A customised flexo printing solution for integration into a water-soluble detergent pouch filling and converting line has been developed by Tresu Group.
Developed in collaboration with a large global consumer goods manufacturer with plants at several locations, the new integration solution enables household detergent manufacturers to comply with a new European safety directive requiring individual capsules to carry warning messages.
The ruling is a consequence of injuries suffered by children who mistake the brightly coloured capsules used in washing machines or dishwashers as sweets, and ingest them.
Allan Sander, sales director of TRESU Solutions, said, ‘The resulting solution will ensure brand owners can meet the new safety regulations, promote consumer protection and maintain seamless, uninterrupted single-pass production with no extra handling required.’
Contained within a space-saving printing module before the pouch-filling stage, the multi-colour servo-driven solution offers operator-friendly, fully automated ink flow and job setup, making it ideal for operation without in-house flexo experience.
The integrated F10 iCon ink supply system constantly feeds the printing units and maintains optimum viscosity, temperature and pressure. Sealed, pressure-controlled chambered doctor blade systems enable direct, foam-free transfer of ink or coating to the anilox rollers, ensuring a consistently clean printed image.
To enable the brand owner to integrate the process, the company optimised the unit to operate at only 10m/s – a relatively low speed necessitated by the subsequent pouch filling process.
To further reduce manual intervention, a register module after the printing stations maintains precise positioning of fine text automatically, on the fly. Furthermore, a control system stores and, in the case of repeat jobs, instantly recalls job recipes, so no re-entry of ink and calibration data is needed.
Accommodating multiple pouches in the cross direction, the unit prints in-line on the substrate, ensuring integrity of the printed message through the packing or logistics process.
In compliance with stringent end-user requirements to assure consistent quality at several locations around the world, the machines feature identical components and procedures.
Mr Sander commented, ‘Following the beta-testing of a machine at the customer’s locations in Europe Tresu Solutions has supplied the customer with a further two digit number of machines. We have been able to develop a global solution within a short time frame, despite heavy demands on process technology.’
