Amcor Invests in SOMA Optima² Flexo Press

LANSKROUN, Czech Republic—Czech Republic-based SOMA announced that Amcor has invested in a new SOMA Optima² 8-color flexo press, the fourth SOMA Optima machine in Mexico. It will be used alongside existing presses the company has on site.

Amcor is a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, home and personal care, and other products. With the Optima² 820-8 EG, a 32.3-in. wide press with eight ink units produced by SOMA, “Amcor will adapt to Mexican market trends in flexible packaging, primarily by reducing setup times during product changes,” explained Ismael Montes, operations director.

The Optima² press is the culmination of the latest advances in flexo press technology and design. It has a number of unique, cutting-edge features that deliver exceptional productivity, print consistency and running cost efficiency. For example, Optima² presses are fitted with an Advanced Bounce Control System that reduces bounce at high press speeds to optimize print quality. Decks with print and anilox cylinders are designed with emphasis on rigidity, precision and reliability, to consistently hold highlight dots with perfect registration, minimizing bounces at high speeds. This is particularly important when using HD plates or with an extended gamut.

With the ARUN system, the registration and impression is adjusted automatically without any operator effort. The result is that jobs get up to speed faster and there is almost zero feet of setup waste.

The Ink Cartridge system offers printers a means of reducing ink costs by minimizing ink volume and residual waste. This is particularly handy when printing jobs where expensive spot colors—for example, special effect and metallic ink formulations—are used. Based on current experience, an average of 17.9 percent in ink savings is achievable.

The advanced SOMA Press Monitoring system allows supervision and long-term monitoring of Optima² flexographic press efficiency and energy consumption via the internet. Thus, the experienced SOMA press service team in Lanskroun, Czech Republic can oversee the performance of the press in Guadalajara from more than 5,900 miles away.

Amcor Flexibles Latin America installed the new Optima² flexo press in June 2019.