Efficiency-Minded Machinery
As we all know, flexo has taken an enormous leap in quality and process efficiency over the past decade. It’s based on many factors.
Perhaps necessity has been the mother of invention. On one side, we have flexo improving quality to offer an appealing, cost-effective alternative to gravure. On the other side, we have flexo processes improving to offer cost-effective options to digital for shorter runs.
Prepress technology has taken many steps forward. Flexo plates, led by HD technology, can reproduce art better. And, of course, flexo presses have become even more advanced.
As a manufacturer of flexo presses, we have noted a number of technologies that have improved print quality and reduced costs. And, we’ve seen how our customers have benefited from them. Some of these technologies are shared by other press manufacturers. Some, we feel, are unique to SOMA.
For example, controlling bounce on a SOMA OPTIMA2 press is critical because it maintains job consistency at high press speeds—particularly when using HD plates—during the pressrun. It can also assure that the press can hold stable highlight dots with exceptional registration. This opens the door for new print process ideas, such as expanded gamut (EG) printing.
With the Advanced Bounce Control System, decks with print and anilox cylinders can be designed with emphasis on rigidity, precision and reliability. For instance, a one-piece, cast-iron side frame, manufactured from special materials and a slide-away guiding design ensure rigidity—and therefore, stability during the printing process.
A few other press technologies that can improve quality are:
- Thermal stabilization of the printing unit is an important shield against heat expansion on sleeves, printing plates and consequently, on the printing dots. The OPTIMA2 press uses water to extract the heat generated by servo motors and bearings. This leads to the elimination of any dimensional changes of the printing sleeves as a result of thermal expansion from drive temperature. Thus, the sleeve diameter and print pressure remain constant, ensuring the same print quality
- AC motors can provide fast acceleration/deceleration with low working tension—important for thin films
- Printing cylinder mandrels made from composite material have excellent dynamic characteristics, enabling quick and greater print quality
In the OPTIMA2 press, the printing unit and roll-handling zones are separated. For example, if a customer determines that inline lamination, slitting, perforation or upstream/downstream units are needed, these can be added at minimal effort. This allows people to customize their presses to specific needs that occur in the future.
Short-Run Costs
A factor affecting short runs is the ability to assure fast makereadies. The faster a press can get up and running, the sooner flexo can replace digital.
ARUN is a unique offline solution for register and impression setting, combining the functions of a plate mounter along with a fully automated device for plate topography and registration measurement. During the plate mounting process, the position of the plate in the sleeve is determined, along with the topography of the plate, to set the impression. The data is stored in a chip that is embedded in the sleeve. When the sleeve is placed onto the press, the data is read and the registration and impression pressure are set automatically, without manual intervention. The result is that jobs get up to speed faster and there is basically zero feet of setup waste.
Many other press features that can reduce makereadies and costs:
- Reducing ink volumes and residual waste by using an efficient ink Cartridge system allows printers to maintain profit margins while staying competitive
- A good auto washup system removes residual ink from the complete inking system, including doctor blade chambers, anilox sleeves, connecting hoses, pumping hoses and filter cage
- By maintaining a constant angle to the anilox sleeve surface throughout blade life, well-designed doctor blade housing and self-adjusting chamber setting compensate for doctor blade wear
- A pneumatic device for easy print and anilox sleeve push off simplifies handling and access for the operator. This significantly accelerates job exchange and increases operator comfort
- Motorized threading is an efficient way to help operators save time during job changes or web breaks
- Automatic drum cleaning efficiently eliminates ink, dust and chemical agents that may affect print quality, and minimizes operator intervention
- Machine operating systems have become more powerful. A press-monitoring system can monitor energy consumption as well as efficiency data and is capable of retaining and delivering web-based information via a cloud solution when a job is repeated
About the Author: Petr (Peter) Blasko is marketing manager at SOMA. He has 20 years’ experience in flexography, working on different positions in marketing and sales within SOMA, a European Union-based producer of central impression (CI) flexo presses. With a degree in mechanical engineering, he is responsible for global marketing strategy and product development.
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