New Innovations in Plates and Sleeves

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New Innovations in Plates and Sleeves
Rich Emmerling Technical Manager rich.emmerling_at_fl
intgrp.com 770-366-5689
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Flint Group Flexographic Products

• Comprehensive Expertise in Flexographic Printing

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Flint GroupPowerful Roots
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Flint Group History

• November 2004 CVC acquired ANI Inks and BASF
  Printing Systems.
• September 2005 XSYS acquired Flint Ink, a
  privately owned company with operations in USA,
  Europe, Latin America, Asia and India/Pacific.
• Integration of these businesses lead to creation
  of Flint Group, number two ink supplier
  worldwide.
• In 2007 Day International was integrated into
  Flint Group.
• 2008 Flint Group Printing Plates and rotec became
  Flint Group Flexographic Products.

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Flint Group Overview

• 2011 Sales 2.2 billion (US 3 billion)
• Number of employees 6 900
• gt170 company sites in over 40 countries
• Global network of partners and distributors

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Flint Group Locations Worldwide
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Flint Group Business Segments

• Flint Groups products are everywhere in our
  daily life and can be split into two segments

Packaging Products
Print Media Products
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Flint Group Products
Packaging
Print Media
Europe
Americas
Asia-Pacific
Packaging and Narrow Web
Flexographic Products

• Packaging inks
• Inks for labels and other narrow web printing
  applications
• Sleeves and adapters for flexo and offset
  printing
• Photopolymer printing plates for flexo and
  letterpress applications
• Processing equipment

• Printing inks forheatset, coldset, sheetfed,
  gravure and specialty printing
• Lithographic printing blankets and sleeves
• Pressroom chemicals
• Pigments

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Flexographic Products - Extensive Product Range
rotec
nylosolv

• Sleeves and adapters
• Printing plates for
• Flexible packaging
• Label printing
• Corrugated (Pre- and postprint)
• Ready-to-image ITR Sleeves
• Processing equipment

• Washout solvents
• Printing plates for
• Label printing
• Tubes, cups and tins printing
• Security printing
• Pad printing
• Embossing hot moulding
• Processing equipment

nyloflex
nyloprint
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Worldwide Presence

• Production sites
• Plates, equipment and washout solvents
• Germany, Willstätt
• Sleeves and adapters
• Germany, Ahaus
• Czech Republic, Chrastava
• USA, Asheville

• Main Offices
• Germany, Stuttgart
• Subsidiaries
• Australia
• Brazil
• China
• Denmark
• France
• Netherland
• Spain
• UK
• USA

Distributorsin more than 100 countries
holding Technical Center holding RD
Center
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Market Shares World 2011Photopolymer Printing
Plates
Data Source internal estimations
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Market Shares World 2011 Sleeves
Data Source internal estimations
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Topics

• The NEW nyloflex ACE The Benchmark for High
  Quality Flexo
• nyloflex NExT Exposure Technology High
  Definition, Flat Top Dots Surface Screening
• Improvements With Solid Ink Density
• High Opacity Values Using Less Ink
• Fit For Flat Top Dot Technology

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Introducing nyloflex New ACE
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nyloflex ACE - Why Change a Proven Winner?..

• Introduced in 2001 quickly becoming market
  standard for high quality print
• Confirmed by numerous print awards throughout the
  years

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nyloflex ACE What Could Be Improved?
Press Room
Plate Room

• Performance and Cost
• Better solvent resistance
• Improved ink transfer, fewer press stops
• Compatibility with new plate technologies

• Reliability and Productivity
• Higher quality ingredients
• Stable color, less tack improves handling and is
  more user friendly
• No change in pre-press necessary

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The NEW nyloflex ACE Physical Properties

• 62 Shore A (DIN 53505), same as previous
  nyloflex ACE
• Designed for solvent, water and UV curable
  flexographic inks
• Improved overall image quality and color
  stability, with a brighter green color

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Comparison of ACE and NEW ACE

• Nearly identical dot area
• Can use same files
• Verified in 100 trials

Dot Percent on Print
Dot Percent on Plate
Dot Percent in File
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The NEW nyloflex ACE Customers Feedback
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The NEW nyloflex ACE

