Corrugated packaging created in Esko’s Suite 12
During the Queen’s jubilee and the Olympics, themed packaging promoting Britishness demonstrated how flexible and innovative the industry can be. Flexo printed folding cartons and corrugated packaging is seeing a lot of growth and manufacturers are continually launching technologies to continue this trend. By Neel Madsen.
This summer has seen a huge number of brands launch new versions of their already established products either clad in Union Jack or retro style designs. These relatively short print runs are good examples of why today’s flexo printer needs to have machinery that enables quick changeovers while keeping quality high. This is true not only for labels and flexible packaging, but also folding cartons and corrugated packaging.
Not just brown boxes
The role of corrugated packaging has transformed in recent years driven by a number of emerging trends such as longer supermarket opening hours, improved print technologies and capabilities, and the demand for brand owners to increase product recognition.
The result is the need for robust shelf ready packaging that is clearly identifiable as well as easy and quick to get on the shelves. Step in corrugated. Once reserved for outer packaging the ability to produce full colour print on corrugated now enables secondary and even tertiary packaging to play a more integral role in the packaging chain.
‘With supermarkets open for longer, shelf stacking now has to take place while there are customers shopping,’ said Paul Bates, Esko regional business manager UK & Eire. ‘Corrugated packaging is an effective substrate to use for secondary packaging to help get products on the shelves faster with minimum store disruption. It also presents the product uniformly so as to maintain a strong brand message. Supermarkets are also increasingly using front store space for high profile offers and this is where full colour printing on tertiary packaging is also coming to the fore. Customers can readily identify the brand and the product helping them make that all important buying decision.’
This is why Esko has extended the capabilities of its 3D software Store Visualizer to help designers understand how their thoughts and ideas will translate on all levels of packaging. As well as seeing how the primary, secondary and tertiary elements work together and how the brand messaging is conveyed from every angle, the program can also place the packaging on the shelf of a virtual store alongside competitor products.
Mr Bates continued, ‘Companies can see right from conception how their products will be presented and this gives them the chance to look at versioning options all in the initial stages before costly production starts. They can also see how their design will sit alongside other products globally.’
He added that aside from allowing a greater degree of creativity in the design stage, Store Visualizer can also help reduce productions costs as changes can be made more easily, faster and more cost effectively early on.
He further pointed out that the software can help those seeking to reduce the number of colours required in the printing process and assess the impact of that change. And there is the ability to spot any oversight in design before it hits the store. ‘One customer presented their products on trays, but when they were placed on the shelf the offer was masked. It is these kinds of errors Store Visualizer can help avoid.’
Mr Bates concluded, ‘Corrugated board used to be something that was put back in the warehouse, but it is now enjoying a second lease of life. Ten years ago the cheapest price won, but now better quality print and registration are helping encourage the use of corrugated as an effective customer facing packaging medium and Store Visualizer has been enhanced to help that continue.’
Post print advantage
First launched at the Bobst Competence ’10 open house event in September 2010, the Masterflex-HD is a flexo post print press that allows brand owners to benefit from the cost advantages of packaging manufactured using flexo print on corrugated board, microflutes or heavy solid board.
The Masterflex-HD features the new Start & Go system which provides precision register setting, makereadies with less waste and excellent control during the run, together resulting in a register accuracy of ± 0.075 mm over the length of the machine. An integrated iQ300 quality system checks the print quality and, combined with a Registron S5500 system, adjusts the press as necessary to achieve perfect results every time. iQ300 checks every sheet printed by the press and ejects any which do not meet user-set criteria, which can include print defects, defects in the board surface, and variations in washboarding, among others, at the full running speed of the press.
To show the quality of the print produced by the press, Bobst arranged for user companies to give independent consultant, Wilbert Streefland from Technology Coaching, access to their machines, allowing him to carry out comparison tests. Mr Streefland is hugely respected in the industry thanks to his many years of experience in flexo post print.
The two tests were carried out earlier this year using flexo post printing presses from the main players in the market. The first test showed that the Masterflex-HD is 52% more accurate than its main competitor while the second proved that it is the greenest machine in its segment.
Test 1: Colour to colour register variation (7 colours)
Standard deviation
1 sigma
66%
3 sigma
99%
Masterflex-HD
0.075
0.225
Main competitor
0.114
0.342
Delta ∆
0.039
0.117
Masterflex-HD benefits
52% more accurate
Test 2: Ink loss and water addition during colour change
Machine
Ink loss*
Water addition*
Masterflex-HD
0.6
0.1
Machine 1
2.3
1.3
Machine 2
1.0
0.6
Machine 3, old ink system
5.6
6.6
Machine 3, new ink system
1.5
0.5
*Measured in dm³
Transition to post print
After investing in a seven colour Masterflex-HD, Prof. Dr. Frank Ohle, chief executive officer of STI Group in Germany commented, ‘The system is characterised by the highest quality printing and production and also has resource-saving technologies. For us, this was an important factor in its selection, because it strengthens our sustainability strategy.’
The corporate group operates 14 production sites in Germany, Australia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and the UK, achieving a turnover of €320 million in 2011. High quality flexo printed packaging and displays are an important part of the group’s portfolio. To further consolidate its market position in this product category, it decided to invest in the latest generation of Bobst flexo post printing presses at its Alsfeld plant.
