As the dust settles and exhibitors tally up the cost of participating in the printing Olympics, the general consensus has formed that drupa was a success, and that although visitor numbers were down, the many exciting new technologies have sent an invigorating jolt through the printing industry. By Neel Madsen.
‘drupa was a resounding success for the sector. The trade fair sent out key impulses. Numerous business ideas and innovations were showcased here that all led to high investment. What the 1850 exhibitors presented here over the past two weeks will strengthen the development potential of the print and media industry long term,’ said Bernhard Schreier, president of drupa 2012 and board chairman at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG.
While digital’s presence loomed large at the show with Landa bringing his magic and Xerox bringing the circus, there was still plenty to see for the packaging printer in the flexo arena.
In alphabetical order …
Alphasonics (UCS) Ltd introduced the Melanie Trio System and made its first sale of the solution to Chroma Print Pvt Ltd of India. Designed specifically for the narrow web flexographic printer, the bench-top system comprises an anilox cleaning station, flexo plate cleaning station and a rinse tank.
David Jones, managing director, said, ‘Chroma has purchased the first system of its kind and we were delighted that we were able to announce it at drupa. We’ve developed the new additions to the range in order to provide quality and flexibility at a reasonable cost.’
The delicious smell of freshly baked waffles from Apex Group of Companies’ stand wafted irresistibly over Hall 11. The company showed impressive print samples from its ‘Flexo(R)evolution’ project – a partnership between Apex and leading software, plate and ink manufacturers. This uses GTT ink metering cylinders and achieves Pantone colours with the four process colours. Also introduced was the X-Sleeve line of plate mounting and adaptor sleeves and GTT offset/coating cylinders.
And while the waffles are always a hit (14,000 individual waffles were pressed and served during the show), vice president of sales, Eurasia, Willem-Jan Kersten believed interest in GTT and the Flexo(R)evolution drove visitors to investigate further. ‘Apex measured more than a 35% increase in active visitors to our stand compared to 2008 – even though drupa reported an overall decline in 2012 attendees,’ he said. ‘In challenging economic times, technical innovations like GTT that save time and improve predictability are very attractive.’
Asahi Photoproducts wasmarketing its solid water washable plate, the AWP with Ink Pinning technology, for improved ink transfer and wider tonal range. Using this technology, the dot only takes the amount of ink which the surface tension will hold, and the ink sits nicely on the surface of the dot eliminating the problem of barrelling and reducing dot gain. Compatible with UV, solvent-based and water-based inks, the plate is processed in the all-in-one AWP processor.
AV Flexologic said that the show generated hundreds of new leads, including more than 30 projects that will take place over the next six months. The FAMM (Fully Automated Mounting Machine) created most interest, especially from American companies. Many large printing companies wanting to modernise their pre-press department visited the booth and recognised that with the FAMM, time is saved and accuracy is improved.
‘Many visitors only had a short time to visit each stand, but even in a short chat of just five minutes, we were able to show that the machine mounts a sleeve with two plates in two minutes. We were also able to show the real digital positions of the mounted printing plates, leaving some potential customers amazed when they realised that they had just met the future of the mounting department. In fact some returned and we successfully gained their business,’ said Mr Mark Helmond, export sales manager.
AVT demonstrated its new flagship system, PrintVision/Argus Elite, both at its own stand and running on Comexi’s F2 press. Fitted with SpectraLab and Jupiter cameras, it performs a 100% line scan and is aimed at flexible packaging. The substrate passes through floating on a white backing material to protect reverse printing, and if defects are detected, the camera will automatically zoom in on the problem area to investigate. The many extra options include settings for ‘regions of special interest’ that can be specified for enhanced detection, and ‘dual mode display’ which uses two 24″ monitors enabling the operator to display the entire image on one screen and the enlarged defect image on the other, for better defect analysis.
Berhalter AG showed its web-fed die-cutting system for paper labels, light cartonboard and in-mould labels or blow-mould labels.