• Outstanding performance with HD Flexo screening
• Designed to work well with both digital Round Top
  Dots as well as Flat Top Dots

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Improving Solid Ink Density Combining Plate and
Surface Screening Technologies
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Topics

• Surface Screening - Solid Ink Density
• Surface Screening Opacity
• Flat Top Dot Approaches
• Fit For Flat Top Dot Plates

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Improve SID and smoothness

• Basic advice Optimize parameters
• Harder plate cushion, more ink, substrate
  treatment, etc.
• Problem is that an improvement HERE may take away
  from THERE...

1.2
1.4
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Minimize or control mottle

• Better method Surface Screening
• In use for a long time
• Many versions throughout the years, but idea
  remains the same textured plate surface reduces
  mottle through better ink distribution and
  coverage
• Screenings historically 300 600 LPI

Use 90-97 Tint in Solids
Plate Cell Patterning
Digicap
Groovy Screening
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Reasons for Dot Shapes

• The oxygen effect during exposure of digital
  flexo plates

Conventional exposure with film negative and UV-A
tubes
Digital exposure with LAMS-layer and UV-A tubes
UV
UV
UV
UV
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
Dot reduction
Dot gain
Dot reduction due to the oxygen effect
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Reasons for Dot Shapes

• The oxygen effect during exposure of digital
  flexo plates

Conventional exposure with film negative and UV-A
tubes
Digital exposure with LAMS-layer and UV-A tubes
UV
UV
UV
UV
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
O2
Tonwertreduktion
Dot reduction due to the oxygen effect
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Plate with different surface screens
Digital w/ O2
Flat Top
Ablated Mask
MicroCell MC8 800 LPI _at_ 4000
2X2 Pixel Checkerboard 1414 LPI _at_ 4000
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Print results
Plate Solid Low Screens (lt800 LPI) Mid Screens (800-000 LPI) High Screens (gt1000 LPI)
Digital with O2 1.32 /- 0.09 1.43 /- 0.15 1.30 /- 0.13 1.30 /- 0.12
Flat Top 1.35 /- 0.09 1.43 /- 0.11 1.54 /- 0.11 1.64 /- 0.12
Based on 22 Print Trials
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The Potential
Crosslinking w/o oxygen effect
Solid screening with oxygen effect
Solid screening without oxygen effect
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What About White Opacity?

• Can Surface Screens Using Flat Top Dot Technology
  Improve Opacity With Solid Whites?

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Purpose

• Gain an understanding of the optimum plate
  durometer, cushion tape and surface screening
  parameters to maximize white opacity readings at
  high press speeds.

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Plates (High Speed Test)

• Plates Digital (0.067)
• FAM D and ACE D (Flat Top Dot)
• Cushion Tape (0.020)
• 3M 1920, 3M 1020 and 3M 1820
• Surface Screening
• Microcell - 4000 DPI
• 17 Patterns One Smooth Solid

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Press Conditions

• Press Wide Web Flexible Packaging
• Anilox 220 lpi/9.0 bcm
• Ink Flint High Speed Surface White
• Viscosity 28 seconds
• Press Speed 1200 ft/min.
• Substrate Polyester

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Test Target
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High Values Of Plate And Tape
Contrast Ratio Function
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Values Ranked By Surface Screening Value
Contrast Ratio Function
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Second Test

• Evaluate opacity using lower anilox volume and
  Flat Top Dot surface screening parameters.
• Will there be a greater differences in opacity
  using lower anilox volumes?
• Will this reduce ink consumption while delivering
  acceptable opacity?