With a near eight figure investment in technology and infrastructure, the installation of the Masterflex-HD, which has a print format of 2100 x 1300 mm consisting of seven or six ink units and one coating unit, is set to take place in October. Developers from Bobst and the STI Group have been working closely together in the last few months to optimise the important performance parameters.
This investment means that products that are today partly produced by pre-print can be flexo post printed in the future reducing lead times as well as the costs involved in the pre-press process for customers – two important factors for gaining a competitive edge in a time and price-sensitive market according to Prof. Dr. Ohle.
For the configuration of the machine, the company has chosen components that enable a print quality previously unheard of in flexo post print with a screen width of 65 l/cm on coated substrates. It also opens up new possibilities for printing brown corrugated board. Finishing processes such as spot coating and thus attractive matt-gloss effects are also possible in one pass.
‘We can offer products of the highest quality at attractive prices for the growing market for large sized packages, stacked trays and logistic displays,’ said Prof. Dr. Ohle. As the STI Group already has a Bobst Mastercut and an eight unit Masterflex at the Alsfeld plant, a complete production line is now available for such products, which also enables printing on the inside in one process step.
And as the company is installing its own infrastructure for the new equipment, the market can look forward to further developments. The first packaging and displays that will be printed on this new press will be available in retail from January 2013 at the latest.
Flexible inline process
‘Folding carton and liquid packaging production is faced with tremendous market momentum when it comes to design trends, printing processes, finishing methods, and functional aspects,’ said Gallus Stanz- und Druckmaschinen GmbH. Its portfolio comprises a number of solutions for folding carton manufacturers, each one tailored to specific requirements within the carton industry.
With a maximum printing width of 670 mm (max web width 690 mm) and the option of a mono or non-stop unwinder, the Gallus ICS 670 machine system is modular and can be configured to match customer requirements. Depending on the type of production methods used and format lengths, the machine runs at a maximum speed of 220 m/min (flat-bed die-cutting) or 350 m/min (roll-to-roll). Due to the EVA (Easy Value Add) platform concept, it is also possible to combine different printing processes and finishing methods if needed. The process can be changed over in a few minutes without any tools by swapping the modules.
Gallus positions flexo as the mainstream printing process on the ICS 670 for the majority of applications. The module forHiDefflexo printing features temperature-controlled anilox rollers with a precisely defined pick-up volume and automatic printing pressure adjustment to guarantee consistency from proofing to full production speed regardless of the progress of the job. The automatic register control system prevents registration errors and digital flat top dot photopolymer plates with a minimum line screen of 175 lpi, mounted on sleeves and teamed up with bridge sleeves, are used.
The basic platform can be equipped with UV lamps and/or hot air dryers according to the type of flexo ink. There is also the option of printing on the back of the carton web without having to turn the web over. A bypass frame and additional guide roller are mounted on the platform and the direction of rotation reversed.
Finishing
The Gallus ICS 670 also supports rotary screen printing and this module integrates into any EVA platform providing the opportunity to employ special colour effects, solid areas with maximum ink coverage, security inks and raised, tactile icons or linework which often call for a very thick ink film.
The cold foiling module extends the machine system with a finishing technique that has become enormously important in recent years because it is economical while offering multiple creative opportunities and overprinting options. Production with cold foils or films entails a flexo printing unit applying the UV curable adhesive in the Gallus ICS 670 to the carton web. In the next station – the cold foiling module – the colour coat of the foil is transferred by contact pressure and then cured under UV lamps immediately downstream. The module can also be changed over in order to laminate transparent or metallised films.
The packaging can be coated with a high-gloss gold or silver layer using the rotary hot foil stamping module, which is likewise compatible with the EVA platform. Up to six foils can be clamped in this module across the full printing width. The look and feel of the metal gloss can be further underlined with an embossing effect. Various options such as hologram insetting and a foil saver can be supplied by Gallus for both hot foil embossing and hot foiling.
New installation
Emirates Printing Press LLC (EPP), a printing house headquartered in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, recently decided to purchase a Gallus ICS 670. The company employs 600 staff and this investment is the next step in following its strategy to expand its activities in the packaging sector.
The press destined for EPP comprises four gravure units, nine EVA platforms, a rotary embossing unit and an FCL 670 flat-bed die-cutter. The company will useHiDefflexo printing and screen printing modules on the platforms and has the option to add other finishing methods such as cold foiling, lamination, hot foil embossing or rotary hot foil embossing.
‘It was the one-of-a-kind production and process flexibility offered by the Gallus ICS 670 that was the main reason for our investment decision,’ explained executive directors, Mohamad Al Shirawi and Samuel Natarajan. ‘We chose this configuration because it allows us to cover most of our current portfolio. Thanks to its modular architecture, the machine can be expanded at any time in the future, so that we can respond to changing market needs without any problems.’
EPP’s entry into the new inline production era was preceded by careful preparation. In-depth training in flexo and screen printing as well as in the necessary pre-press processes were provided to EPP operators and managers at the Gallus Converting Center in Weiden, Germany, and Gallus Screeny, in Switzerland. Specialised theoretical knowledge was backed up by practical training on an identical machine system.