Color-Logic said that it continues to develop the Process Metallic Color system and launched its new Security-FX feature, which utilises either silver ink or a metallic substrate to produce security effects.
During the show, the company demonstrated software and presented samples from offset, flexographic, inkjet and digital presses, showing how the technology can be used in cartons, flexible packaging, labels, direct mail, posters and catalogues. On the HP stand, it was also demonstrated for shrink sleeve applications for the first time.
Comexi Group reported double the number of visitors compared to 2008 and also a sales volume of over €17 million. Daily demos of the new Flexo F2 press showed its Cingular modules for pressure and register adjustments that offer reduction in waste. It also features an automatic reel unload device developed entirely by Comexi Enviroxi, the product line dedicated to developing solutions for production plant logistics management and aimed at reducing the converting industry’s environmental impact.
President, Manel Xifra, said, ‘drupa is no doubt the Olympics of printing. At Comexi Group, we set ourselves two main challenges: On the one hand, to demonstrate our technological leadership and the capacity of Comexi to confront the significant changes our sector is experiencing, marked by the need for a more sustainable and economic printing process. On the other, to finalise as many operations as possible and to open doors for future sales. We have by far achieved both objectives.’
Ink manufacturer Doneck Euroflex exhibited at the show for the first time this year sharing a stand with TMT International and Sihl Direct GmbH. The specialist in water- and solvent-based flexo and gravure inks wanted to present its high quality and advanced printing inks for different market segments, such as flexible packaging, corrugated board, envelopes, paper packaging, napkins and hygiene products, and its comprehensive service package for the printing industry.
‘Our debut at drupa offered us a chance to come one step closer to a global audience whilst increasing our visibility and international presence,’ commented Edgar Becker, managing director for sales.
Edale said that despite a somewhat challenging climate, it was thrilled to report that enquiries were up by almost 30% on the 2008 show. It also saw higher attendance of international visitors, which fitted in with its export strategy of moving further into the Far East, China and Indian markets.
There was strong interest in the company’s package printing machines – the Gamma printing and converting system with inline FDC-510 flatbed die-cutter drew a lot of attention, in particular from offset printers looking to move into flexo to gain more flexibility, higher quality, shorter lead times and lower cost equipment.
Jeremy Westcott, sales and marketing director, commented, ‘We were slightly apprehensive about this year’s drupa and what it would hold; however, having attended the show we were overwhelmed by the number of visitors and subsequent enquiries received. We met with key potential customers and remain encouraged that we will achieve a number of machine sales from our attendance.’
eltromat’s product range includes web viewing systems, inspection systems and workflow solutions for 100% print quality as well as control and colour measurement systems for the printing processes gravure, flexo, web offset and digital web presses.
The company said that the quality of visitors at its stand was excellent and that 20% more visitors than in 2008 were registered. Products presented included ‘twin_check’ 100% inspection and workflow solution for packaging printing along with new ‘twin_check narrow’ for narrow web printing up to 520 mm. It also debuted ‘inco_check’, an integrated inline spectral colour management system which measures colour at full production speed.
No matter where you went in the many halls at drupa, there was no missing Esko‘s green cowboy hats which were particularly popular with the younger crowd. The company’s pre-production technologies could also be seen in action throughout the show.
‘The breadth of Esko partnerships all over the drupa halls is a result of strong support of industry standards, and hard work with our partners to seamlessly connect our products,’ commented Carsten Knudsen, president and CEO. ‘We believe these integrated solutions benefit the industry and help our customers stay competitive and profitable. Together with our partners, Esko is delivering results that make you smile.
One of the central launches at the show was Suite 12, the latest upgrade to Esko’s workflow software. This includes new releases of the flagship applications ArtiosCAD, ArtPro, PackEdge, DeskPack and Studio, as well as Webcenter, Color Engine and Automation Engine.