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Press Conditions

• Press Wide Web Flexible Packaging
• Anilox 440 lpi/5.5 bcm
• Ink High Speed Surface White
• Viscosity 28 seconds
• Press Speed 1200 ft/min.
• Substrate Polyester

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Opacity FAM D 3M 1820 Cushion Tape
MC 2X3N FAM D 3M 1820 Opacity 64.6
No Surface Screening FAM D 3M 1820 Opacity 61.8
(440 lpi/5.5 bcm)
Contrast Ratio Function
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Opacity ACE D 3M 1820 Cushion Tape
MC 3X3C ACE D 3M 1820 Opacity 64.1
No Surface Screening ACE D 3M 1820 Opacity 60.8
(440 lpi/5.5 bcm)
Contrast Ratio Function
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Coating Weight and Opacity
Contrast Ratio Function
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Conclusions

• Flat Top Dot technology allows for a greater
  level of detail at the surface.
• Surface screening reduced pinholes and increased
  the opacity.
• Increasing the modulus of the cushion tape
  increased opacity.

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Conclusions

• Higher opacity levels were achieved using surface
  screening allowing for the use of lower anilox
  volumes and potentially eliminating the need for
  a double bump.

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FTD Approaches
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Flat Top Dot Technology
Kodax NX

• Film lamination on special CTP device similar
  to offset Trendsetter laser
• Requires special laser, special film
  consumable, requires use of special Kodak plate
  material
• Format up to 42x60 size

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Flat Top Dot Technology
MacDermid LUX

• Lamination of film material to plate with some
  heat and pressure
• Requires laminator and special film

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Flat Top Dot Technology
DuPont Digiflow (aka Digicorr)

• Retrofit to older top lift exposure units or
  equipped on new exposure units.
• Pumps nitrogen oxygen gas mixture onto the
  plate

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Flat Top Dot Technology
Esko Inline UV

• Retrofit or new machine with LED diode parts
• Used for both flexo and letterpress plates

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nyloflex NExT?

• Flint Groups Solutionfor Flat Top Dots and
  Surface Screening

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NExT exposure process
reduction of oxygeninhibition effect
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New approach of Flint Group

• Two step exposure
• Combination of UV-A LEDs with UV-A tubes

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nyloflex NExT Operation
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Precise reproduction nyloflex NExT
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NExT Plate Image Samples
3 pt font (2540 dpi)(transmitted light)
3 pt font (2540 dpi)(reflected light)
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NExT Plate Image Samples
5 data _at_146lpi (2540 dpi)(transmitted light)
5 data _at_146lpi (2540 dpi)(reflected light)
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NExT Plate Image Samples
2 data _at_146lpi (2540 dpi)(transmitted light)
2 data _at_146lpi (2540 dpi)(reflected light)
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NExT Plate Image Samples
3 data _at_146lpi (2540 dpi)(transmitted light)
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nyloflex NExT Processing Equipment

• nyloflex NExT Exposure FIII
• Mid size exposure unit
• Format 920 x 1200 mm (47.2 x 36.2)
• nyloflex NExT Exposure FV
• Large size exposure unit
• Format 1320 x 2032 mm (52 x 80)

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UV LED module
Electrical connectors
water connection for cooling
water connection for cooling
Housing with cooling profile
LEDs with optics and quatrz glass
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NExT UV LED Bar
Modular system ? 12 x 4.5
Radiation length 53.9

• 49.4 radiation width even with one module out
• Ethernet port for each module for remote
  diagnosis / recovery at manufacturer

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The Benefits of nyloflex NExT

• High-intensity LEDs (gt 800 mW/cm2) for highest
  productivity
• Consistent UV emission guarantees long-term
  repeatability? Production consistency,
  especially for repeat orders
• Easy-to-use requires no additional processing
  steps or consumables (such as lamination, inert
  gas etc.)
• Suitable for all digital flexo plates any plate
  type, thickness format ? High flexibility
• Compatible with all standard prepress software
  HD Flexo
• Easy implementation into existing digital workflow

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nyloflex NExT
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nyloflex NExT
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Do Not Forget The Tooling

• New plate and FTD exposure technologies assist in
  moving the quality target upward.
• However, are your sleeve and bridges up to this
  task?
• When was the last sleeve audit performed?
• An upgrade in this area may also be necessary.

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• Flint Group Flexographic Products
• Extensive product range
• Customer oriented service
• Excellent technical knowledge
• Global presence
• Innovative solutions

Rich Emmerling Technical Manager rich.emmerling_at_fl
intgrp.com 770-366-5689