Shrink Sleeve Solutions Shrink sleeve overview
Ben Luly is a product manager at Mark Andy
Ben Luly, product manager at US press manufacturer Mark Andy, assesses the current market trends and introduces his company’s response to growing demand
THE BACKGROUND
According to market research organisation Future Market Insights, the global market for shrink sleeves is likely to see a CAGR of 6 percent through 2032. While conference and event company AWA says that the three prime sectors of the current shrink sleeve market are beverages with 53 percent, food with 23 percent and household chemicals with 13 percent. Further it says that the nutraceutical sector, while small, is growing and that certain sectors are switching from labels to sleeves.
The reasons behind these trends are population growth and sustainability mandates. As part of this, the short run segment is additionally increasing due to demand for versioning to accommodate new products, multiple languages and promotional designs, as well as security and traceability. There are many substrate choices for sleeve production, with PVC, PET-G, OPS, PP, PP/PO, PE and cPET being the most used in the market today. Of these, cPET, is interesting because, as a newcomer, it is more aligned with sustainability issues. When combined with the right ink, it can be separated and recycled.
This chimes well with the current drive to reduce waste and make better use of packaging. Shrink sleeves can be a sustainable solution because they permit more effi cient use of the packaging substrate and off er complete coverage of the packaging surface. They can be designed to be recycled with the container or perforated with an indication line to cut and recycle separately. From an aesthetic point of view, sleeves also provide a premium look carrying embellishments across and around the entire product. Usefully, sleeve production also has a low total energy requirement.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
It is with these trends and demands in mind that Mark Andy has observed and responded to customer feedback with a new fl exo press, launched at the recent Labelexpo Americas in Chicago. Aimed at the growing mid-web space for use with labels, fl exible packaging and light cartons, the Performance Series S9 is ideally suited to shrink sleeve production. While many press manufacturers favour the bearer tool design, Mark Andy listened to its customers and came up with a sleeve tool design to match their needs. Based on the well-proven Performance Series P9 fl exo platform, the S9 off ers a commercially viable alternative for those looking for better operator ergonomics, especially in 22” and 26” web widths (560mm and 660mm), and capable of 1000 ft/min (305 m/min).
The S9 print station also off ers an upward web path creating almost unlimited drying/curing options and capabilities to best suit customers’ individual production requirements. The sleeved tooling allows
for a very quick and easy changeover, which balances fl oorspace with operator needs in today’s often cramped production environments. Being servo driven also speeds up job changes and the ink chambers can be ordered with or without pumps to add fl exibility for short and long run lengths. As solvent-based ink is still widely used in fl exible packaging, the S9 print station has been designed with this capability in mind. For customers who prefer to use water-based inks, Mark Andy has high performance drying options that are both space and energy effi cient.
Our unique dryer design allows customers to adjust the recirculation percentage up to 90 percent and individually adjust air fl ow and temperature, or turn the dryer on and off , based on an application’s need. This not only allows for fi ne tuning of the operational process, but it also reduces energy consumption. The advantages are twofold; increased profi tability and more sustainability, using energy only when needed. Automation built into the S9 includes the ability to save job profi les and automate registration setup, while reducing waste. A proprietary camera system handles automatic colour to colour registration in both lineal and lateral directions for job setup, while maintaining register at speed.
For converters who need extra embellishments, the S9 can be equipped with cold foil, lamination or rotary screen units for high build white. It can also be retrofi tted with a digital print bar for versioning, with digital inkjet for QR codes, barcodes or other tracking and traceability features. All these items can be built in a static location or on an overhead rail for greater fl exibility.
Launched at Labelexpo Americas ’24, the Mark Andy Performance Series S9 brings new fl exibility to shrink sleeve production in the mid web sector
28 October 2024
www.convertermag.com
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