Part of the company’s Digital Flexo programme, HD Flexo Pixel+ was another interesting new solution. It is a technology developed for Esko’s flexographic plate supplier partners as an additional support for DuPont’s DigiFlow, MacDermid’s Lux and Flint’s NExT flat top dot workflows. Pixel+ includes an optical and software update with plate specific screening to further enhance the solid ink density. The first installation in the UK is at Waldo Ltd in Louth, Lincolnshire.
US company, Flexo Concepts, said that its Quikwash system drew a lot of attention at drupa from distributors around the world wanting to represent the product. The retrofit technology is attractive to printers who want to reduce wash-up times, use UV ink or harsh solvents, or are environmentally conscious.
While the company had previously gone to market with the system in limited geographic locations, it used the show as the official launch site to introduce its exclusive technology to a global audience.
‘We are very happy with our results from the show,’ said Chris Nolin, vice president of sales. ‘Our objective was to grow our reseller base for QuikWash and there was a great amount of interest from people all around the world interested in selling the product.’
Producer of cleaning equipment, Flexo Wash, had its best exhibition for years, selling more than 30 machines, said area sales manager, Mette Laursen.
The company introduced the new PK Parts Washers EasyLoad AtexElectrical, a proof machine with electrical pumps and PLC control system. As a new feature this parts washer can now also be made for both washing of cylinders and parts. The well-established PW Plate Washer was the biggest seller at drupa and the company said the interest for this machine type has continued after the show. Also shown was the SL Sleeve Washer, which can hold six sleeves in one wash.
Fujifilm said that drupa proved to be a resounding success, with the largest ever number of sales made during the show and over 7000 leads taken, which also breaks all previous records. Its package print zone showed the Flenex DLE platemaking system aimed at reducing downtime and environmental impact. The components are a special DLE plate developed by the company along with the DLE setter, XMF RIP and a Heights rinse unit.
‘drupa 2012 was the first time we showcased the Flenex DLE system to the wider industry after our initial participation at Labelexpo last year. It was all-in-all a very successful show for us with a lot of interest in the product while we were there and some very strong leads to follow up on. As yet we don’t have any concrete orders, but we are anticipating a European beta site very soon and commercial sales to follow hot on the heels of this,’ said Graham Leeson, European marketing communications manager, Fujifilm.
Gallus Stanz- und Druckmaschinen said that over 8000 visitors came to watch the live demonstrations of the Gallus ICS 670 machine system demonstrating the efficiency of inline production of top quality folding cartons and that trade professionals took great interest in the whole range of the exhibited Gallus solutions offered for the folding carton industry. This resulted in several hundred enquiries from all over the world, as well as conclusions of contracts during the fair it self.
The ICS 670 shown was equipped with a number of innovations, such as the new gravure printing unit and the cold foil module. ‘The new gravure printing unit sets new standards in view of operation, operating costs and flexibility and in addition the combination with the platform concept of the Gallus ICS 670 it opens up highest flexibility and efficiency in production,’ said Matthias Boog, chief executive officer.
GEW launched a range of new UV systems designed to reduce running costs and extend the production capabilities of both analogue and digital printing and coating machinery. The company’s multi-substrate curing platforms enable the widest range of heat-sensitive materials to be processed without risking job scrappage due to heat damage. In addition, profitability is increased as significantly less electrical power is required to run the UV whilst energy is efficiently converted to UV, ensuring production output is maximised.
For low migration inks and specialised coatings, an economical inert atmosphere curing solution that uses around 35% less nitrogen gas than conventional solutions was also launched.
The company said that a priority has been to reduce its customers’ total cost of operation to a minimum by providing equipment that is inexpensive to maintain, as well as to run. It claims to offer the lowest cost OEM consumable parts on the market and its quick-change lamps are replaced safely in under two minutes, with no specialist tools required.
