolidation has enhanced the company’s sales opportunities.

Chris Bobbert with his company’s Mark Andy P5

54_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:46

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ADVERTISING INDEX

COMPANY PAGE NO.

ABSOLUTE 47ALPHASONICS 50ALT 9APEX FRONT COVERASAHI 2CHESHIRE 39EDALE 50EFI 49EUROGRAV 40FOCUS LABEL MACHINERY 40, 43FUJIFILM 12,13HARPER ANILOX 29INFINITY 37IST 7KODAK BACK COVERLOHMANN 26MARTIN AUTOMATIC 40MEECH 14MPS 4PAMARCO 21PARAGON INKS 8ROSSINI 16ROTOMETRICS 11SANDON 23STEHLIN HOSTAG 10TROIKA 17UEI 31UTECO 18V&W GRAPHICS 34VETAPHONE 29WANTZEN 44

CHAMBEREDDOCTOR BLADES

COLOUR & INSPECTION

01322 294030 01322 289196

[email protected]

Artwork and Design

Full Reprographic Services

Digital Proofing and

Colour Management

Film Output

Digital and Conventional

Platemaking

Fingerprinting Services

DIGITAL ARTWORKORIGINATIONS

& FLEXO PLATE MAKING

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http://www.engravingtools.co.uk




http://www.cheshireanilox.co.uk


http://www.aniloxlt.co.uk

http://www.pamarcoglobal.com

http://www.apex-groupofcompanies.com



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uko..cavrogru@esaleil: sEmaom .cavrogur.ewww

omcing.tunlatemoop.flexwww

STREAMLINE PRODUCTION AND LOWER COSTS.

PRINT LABELS DIGITALLY.

FINISH THEM DIGITALLY, TOO!

Visit efi.com/4900launch18 today or call +44 1246 298000 for details.

The EFI™ Jetrion® 4900 digital label production system comes

label production system comes with optimized inks, robust prepress software, insightful MIS/ERP software and business

eb-to-Print services. building W, faster and more ork smarterW

.productively on every job, every dayisit efi.com/4900launch18 today V

or call +44 1246 298000 for details.

©2012 EFI. All rights reserved.

DOCTOR BLADES

DOCTOR BLADES

Production of Racle Doctor Blades for:Gravure and Flexo Printing

Radobla srl - via P.I. Radrizzani, 122 -

21040 Uboldo VA - Italy

Tel. +39 02 9678 2225

Fax +39 02 9678 3835

[email protected]

http://www.radobla.com

DIGITAL LABELPRINTING SYSTEMS

PLEASE SEE OUR ADON PAGE 22

FOR YOUR INTRODUCTORY

DISCOUNT

DIGITAL ARTWORK ORIGINATIONS & FLEXO PLATE MAKING

Trent Lane � Castle Donington � Derby � DE74 2NP � EnglandTelephone : +44 (0)1332 856100 Fax : +44 (0)1332 853329Email : [email protected] www.brownett.co.uk

G r a p h i cD e s i g nReprographicsD i g i t a lP r o o f i n gD i g i t a lPlatemaking

CLEANING ANDCLEANING SOLUTIONS

We know printing.

We know steel.

Phone: +46 565 101 [email protected]

FOR YOUR INTRODUCTORYOFFER PLEASE CALL MARK

ON 0161 205 5050

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http://www.eurograv.com

http://www.flexoplatemounting.com


http://www.radobla.com


http://www.brownett.co.uk


http://www.primeblade.se

NARROW WEB PRESSES

MOUNTING & PROOFING EQUIPMENT

[email protected] www.flexologic.nl

Advanced Mounters & ProofersWater Wash Platemaking Systems

Viscosity Controllers ITR Seamless Sleeve SystemsAutomatic Tape Applicator

LASER ENGRAVINGINKS & COATING INKS & COATING

PREMIUM WATER BASED FLEXOGRAPHIC & GRAVURE INKS

by Van SonMakes everybody

jump for joy!

Hilversum - HollandE-mail: [email protected]

www.vansonliquids.nl

LIQUIDS

P r i n t i n g I n k s

UV printing ink and lacquers for labels and packaging • food packaging• flexible packaging• folding cartons• selfadhesive labels• shrink sleeves• in mould labelling

Zeller+Gmelin UK Ltd. Great Britain [email protected]

INK TESTINGEQUIPMENT

For full information contact:R K Print Coat Instruments Ltd.

