For the past two decades, Paper Converting Machine Co (PCMC) has engineered many notable advancements in its award-winning printing technologies.
These advances have taken our original inventions to new levels of performance. Today, progress is evident in a multiple number of ways:
• Base technologies used in advanced machine design are achieving higher and higher processing speeds
• Materials once viewed as only for space travel are now commonly available for use in equipment design
• Technologies are allowing more advanced algorithms to be developed and implemented in real-time control systems
Impacts of these developments stretch across nearly all product lines positioned on the production floors of flexographic printing plants around the globe. At PCMC, presses reflect the trend, as do drying systems, automated process control systems, cleaning devices and more.
All photos courtesy of Paper Converting Machine Co (PCMC)
Dry Effectively
In 2001, PCMC won its first FTA Technical Innovation Award for eXtreme Drying Technology. This unique technology demonstrated the most effective drying per inch of any available drying unit on the market. eXtreme Drying Technology offers distinct advantages by:
• Incorporating 100 percent green technology
• Increasing line speeds
• Lowering maintenance needs
• Reducing retained solvent levels
• Offering the ability to dry effectively with lower air temperatures
These unique benefits give eXtreme Drying Technology the ability to effectively dry highly extensible substrates with high ink coverage, while avoiding the adverse effects seen with conventional gas drying systems, such as higher than desired minimum temperatures, lower air velocities, and the use of carbon-based energy sources.
In 2010, PCMC significantly advanced eXtreme Drying Technology with the release of FleXtreme. FleXtreme held true to the same core technological benefits and advantages of eXtreme Drying Technology, while harvesting the benefits of high-pressure air flow. With FleXtreme, we were able to add an energy-savings benefit due to gaining 200 degrees Fahrenheit of “free” heat for the drying process. Additionally, FleXtreme added the ability to have a higher, more consistent air flow, resulting in even more effective drying results.
Battling Bounce
PCMC’s next Technical Innovation Award win was in 2019 for SteadyPrint press deck design. SteadyPrint debuted as a combination of robust mechanical design, plus innovative mechanisms and algorithms which control print bounce better than the industry had ever experienced.
SteadyPrint was a significant technological advance for the industry, combining every aspect of advanced machine design in order to tackle the significant challenge of having repeatable print quality at all speeds. Since the time of initial release, PCMC has implemented the SteadyPrint technology across its entire suite of press offerings. This expansion of the technology allowed further refinement of the overall design, as it was further engineered to fit wider machine formats and faster machine speeds.
Specifically, PCMC has advanced the disturbance-canceling algorithm to address what have been more historically challenging-to-run graphics, allowing them to print at higher and higher print speeds without requiring tweaking by the machine operator to maintain print quality.
Cleaning at Its Core
In 2020, PCMC repeated as a recipient of the FTA Technical Innovation Award for its Meridian Elite laser anilox cleaner. The Meridian Elite was a significant advance in anilox roll cleaning technology not only from the core laser cleaning technology, but also because of its advance Industry 4.0 features, as part of the PCMC Accelerate suite of services.
While it has only been two short years since this win, PCMC has continued to innovate by further advancing the core laser cleaning technology to clean more effectively with even lower overall energy expenditure at the anilox roll face.
Advanced laser power algorithms developed by PCMC’s engineering team have allowed the Meridian Elite to laser clean a wider variety of rolls including ceramic, chrome and other challenging roll types.
In addition to the advances implemented in our laser cleaning technology, PCMC has further modified the Meridian Elite’s features by using the valuable feedback gathered by our Accelerate Industry 4.0 program from our more than 130 Meridian Elite installations. More advanced data reporting from more installs allowed us to make enhancements that allow for easier operation, maintenance and roll inventory tracking.
Fast-Paced Moves
As the pace of print industry technology advances, PCMC’s goal is to help lead the way. We continuously listen to customer feedback and machine feedback in order to offer the most highly evolved technology in the industry.
Given the expectation and likelihood that every pending advancement will allow for additional capabilities that boost efficiencies, promote quality, accelerate speed and delivery time, and drive waste out of all processes, engineers at PCMC will be ready to turn once unimaginable concepts into fully implementable and documentable technological progress. Results, like always, will carry flexography forward and continue its journey along the continuous improvement path.