New Technology and Trends in Flexo Printing

Packaging professionals pay great attention to understanding customers' ever-changing needs, hobbies, and goals. This understanding is absolutely important, not only in the direction of product development, but also in the realization of successful product brands and delivery systems (sometimes called For packaging).
As we all know, the attitude of consumption is not static. Successful marketers must be able to find and seize opportunities to show themselves. When starting a product, the tasks involved are numerous, the time is tight and the pressure is huge, so each item seems to have to be completed in time.
In fact, timely packaging production is the right way to do this. They should be able to spend as much time as possible on the design, construction, and information of the package, and then implement the specific steps at the last minute.
In terms of rapid processing and functionality, flexographic printing provides a very clear advantage for packaging. Unlike offset printing, it can use aqueous, UV or solvent inks to print on a variety of substrates.
Because it is the feed method of the reel, it can be completed quickly from the roll to the molding.
From an environmental point of view, it is the most environmentally friendly printing process and continues to favor the use of water-based and UV inks in flexo printing, which will continue to provide competitive advantages in many areas for many years to come.
Finally, it has long been recognized as the most reasonable cost printing method. Because it wastes the least and reduces labor, processing costs are very competitive in the flexo workflow.
Until recently, the only disadvantage of a flexographic version was its quality limitations, which was particularly evident when compared with offset printing and gravure printing.
However, the appearance of digital photosensitive resin invented by Cyrel in 1995 helped to narrow this difference. The digital version also helps to greatly improve print consistency and repeatability. This we can often see, and sometimes found that the quality of flexo printing even more than offset and gravure.
The digital version is capable of producing high-gloss, vignetting tonal-level prints, which we simply did not see in previous flexographic prints.
The digital flexo approached or reached the quality level of offset and gravure.
The quality advantages of digital flexo have been recognized by the buyers of packaging equipment, as confirmed by Mr. Gary Vogt, Kraft Food Packaging Quality Manager. He discussed the digital edition of the quality of the printed Philadelphia brand cheese packaging products: "The digital version enables every packaging product to have print quality similar to offset printing."
In fact, its current quality is comparable to offset and gravure. For example, Borden’s food advertising printing won the “Best Food Series” award from the American Star Packaging Awards, which was organized by the Packaging Professionals Association (IOPP) to reward outstanding achievements in packaging. The competition was held last year. Held at the packaging expo in Chicago earlier this month. This food advertisement is printed digitally. But many packaging buyers may say to themselves: What then?
“If DuPont people think that the printing process is a concern for us, then you ignore the important aspects. We are concerned about the buyer's behavior (including time and market), the requirements of the retailer, brand management, cost control , the shelf life and a series of pressing issues, whether it is flexographic printing, offset printing or gravure, these problems will appear."
When we re-examine the data on the production of packaging graphics (DuPont Xili is certainly interested in these and can exert influence), this type of printing is rarely metric.

Our research shows that when it comes to deciding which printing format to use, what customers are really concerned with is not this issue. They only care if the product can achieve the desired quality.
They may provide the best overall economic solution, and it can also be converted quickly.
Therefore, in the packaging industry that is urging for tight goods, intense competition, and difficult choices, the question becomes “What exactly does the flexographic printing have to offer, so that people are willing to choose it?”
Flexographic printing must take into account a decisive factor: cost, quality and total working hours. The purpose of this is to determine whether and how it differs from other forms of printing.
In terms of cost, I think most people will agree that cost is one of the advantages of flexo.
In terms of quality, many people gradually believe that the emergence of the digital version of the flexographic version of the printing industry and other printing methods in the same position. Although flexographic printing has no advantage in quality, its disadvantage has been eliminated.
So if there is indeed a difference in flexographic, it should be in terms of speed.
What makes the speed improvement? We have seen and still see new improvements in prepress, platemaking and printing, all of which will undoubtedly increase the speed of printing.
If you have recently visited a flexographic printing shop, you will find several improvements.
The conversion of the automatic upper roller and the thin thick sleeve accelerates the speed of change. When combined with an automatic cleaning system, flexo can increase the efficiency of the entire printing process so that several jobs can be processed at the same time.
Visible overprinting control and several other improvements make it possible to have higher printing speeds. The current tendency is to use 10-12 color machines, with 5-6 colors running while other color groups are being prepared.
Since we have used digital workflows, the design and prepress has been greatly improved.
In practice, standard software and hardware platforms are widely used, and many designers have been indifferent to the previously monotonous mechanical design situations. Workstations are getting faster and faster, and prices are decreasing. The software available today is more powerful and full-featured than the most expensive system a few years ago.
Prepress production also experienced a conversion of all-digital processing. Prior to the critical steps of deformation, overprinting and continuous exposure, it took an experienced staff hours to complete. Now it takes only a few minutes because of the use of workstations and software packages.
As we all know, one of the advantages of flexographic printing is that it can use a wide range of special colors in printing. The use of a wide range of special color proofing is done using a traditional simulation method, typically a Cromarin pre-proofing device.