Tel: +44 (0) 1763 852187Fax: +44 (0) 1763 852502

E-mail: [email protected]: www.rkprint.com

THE FIRST NAME IN INK TESTING

EQUIPMENT

Tel: +44(0)1733 235533

Fax: +44(0)1733 235117

[email protected]

www.kpgeurope.com

Flexo & combination printing

presses for films, labels,

polyamide artificial food casings and

pouches, ABL/PBL tube laminates,

cartons, security and booklet labels

Specialist presses

Manufacturers of web fed

flexographic printing

presses and converting equipment

+44 (0) 1489 569230 www.edale.com

flb f

xo

ersManufacturof web fed

flexographic

tie

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4

mip

flexographicprintingesses andpr

convertingequipment

5692301489 (0) +44 .edale.comwwww.

MOUNTING TAPES

...it’s only tape!But often it’s the little things, that can make a big differenceMaybe it’s time to reconsider the tapes you are using?We can help... Call us for a no obligation review.01527 517 517Specialists in adhesive tape solutions for fl exo

newtowntapes.co.uk

A variety of colours thatnot even nature can rival.Doneck Network is your partner for Flexographic and Gravure inks. Our team of experts is ready

more at www.doneck.com!Doneck Euroflex U.K.

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email: [email protected]

Stapleton Lane, BarwellLeicester, LE9 8HE

Tel: 01455 848679Fax: 01455 848070

Specialists in RotaryConverting Machinery

NARROW WEB PRINTING &CONVERTING EQUIPMENT

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http://www.flexologic.nl


http://www.vansonliquids.nl


http://www.zeller-gmelin.co.uk


http://www.rkprint.com


http://www.kpgeurope.com

http://www.edale.com

http://www.doneck.com


http://www.identmachines.com

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PRE-PRESS SOLUTIONS

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PRE-PRESSCONSUMABLES

Isi Graphic System

Isi Graphic System

d winningarwAoress solutions ffoeprrP

essionalsoffeing pragackP

.comepublikraphicr.gwww

PLATES & PROOFING

Du Pont Imaging TechnologiesCyrel® Packaging Graphics Products

DuPont (UK) Ltd, Wedgwood Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire,

SG1 4QN, United Kingdom.

Tel: + 44 (0)1438 73 48 63Fax: + 44 (0)1438 73 44 82

Websitewww.cyrel.dupont.com

[email protected]

Plates & more

UK

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Everything you need plus the best advice and support – Dantex, Plates & More…

Flexo & letterpress platesAnalogue & digital Water wash processorsEsko Spark imagersIntegrated workflowsGreener & Cost effective

www.dantex.com

ASU

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–troppus…eroM&setalP,xetnaD

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Contact: Claus Nielsen

Tel: +44 (0)1763 84 99 82e-mail: [email protected] www.pgm-graphics.co.uk

PGM is exclusive UK/Ireland agents for:

BOOKLET SOLUTIONS

Off-line or In-Line

CLEANING Solutions for anilox rolls,

plates, parts & screens

Converting machines, Off-line or In-Line

• Special niche application solutions

• Digital finishing solutions

• Shrink sleeve machinery

(Seaming/ Die-cutting/ Inspection)

• In-mould die-cutting solutions

av@fl exologic.nl

UK – Benelux – Germany

www.fl exologic.nl

Flexo & Letterpress PlatesAnalogue & Digital

Plate Processing Systems

PLATEMAKING &PLATEMOUNTING

Kendryl Park, Chapel Lane,

Bingham, Nottingham, NG13 8GF,

United Kingdom

Tel: +44(0)1949 836223

Fax: +44(0)1949 836542


www.focuslabel.com

PHOTOPOLYMERPLATEMAKING SYSTEMS

PHOTOPOLYMERPLATE MATERIALS

VIDEO PLATEMOUNTINGSYSTEMS

PLATES – WATER WASH

PHOTOPOLYMERPLATES

Asahi Photoproducts (UK) Ltd

1 Prospect Way,

Hutton Industrial

Estate, Shenfield, Essex,

CM13 1XA

Tel: 01277 232877

Fax: 01277 224414


Website: www.asahi-photoproducts.com

PACKAGING DESIGN

Visit Kodak in Hall 9-E320 at IPEX, May 18-25, 2010

It’s time for you AND Kodak

© K

odak

, 20

10. K

odak

is a

trad

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k.

