Flexcel NX Ultra
As the result of Kodak’s continued R&D investment in flexo, the company has revealed its Flexcel NX Ultra Solution – solvent-free, VOC-free, water-based processing.
Enabled by patent-pending Ultra Clean technology, Flexcel NX Ultra is the first aqueous solution that provides consistent, high-performing flexo plates in a high volume, low maintenance environment.
Chris Payne, president, Flexographic Packaging Division and vice president of Kodak, said, ‘The Flexcel NX Ultra 35 Solution is the first product to be commercialised from the Ultra NX technology demonstration that we previewed at drupa two years ago and has undergone extensive customer beta trials in demanding production environments. We’re extremely encouraged by the positive experiences of our early adopters.’
California-based G3 Enterprises produces over 8000 wine label jobs a year and switched from thermal plates to Flexcel NX plates a number of years ago. Matt Gauthier, prepress and customer service manager, commented, ‘It’s been great to have NX Ultra in place, providing the same quality level but requiring much less time to produce a plate.’
Rob Anderson, director, Production and Planning at IGT, a major lottery ticket printer based in Florida, said, ‘We have a green initiative so knowing that NX Ultra was to be a water wash product and we wouldn’t have to deal with solvent-based processing was very appealing to us.’
The new all-in-one processing system combines exposure, washout, drying and finishing in an easy-to-use, robust system with automated cleaning cycles. Flexcel NX Ultra Plates utilise a flat top dot structure and are fully compatible with NX Advantage technology and patented Advanced Edge Definition for ink transfer control. The plates, available in thicknesses of 1.14mm and 1.70mm, are aimed at label, paperboard and flexible packaging applications.
The first product to be made available will be Flexcel NX Ultra 35 Solution, which can produce plates up to 889 x 1219.2mm. Product is due to ship in the first quarter of 2019, initially for the North American market.
