Polish prepress company Chespa has improved the automation of its flexo platemaking with the installation of the ThermoFlexX Catena+ processing line from XSYS.
For over 20 years Chespa has been a partner to XSYS, with the two companies’ collaborating on high-quality flexo plates used throughout Europe. The introduction of the fully automated ThermoFlexX Catena+ line at Chespa’s Chorula site is set to enhance the company’s platemaking capacity.
“We have great faith in XSYS as a technology partner, having established a close cooperation over many years,” commented Marek Siekiera, CEO of Chespa Group. “We chose this particular solution [ThermoFlexX Catena+] to address a variety of challenges, such as diversity of production machines and lack of process automation, knowing it has been proven in the market under real production conditions, with great success.”
The Catena+ system unifies platemaking in a connected workflow, integrating several components: the ThermoFlexX TFxX80 Laser, Catena-E LED exposure unit, and Catena-WDLS washer, dryer, and light-finisher. A rotating mechanism, Catena-R, ensures seamless plate movement throughout the process, requiring no operator intervention from initial loading to the final print-ready plate, explained XSYS.
With the Catena+ system, Chespa said it has reduced human error risks, increased productivity, and improved raw material management. The upgrade also features enhanced image reproduction and high plate quality, which optimises press performance by reducing cleaning downtime.
Mr Siekiera added: “An important aspect of this investment is that the Catena+ solution gives us an entire system developed by a single supplier, not a combination of different modules from various sources. The installation proceeded smoothly, and we are highly satisfied that we have made the right decision by installing fully automated plate processing with this stable and low-maintenance system. We’re already contemplating the possibility of purchasing our next Catena+ line from XSYS.”