Cromax pre-proofing devices and other similar proofings require negatives. Once negatives are produced, printers begin their long, laborious processing. In order to complete this, the proofs must be different from the negatives used in the platemaking process because the flexographic prints have dot defects. This further reduces the speed before printing and adds another variable.
The main factor in accelerating flexographic prepress is the recent use of digital proofing.
Continuous inkjet proofing, such as Digitiol Cromailin and other similar proofing, has begun to replace film simulation proofing. The stability and coherency of the digital make the machine show the exact matching of the machine and the proofing, and the wide chromatogram can accurately describe the color point.
The dro onDemond inkjet printer manufactured by Hewlett-Packard and other manufacturers displays color inconsistencies, content, and continuous exposure, etc., has a high degree of color matching capability, and is very inexpensive, with various sizes and low prices. This means that these devices are very suitable for fine proofing. Like offset and gravure, flexo also uses computer plates to increase prepress speed. The first such machine has been in operation for more than three years. There is no doubt that the digital version has improved the print quality of the flexo.
Like all new technologies, the first CTP flexo was bulky, functional, and expensive, which limited its market.
The small-format CTP machines produced by Barco and CreoScitex recently ensured dynamic changes in flexography. This device is cheap, and we expect that the processing industry will buy more CTP machines, probably in line with the printers, because they have work processes and digital graphic technology.
In addition, how can we improve the prepress speed? We observed the workflow of designers, printers, and processing environments. We believe that the next technological development will speed up the process of communication between the three (in fact, the development of this technology has already started), and the new technology will enable packaging buyers to more actively participate in every process of printing. Come at the same time as getting the required speed improvement.
Expanding the use of digital tools and increasing the use of the Internet will facilitate the development of these technologies.
The designer's current working environment is actually a digital environment that can provide a wide variety of document texts. The texts of these files eventually led to the output of the appendix. Using Acrobat PDF files as standard texts will help eliminate appendix errors and facilitate the development of special jobs and management systems between networks.
Designers develop PDF files, conduct local data proofing, and then deliver the file to the buyer so that buyers can generate proofs on their own, then the buyer can either return the file or send it to the printer, and the printer can produce the product. "Proofing," and at the same time, it is also possible to carry out the necessary printing work, and then return the documents to the buyer in order to obtain the buyer's final determination. Once it is confirmed, the film, version, and PDF files are sent to the processors for making and printing.
Using a wide range of networks and common file texts will make it unnecessary to send files and proofs from one place to another. Of course, these are contrary to the globalization of the packaging industry.
Finally, let us see how to speed up platemaking. On this point, we believe that improvement can be made. As anyone who has seen flexo plates knows.
Flexo-plate solvent flushing is a time-consuming process that requires several expensive processing equipment and requires a lot of space. Because it is a solvent, there is a problem of environmental pollution, and its processing requires special skills.
For the above reasons, flexographic printing is usually done by printers, and they have close contact with the processing manufacturers.
Seeing the above, it is natural for people to think that the timing of the improvement and speed-up of this printing has matured.
Due to these issues, DuPont has recently developed the Cyrel Rapid System. This new technology will cause a revolution in platemaking, and will make plate making the speed we need.
The Celie Rapid System is actually a hot-processed version, meaning that the entire process is completely dry. Since no solvent is needed, plate-making time is greatly reduced, and the processing process is also faster without drying.
Because there is no solvent, there is no need to handle and recover the solvent. HVAC needs and outdoor construction costs can be minimized.
As you can see, the benefits of saving plate time are enormous. If you only consider the time saving factors of CTP, especially when the CTP is located near the printing press, you can find that the time saved is very large. If you replace the solvent cleaning system with your local Cellay Express system, you can save hours or even days.
This is not just a technical breakthrough in flexography. When you combine an all-digital workflow with computer-making and Celery rapid platemaking technology, it means that flexographic processing can be done in a timely manner.
The fully digital drying plate system was demonstrated live on the LabeExpo in Chicago in September 2000. The system was then produced a set of six-color plates measuring 4x12 inches in size.
The system includes Apple's Photoshop and Freehand, a low-cost digital proofer, a small format machine, a UV exposure device, and of course, the Cyrel rapid thermal processing system.
It usually takes 10 hours and 15 minutes from the start of proofing on a Mac to the completion of plate making. Of course, in practice, this will vary depending on the size of the size and the number of color groups.
Rapid plate making will be very beneficial to the entire packaging industry.
On-machine platemaking allows processors to correct and modify the plates one minute before platemaking is completed. If a bad version occurs, it is also very easy to repair. These two advantages naturally increase production capacity and are beneficial to the sound development of the industry.
For flexo, the improvement of production capacity, the reduction of the production cycle, and the improvement of product quality all contribute to the sustainable development of the industry and obtain more profits than other printing methods.
Finally, and most importantly, rapid plate making will make packaging buyers have their urgent needs.