Flexo Technology
Eskois keeping its promise to dramatically simplify the platemaking operation and to bring new levels of quality and consistency
sko’s vice president of hardware, Thomas Klein, comments: “Flexo average run lengths are getting
shorter, and the industry needs a way to produce those shorter runs faster and more effectively. A considerable part of the solution consists of rethinking flexo platemaking, currently it is a complex and highly manual process, often involving up to five different hardware devices and six process steps. Integrating process steps and more
automation (and thus standardisation) improves quality, consistency and ease of use, and enables customers to more efficiently manage the digital flexo platemaking workflow.” Less than a year ago, Esko introduced a range of innovations for flexo platemaking, and demonstrated these at drupa 2016: - The CDI Crystal 5080 XPS, integrates and
automates flexo plate imaging and exposure and transfers the plate to the processor. - The all-new XPS 5080 is a UV LED
exposure device that adds consistency to the established Esko quality standard. - A complete integration of flexo
platemaking and workflow software with the new Automation Engine Device Manager, delivers full control over the flexo platemaking process. - An innovative screening technology, which sets digital flexo at an even higher level of quality.
THE BENEFIT OF COMBINING FLEXO PLATE IMAGING AND EXPOSURE The XPS Crystal 5080 is a UV LED exposure device that combines UV main and back exposure in a single operation. The CDI Crystal 5080 is the new digital flexo plate imager based on the original CDI. The devices can be connected with each other to act as one single plate production line, the CDI Crystal 5080 XPS, thus combining plate imaging and exposing into a single operation. This solution cuts the number of manual handling steps by 50 per cent, compared to other technologies.
Next generation flexo plate making E
A SOLUTION CERTIFIED BY LEADING PLATE AND EQUIPMENT VENDORS A series of popular plate types from the primary flexo plate vendors, (DuPont, MacDermid, Asahi and Flint), have already been certified for the Esko XPS Crystal, to accommodate most of the flexible packaging print applications. The list of certified flexo plates continues to expand, to ensure that the CDI Crystal platform supports the widest possible range of flexo printing applications. As a next step, together with its partner
Vianord, Esko is moving towards a fully automated flexo platemaking process, without manual touch points. This will consist of a bridge between the CDI Crystal 5080 XPS and a plate processing installation. Flexo plates will be imaged, exposed
simultaneously from the back and through the mask, and processed in a single streamlined production line, taking even more manual steps out of the process.
CUSTOMER CONFIRMATION Esko flexo platemaking customers Inci.Flex (Italy) and Glatz Klischee (Austria) are amongst the first users of the new flexo solutions from Esko. Inci.Flex, is a flexo and gravure prepress business based in Fisciano, Italy. “Esko has been a key Inci.Flex partner for decades,” says Enzo Consalvo, managing director of Inci.Flex. “Now, with our new CDI Crystal 5080 XPS flexo plate production solution, we are taking quality and customer service to a higher level. “In addition to the automation and
increase in capacity that has been achieved with our new Esko CDI Crystal 5080, its ability to produce more stable and reliable dots on the plate ensures that our customers can achieve excellent printing results across the entire tonal range. This delivers perfect highlights, stable halftones, shading toward zero, smoother transitions and denser, full, uniform solids. Thanks to the high print quality, we are able to offer printers the ability to create high quality flexographic packaging that can be compared with gravure printing. It has become a true marketing tool for us with our customers.” Thomas Klein concludes, “As all our
hardware and software innovations in flexo platemaking are fully tested and ready, and being adopted by our customers, it is clear that our solutions drive flexo print quality and consistency, improve press uptime at converters, and as such, support the entire flexo industry. This is true not only for our customers, but also for our wide network of industry partners, from press manufacturers to plate suppliers, who confirm that Esko continues to innovate flexo platemaking.”
www.esko.com 32 June 2017
www.convertermag.co.uk
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