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When you think back on the evolution of the narrow web label and package printing industry over the last 25 years, an almost perfect parallel can be drawn between the industry as a whole and its daily maintenance and cleaning practices.

Two decades ago, converters were likely frustrated with the time and effort required to clean and maintain their printing presses along with many other manual processes.

It was in the 1990s that one label maker in particular, Henning Kongstad in Denmark, felt that cleaning was a point of pain in his printing process. He identified the biggest problem in his operation as dirty parts and the subsequent effect they were having on his overall print quality. Additionally, the manual process of cleaning was taking up valuable production time and only giving mixed results.

Sound familiar?

Anilox roll cleaner in place at Orlando’s Catapult Print.
All photos courtesy of Flexo Wash US

Kongstad decided to do something about it. He developed a parts cleaner—the first Flexo Wash unit. From use in a single plant, the technology caught on and Kongstad found himself supplying the narrow web sector in his native Denmark and neighboring Germany. Reach of stand-alone parts, anilox and plate cleaners now extends to all sectors of the global printing industry.

Over the last 25 years, the narrow web industry and the cleaning technologies it utilizes have evolved together. Driven by customer feedback and demand for better cleaning solutions, OEMs like Flexo Wash—the firm Kongstad founded—have created a portfolio of cleaning systems that were initially developed from firsthand experience to provide reliable performance under tough working conditions.

Looking Back

In the 10 years between 1980 and 1990, automated cleaning started to take hold. Trends evident at the time included the following:

Throughout the 1990s, things evolved. Specifically:

Fast forward to the early 2000s when Mike Potter became involved with cleaning technology in North America. “Mike knew that if you combined great service with technology, it could help improve printing processes for the label and package printing industry in North America,” explains Patrick Potter, president of Flexo Wash. “He was right.”

That thought process was driven by customer demands at the time. Mike Potter comments, “If the anilox roll is the heart of the flexographic printing process and critical to maintaining a well-run operation, proper cleaning, care and maintenance of anilox inventory is essential to survival. The absence of good cleaning practices will lead to increased downtime and inconsistent print results.”

Catapult Print’s part washer getting loaded.

Cleaning equipment manufacturers therefore found themselves constantly adapting to all of the nuances in modernization and production in the packaging industry; whether it be cleaning multiple rolls at the same time with either laser or liquid anilox cleaners, or tackling the most difficult inks, coatings and adhesives, demands of narrow web printers were heard and met.

As the decade between 2000 and 2010 transpired, cleaning technologies continuously improved. Developments worthy of noting included:

Progress didn’t stop there. In the decade between 2010 and 2020, the flexographic printing and converting industry saw:

To illustrate the evolution of narrow web cleaning technologies over the last 20 years, here are stories of four narrow web converters, all with different challenges, but all with the same pain point in their processes: downtime.

These technology adopters are Flexo-Graphics of Milwaukee, WI; Steinhauser Inc of Newport, KY; Tapecon of Buffalo, NY; and Catapult Print of Orlando, FL. Here is a look at the different cleaning processes in the narrow web industry, as told through real life.

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