For more information please call 020 8424 6514or visit graphics.kodak.com

NARROW WEB CONVERTING SOLUTIONS

NARROW WEB CONVERTING SOLUTIONS

PLATE MAKING EQUIPMENTSERVICE & REPAIR


Tel: +44 (0)1763 84 99 82


NARROW-WEB NICHE SOLUTIONS:

Customized machinery for:

www.esstechnology.dk

Customized machinery for:

-WEB NICHE SOLUTIONS: NARROW

2899841763)0(44+:leT

nseleiNsualC:tactonC

.pgm-graphics.co.ukwwwe-mail: [email protected]

.dk.esstechnologywww

NARROW WEB PRINTING &CONVERTING EQUIPMENT

www.focuslabel.com

RT250 & RT330 SLITTERREWINDERS

DIGITAL INKJET PRESS

COMPACTCENTRAL IMPRESSION

FLEXO PRINTING PRESSES

VIDEO WEB INSPECTIONSYSTEMS

HIGH SPEED ROTARYFABRIC PRINTING PRESSES

FABRIC LABEL CUTTING &FOLDING EQUIPMENT

IN-LINE FLEXO PRESSES

54_59_Layout 1 17/06/2014 17:51 Page 42

http://www.dantex.com

http://www.graphicrepublik.com

http://www.cyrel.dupont.com



http://www.pgm-graphics.co.uk

http://www.fl




http://www.asahi-photoproducts.com


http://www.esstechnology.dk



SLEEVE SYSTEMSVIDEO WEB INSPECTION

VISCOSITY CONTROL

uv-technikinternational ltd.


Stapleton Lane, BarwellLeicester, LE9 8HE

Tel: 01455 848679Fax: 01455 848070

Specialists in RotaryConverting Machinery

Slitter Rewinders for Flexible Materials

Atlas Converting Equipment Ltd.Bedford MK42 7XT, UK

T: +44 1234 852553 F: +44 1234 851151

[email protected]

Slitter Rewinders for

all Substrates

Ashe Converting Equipment

Ipswich, IP3 9RR, UK

Tel: +44 (0) 1473 710912

[email protected]

www.ashe.co.uk

all Substrates

Slitter Rewinders for

.ashe.co.ukwww

[email protected]

el: +44 (0) 1473 710912TTe

Ipswich, IP3 9RR, UK

ntAshe Converting Equipme

Pre-Owned Narrow Web Machinery


Tel: +44 (0)1763 84 99 82

e-mail: [email protected] www.pgm-graphics.co.uk

THE Specialists in Gallus &

Arsoma as well as Nilpeter,

MPS, Mark Andy...

Machine Moves, Service

& Refurbs.

ku.oc.csipharg-mpg.wwwku.oc.csipharg-mpg@sualc:ilam-e

2899841763)0(44+:leT

nseleiNsualC:tactonC

eb MachineryPre-Owned Narrow W

& Refurbs.

Machine Moves, Service

MPS, Mark Andy...

Arsoma as well as Nilpeter,

THE Specialists in Gallus &

printing rollers

Innovative Sleeve and Adapter solutions

Rossini UK Ltd.Tel. 01761 453 883

[email protected]

...so much more

UV MAINTENANCE LTDi n c o r p o r a t i n g

E S T . 1 9 6 8

U V S Y S T E M S

w w w . u v m a i n t e n a n c e . c o . u k

e· [email protected] 532344

07887 565956 · 07775 610335

� Supplying UVDrying Equipment

� Service Call Outs

� Preventative Maintenance Contracts

� Spare Parts for all UVSystems

Erhardt+Leimer Ltd9 Wool Gate Fairfax HouseCottingley Business ParkBingley, BD16 1PE

Telephone: +44 (0)8707 559773Telefax: +44 (0)8707 [email protected]

ELTENSWeb Tension Measurement and Control

ELGUIDERWeb Guiding

NYSCANPrint Inspection

ELSCANPrint Image Monitoring

UV CURING LAMPSAND EQUIPMENT

UV CURING LAMPSAND EQUIPMENT

SELF ADHESIVELAMINATING FILM

Unit 5-7 Hambridge Lane, Newbury,

Berkshire RG14 5TU

Tel: 01635 31331 Fax: 01635 31013

Email: [email protected]

w w w . h e r m a . c o . u k

SLITTING & REWINDING

PRE-OWNEDMACHINERY

www.reeltoreel.co.uk

SERVICING

PRE-OWNED

NEW MACHINERY• FLEXO• LETTERPRESS• OFFSET• ANCILLARY

• Preventative maintenance& Service contracts

• Machinery relocations• Spare parts• Machine refurbishments

REELTOREELI N T E R N A T I O N A L

Cawood House, Asquith Industrial Estate,Gargrave, Skipton, North Yorkshire,England BD23 3SE

Tel: +44 (0)1756 748282Fax: +44 (0)1756 748155Email: [email protected]

27 years in the industry.

• Europe's No.1 supplier of pre-owned equipment

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SLITTING &REWINDING

ROLLERS

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http://www.identmachines.com


http://www.atlasconverting.com


http://www.ashe.co.uk




http://www.rossini-spa.it


http://www.u


http://www.erhardt-leimer.co.uk



http://www.reeltoreel.co.uk

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