In order to implement lean procedures in ink management, GSE Dispensing helps packaging printers reduce ink waste from the workflow with gravimetric ink dispensing systems that mix spot colours in less than three minutes, table top flexo proofing systems, such as the Perfect Proofer, and software that provides per job ink costings, real time stock analysis, tracking of all inks to original batches and various management reports.
At drupa, the company hosted a ‘lean thinking’ seminar for packaging converters where two senior academics and specialists in lean management workflows from the Graphic Communication Department of the California Polytechnic State University provided advice on how to drive waste from the workflow and adopt lean production methods.
Maarten Hummelen, marketing director, commented, ‘The high level of competition, volatile raw materials prices and shorter production runs make the search for added value more acute than ever. Packaging print converters must adopt a lean management philosophy to combat these challenges. Everything we do is aimed at empowering printers to apply that vision in an ink logistics context as well.’
Heights UK has converted a number of enquiries from drupa into firm orders and is processing enquiries for 100+ visitors to its stand. The company said that it was also encouraged by the number of new dealers wishing to market its products and add them to their already impressive list of partners.
Nigel Walsh, flexo and letterpress division sales manager, said ‘drupa again was an excellent platform to showcase all the Heights UK branded equipment with great interest shown in the Manta 660 water wash flexo processor which has been developed specifically for this market and received enquiries from dealers worldwide as to its availability. The unit will be ready to go by the end of 2012 and we should see steady sales throughout 2013.’
The Heights solvent wash range, which includes the 3647 BP and ECDLF units along with the 2530 Compact unit were also shown and generated a number of requests for quotations. These will be distributed via its existing dealer network.
Hönle Group said that although less visitors attended the show those that decided to come were very interested in the company’s products and showed a great readiness to invest. ‘We had better customer contacts than ever before,’ confirmed Dieter Stirner, sales director at Dr. Hönle AG.
Heat Technologies Inc (HTI) announced the European debut of its Spectra HE ultra drying system at drupa. The system uses a patent pending technology that creates acoustic oscillations (ultrasound). When used for drying applications, the ultrasound brushes off molecules of water or solvent contained in a coating/ink at advanced rates.
Custom designed and built based upon application requirements, systems can accommodate any web length or width and be integrated into existing drying configurations to boost performance or totally replace the existing system. HTI has multiple installations in inkjet, flexo, rotogravure and coating lines.
IST Metz GmbH unveiled its new label ‘more3’ – a combination of the existing motto ‘more than UV’ and the product label for energy efficient equipment ‘e³’. It showed the aircooled MBS-6 UV curing system, an energy efficient solution with Duo reflector geometry that achieves the same results with just one lamp output of 120 W/cm as those from lamp outputs of up to 200 W/cm.
A stylish modern looking stand with white leather sofas, a bar and blue-green lighting via LED panels on the ceiling created a relaxed ambience. This was complemented by four daily printing demonstrations on a Heidelberg Speedmaster.
‘In the year of our company’s 35th birthday, we made a conscious decision for the relaxed feel of our presentation, which was received very well by the visitors,’ said Dirk Jägers, managing director. ‘We are very happy with the contacts we made at the trade fair. Compared to the last drupa, we managed to maintain the order volume, which is a terrific success given the lower visitor numbers this year.’
Exhibiting for the seventh time, J M Heaford said it was delighted with the number of visitors to its largest ever stand and the interest shown in the range of eight machines exhibited, most of which had new features. Visitors came from 66 countries and showed particular interest in the innovative flat table narrow web mounter, the moving camera wide web mounter and the corrugated flat table mounter and in the round mounter/proofer. Sally-Anne Heaford said, ‘Flexo proofing as always generated much attention, fortunately we had a spare plate when a visitor decided to take one being used to proof with!’
K2 International showed a full specification, six colour, FastAction flexo printing press with a short web path design equipped with UV curing, servo drive and digital print head for variable data and barcodes.
