Perfecting HD flexo printing results: EskoArtwork honours the DuploFlex 5 plate mounting tapes with quality seal
Neuwied-based Lohmann GmbH & Co. KG – a leading manufacturer of adhesion technologies - has received the highly respected HD Flexo Vendor certification from EskoArtwork.The quality seal confirms to Lohmann’s customers that the company’s plate-mounting tapes in the DuploFlex 5 series deliver outstanding print results when using HD Flexo technology in flexo printing. The certified plate-mounting delivers clean highlights and a high, solid ink density – two key features for a high-quality printed image.
One of EskoArtwork’s aims is to co-ordinate all parameters in the HD Flexo printing process and offer users the best possible working materials, all in one package. This means that not only can print service providers obtain HD Flexo certification, but also print accessories suppliers, such as providers of plate mounting tape, screen rollers and inks.
“Repro houses and print shops can align their printing processes with HD Flexo-certified components to achieve perfect print results straight away,” explains Dr Thomas Klein, R&D Manager for Flexo Business at EskoArtwork.
Tobias Spieß, Graphical Application Engineer at Lohmann, comments on the certification: “It’s important for HD Flexo users that they can rely on HD Flexo-compatible components, such as our DuploFlex 5 plate-mounting tapes, and can use them without worry.”
Unlike other adhesive foam tapes for flexo printing, plate-mounting tapes in the DuploFlex range feature a flexible double-sided film of high-quality foam. They are soft enough to cushion vibrations in the printing process, preventing uncontrolled dot spreading via compressed sections in finely detailed areas. They also have the requisite hardness to evenly reproduce full-colour areas.
Safety for HD Flexo users
HD Flexo is an imaging technology that combines high-resolution 4000ppi optics and unique screen technology. The technology increases flexo printing quality in terms of the printed image, full-colour density, sharpness and precision, and rivals offset and rotogravure quality.
HD Flexo can be used to increase the screen widths in flexo printing, and at the same time reduce the size of the smallest printable dot. The result is a softer image reproduction and a larger tonal range.
To achieve HD Flexo vendor certification, the supplier must be able to prove that its product can be used to print HD Flexo jobs with excellent results. EskoArtwork has a database that provides information on around 1,000 analyses in connection with HD Flexo plates. This enables the company to check which components work better, and which are less positive.
In the assembly process on a round assembly machine, the plate mounting tape is first affixed to the cleaned print cylinder and the printing plate then fitted on top. In the case of Lohmann, plate-mounting tapes with moderate foam hardness deliver the best results for small, clean printing HD Flexo highlights, in combination with an enclosed colour film in full-colour areas for HD Flexo Microcells screen dots.
Car badges, flat screens, mobile telephones, furniture, roof insulation, solar modules, ECG electrodes, diagnostic test strips, hospital blankets, nappy closures or packaging printing – without adhesive products the world would look very different. Backed by a 160-year long company history, Lohmann is a pioneer in the field of adhesive tape technologies that have replaced rivets, welding and screws as joining methods in many sectors. Today, the company group based in Neuwied, Germany, offers the world’s most cutting-edge adhesive solutions for the processing industry. Today the company operates at 28 international locations around the world with 1500 employees and has exclusive sales partners in over 50 countries.
EskoArtwork is an international provider of integrated solutions for processing packaging, signs and displays, for commercial printing and for the professional publishing sector. Using its products and services, customers can increase their profitability, reduce the time required for the market launch of new products and services, lower costs and expand their business potential.
Portfolio
EskoArtwork is the international market leader in software for creating graphics, automating production preparation, quality assurance and collaboration between brand owners, retailers, designers and manufacturers in the packaging sector.
The product range for the packaging, label, sign and display sector is rounded off with CTP imagesetters in the CDI product range from Esko for flexo printing and the Kongsberg cutting tables for small runs and the onward processing of signs.
The company offers a wide range of solutions for workflows, automation and quality assurance for commercial printing and the publishing market. For graphic designers and print professionals there is also the Enfocus package with PDF tools.
Facts and figures
EskoArtwork employs around 1050 staff worldwide. With its own sales and customer service offices in Europe, America and Asia/Pacific as well as sales partners in over 45 countries, EskoArtwork is represented around the globe.
EskoArtwork is headquartered in Gent, Belgium, as well as R&D and production sites in 5 European countries, the USA and in India. The consolidated year-end accounts for 2010 showed profits for the company group of €184.1 million.
More information is available at www.esko.com
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