Managing director, Russell Oddy, said, ‘We had high quality interest in the featured press as opposed to just a general level. The machine is now more refined and features several design upgrades. In particular, this new press has a short web path, which means less material waste in setting up and indeed running. We printed a PP label showing the high quality potential of the press and demonstrated variable data barcodes and numbering applications.’
Kodak took up a large part of Hall 5 showing its integrated portfolio for the graphic communications industry. Its K-Zone live presentation theatre saw customers from all over the world debate the various technologies, which for packaging focused on the Flexcel NX and new Flexcel Direct systems complemented by the Spotless Flexographic Solution for the replacement of spot colours. Also shown for improved workflow, Prinergy Powerpack can help streamline operations with increased automation, integration and controlled processes.
The company worked with a number of partners and Flexcel plates could be seen in action at the Windmöller & Hölscher, Bobst, Comexi, Soma, Gallus, Uteco and Inometa stands.
‘drupa has been an extraordinary event on many fronts – for our industry, our customers, and for Kodak,’ said Antonio M. Perez, chairman and chief executive officer. ‘I am very excited about how our customers are embracing change and adding new solutions to create higher value printed products for their clients.’
Lohmann presented its DuploFLEX range for flexo printing. It reported that the demand for durable, high-quality adhesive solutions was huge at the show and as there were more decision-makers present, the trade fair summary of the graphical market segment turned out to be very positive. The many customer enquiries – which resulted in the generation of over 300 contacts – confirm, said the company, that Lohmann recognises the trends in its sector and supports its customers with innovative products.
Lüscher AG presented its CTP innovations at drupa.Itslarge format MultiDX! 240 flat-bed CTP system is a more highly developed version of the proven MultiDX! 220. It can process print formes in formats up to 1300 x 1100 mm, using a unique hybrid technology to process flexographic, offset and letterpress plates, all standard flexible and rigid screen printing formes and photoresist plates for use in hot foil, embossing and punching applications.
‘We are very pleased with the number of visitors this year,’ said Anton Tanner, chief executive officer. ‘There was a high level of interest among expert visitors, proving that our product innovations are tailored to customer needs. drupa gave us a platform to present our innovative CTP products in person to maintain existing customer contacts and to generate promising new prospects.’
MacDermid Printing Solutions launched its new LUX certification programme at drupa. To achieve certification, a company must demonstrate proficiency and technical accuracy producing plates using the LUX platemaking process and show that it has been able to improve print quality and consistency through the application of the process.
Among the first group of certified users worldwide are SGS Packaging Europe, Hull, and Bury-based VCG Connect. These users have demonstrated the ability to achieve maximum print effectiveness through the LUX platemaking process in live commercial print jobs.
Visitors to the Martin Automatic stand were able to inspect a range of sample substrates that the company has handled with its unwinding, rewinding and tension control equipment. ‘People want equipment that can handle the material they are running today, and any material they might run in the future,’ said Gavin Rittmeyer, vice president of sales and marketing.
Samples included taped butt and overlap splices on paper and film substrates, heat-seal butt and overlap splices on non-woven webs and hot melt adhesive splices on fiberglass.
On the stand was a 3300 mm wide heat seal butt splice system for non-woven material. Butt splicing demonstrations were shown on the newest compact butt splicer, the MBSC, and the company also featured a high-speed, ultra-low-tension festoon and dancer on the stand.
The company had visitors from 29 different countries in addition to those who saw its equipment operating on the Berhalter and Labelmen stands. Berhalter AG introduced its REELSplicer die-cutting system with a butt splice unit and accumulator/festoon for non-stop operation, while Labelmen Machinery Co Ltd demonstrated non-stop splicers and transfer rewinds on two separate press lines.
Omet Srl had jobs running on a Varyflex V2 530 eight colour press and a XFlex X6 430 eight colour press showing the capabilities of both presses. It also launched JetPlus, an inkjet digital unit which can be combined inline and was on display at the show on the XFlex X6.
Promoted under the slogan ‘multi process’, the Varyflex 2 combination press is a versatile machine aimed at flexible packaging printers with particular needs in the short run and niche markets. As well as UV, water-based and solvent flexo printing, additional units can be incorporated to include silk screen, offset, rotogravure, front/reverse printing and hologram stamping.
The configuration demonstrated at the show ran eight colours UV flexo, with plates mounted with 3M tapes on Rossini sleeves, Praxair anilox rollers, MBS-5 UV curing from IST and Swed Cut doctor blades. One of the jobs shown was high quality cosmetic packaging printed on 240 gsm Performa White board from Stora Enso, using DuPont Cyrel DPU plates and Sun Chemical inks complemented by cold foiling from Kurz. Another job showed the capabilities in shrink sleeves for the beverage industry. It was printed on 50 micron PVC Alfaform ORT K236 shrink film using Asahi’s AWP plates and Sun inks.
Ink manufacturer Pulse Roll Label Products featured the latest developments in its range of inks and varnishes. Managing director, Gary Seward, said, ‘It was a very good show for us. Our focus will always be Labelexpo but this show is now a very close second.’
During the show, QuadTech announced a cooperation with Alwan Color Expertise to automate dot gain compensation curves, certification by Windmöller & Hölscher for flexo press lines, and a breakthrough cooperation with X-Rite, Huber Group and ColorConsulting to share and process data.
New product introductions included Service Advantage with Proactive Care, a new water control capability for AccuCam, introduction of AccuCam for the retail insert market, and high-definition dot viewing with film stabilisation for the Color Measurement System with SpectralCam.
President, Karl Fritchen, commented, ‘drupa was a huge success for us! We signed several significant orders at the show and will be finalising others in the coming weeks. The response to our inspection and colour control innovations for packaging printers was unbelievable, and the news of our sale to the Chicago Tribune raised a lot of interest in our AccuCam product.’
Soma Engineering brought its new Premia CI flexo press and was running demos several times a day to show the features developed to improve both performance but also the sustainability. ‘In developing the press, our main focus was on improving machine up time,’ said Pavla Kusa, brand manager. ‘Special attention was directed to minimising both the environmental impact and the energy consumption levels associated with the print production process and of course in the manufacture of the press itself.’
The press was kitted out with the company’s latest version of its print setting system, Falcon lll and its new Ink Fix colour matching technology, both developed to cut down on waste of time and material. In a departure from the rest of the manufacturer’s flexo press portfolio, the Premia comes supplied with a new generation, two stage drying system. Drying between the printing decks and drying tunnel evaporate the solvent or water content of the ink by blowing hot air at high speed. A special ventilator common to both drying stages exhausts the concentrated air from the machine.
‘drupa was a major project for us and proved to be a great success,’ said marketing manager, Petr Blasko. ‘Visitors were able to see how our concept of ‘profit making technology’ works through demonstration of the equipment in full workflow production from PDF files through to proofing, printing, final converting and waste and efficiency monitoring. We sold all the machines on show to customers in the MEA, Finland, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Our next major project will be the opening of the Soma Globe technology and training centre scheduled for the last quarter of 2012.’
The interactive displays on tesa‘s stand, where you could try your hand at using the company’s products, attracted many visitors and the company said it was key to its success at the show.
Packaging printers expressed a particular interest in the new Softprint Hard range, which provides optimum printing results even at high speeds. It maintains a high solid ink density, improves the ink transfer and also prevents a significant dot gain and bounce stripes.
The company’s products could also be found around the show at many partner stands where printing press manufacturers used the tapes in their print demonstrations.
Trelleborg Solutions produces flexo sleeves, which are sold under the Axcyl brand, and works closely with flexographic printers and press manufacturers to provide a wide range of industry-leading options. These include bridge and repeat build-up sleeves plus thin sleeves for plate mounting.
The company reports a tremendous response at drupa to its new image, which was highlighted on the stand by the launch of the Institute of Contemporary Print, as marketing manager Manuela Re explained, ‘Trelleborg has moved on greatly from being considered a supplier of only offset blankets and although this continues to represent the main area of our business, we are now recognised for a wide range of other print related technologies. Certainly, there was more interest in our sleeve products for the flexo market than we have ever had before at a drupa or Ipex exhibition. This interest was widespread geographically and across all areas of print where flexo is employed. drupa was extremely successful for us, with a very encouraging response for the future.’
Danish flexo press manufacturer Tresu launched a web-fed printing and multi-process finishing concept for packaging products. The Flexo Innovator series provides an open, modular platform for maximum flexibility in configuration and can be built to include cold foil, die-cutting, laminating, embossing, rotary screen and rotogravure units, as well as cutting options, such as rotary sheeting, that combine economy and performance benefits.
There are three width options to suit a range of different applications, the FI 900 accommodating widths up to 900 mm, the FI 1100 (widths up to 1100mm) and the FI 1300 (1300 mm). The technology also assures precise registration throughout the print run, high-end regulating web tension control technology and rigid design for minimising vibrations, resulting in very high stability throughout the printing process.
Kim-Regin Sustmann, head of Tresu Concept, commented, ‘Flexo Innovator finally makes lean manufacturing an option in high-end package converting. It combines precision flexo engineering capabilities with our expertise as a proven integration partner to provide a lean, single process manufacturing solution for a host of high-end packaging products.’
Vetaphone A/S, the Danish inventor and supplier of corona systems, said it had never previously received so many orders at drupa and that the number and quality of the leads was also record high.
The company’s main exhibit was the VE1C corona station designed to suit all converting processes. Both new and existing customers showed appreciation for the design and features of the VE1C. Especially the ‘quick change cartridge’ system was highly valued, as it minimises downtime significantly.
Managing director, Frank Eisby, said, ‘Vetaphone’s success at drupa exceeded both our own expectations and the success of previous drupa exhibitions. The business for plastic films and coated paper is gaining ground at the show, which means an increasing interest for Vetaphone’s corona systems from both machine builders and end users.’
X-Rite Pantone, which is being acquired by Esko’s parent company Danaher, unveiled an array of new offerings designed to help brand owners, creative, printers, converters and ink suppliers simplify the management of colour across the entire colour network. Designed to allow users to accurately specify and manage colour from start to finish regardless of substrate, these next-generation thought-leadership colour management solutions included the cloud-based PantoneLIVE and X-Rite iPro2 spectrophotometer.
Vic Stalam, senior vice president of sales and marketing, said, ‘drupa 2012 was a significant milestone for X-Rite Pantone. We were able to show new and updated products across the breadth of our portfolio that bring together the expertise of both X-Rite and Pantone to create a new dimension in the measurement and communication of colour. Visitors to our stand responded well to what we had to share, and many were anxious to utilise the new and updated offerings for increased colour accuracy across the supply chain, in both commercial print and packaging.’
Presenting its E-film CI press, Chinese manufacturer Xi’an Aerospace-Huayang Printing & Packaging Machinery Co Ltd attended the exhibition for the first time and reported that it had had a successful show. Showing live demonstrations of flexo printing, the cost effective press is aimed at the market for ultra thin breathable film, including PE, OPP and PET. The company also launched the ‘Booming’ CI press for small and medium sized printers.
In the flexo inks sector, UV specialist Zeller+Gmelin showed its new Uvaflex CP1 ink series, a low migration ink for decoration of preformed plastic containers. Plastic cups or tubes have traditionally been printed by indirect letterpress wet-on-wet, but this application, which is still under development, uses flexo printing with interstation curing.
The company has also extended its expertise in low migration properties to UV curing systems for flexo cold foil or laminating applications. This is particularly aimed at food packaging printing which has to comply with specific standards and legislation.
