FORUM 2023 Session Spotlight
Sunday, April 16, 2023
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
The Great Tape Debate
Session Chairs: Catherine Haynes, All Printing Resources and Scott Rickard, DuPont
The Slate of Panelists:
- Alix Guyot, tesa tape
- Stan Riches, Lohmann
- Alan Rogers, Polymount US
- Mat Waddell, 3M
- Jeff Randazzo, Controlled Displacement Technologies LLC
Mounting tape—and more recently, self-adhesive sleeves—have always been a crucial component of the plate package.
Factors such as cushion and adhesion properties play a vital role in optimizing the print performance achievable on press.
With all the new emerging technologies in prepress, plate making and presses themselves, it can become easy to neglect some of the more traditional elements of printing. Choices you make in how you mount a plate to a sleeve, and the proper techniques used are just as important now as they have always been. It’s important to reassess your mounting products and procedures on a regular basis to ensure you are taking every advantage offered to you to get the most out of your plate package.
Our panel of experts, representing some the best mounting tape and self-adhesive sleeve providers, aim to help in expanding the understanding of the importance of mounting tape and sleeve selection.
Through live audience polling that delivers immediate feedback, FORUM 2023’s “Great Tape Debate” will engage an expert panel of experts addressing the most important questions currently facing printers when it comes to mounting. They will cover topics including:
- Best practices
- Optimization
- Troubleshooting
- The future of mounting technologies
Do you ever wonder:
- How many different types of mounting tape you should keep in stock?
- What printing applications dictate which tape to use?
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Our experts will provide in-depth knowledge on how to best manage your mounting tapes and sleeves inventory, and the factors that affect the selection process for each job.
Are you concerned about improving your print consistency and reducing downtime? Experts will discuss tips on when mounting tape should be changed, and signs that the tape or sleeves may be starting to wear down.
They will also cover the proper steps to take in mounting and demounting plates, discussing the importance of handling both plates and tapes correctly to ensure consistency from job to job. The panel will be reviewing the biggest issues faced by printers and offering feedback on how to best resolve them when it comes to mounting procedures.
Standardization across plant sites is becoming more and more critical in this modern age of flexography. Our experts will talk about standardization’s importance, as well as some of the struggles faced when trying to achieve commonality across multiple sites. They will focus on different environmental factors that can influence adhesive properties and the proper test procedures that should be taken when optimizing for a new site location.
Discussion will also hone in on the differences between mounting tapes and self-adhesive sleeves. Representatives from both sides will debate the benefits and possible disadvantages of both technologies, and explain why there might be room for both at your plant.
Lively conversation will strive to address the biggest questions and concerns that printers currently have when it comes to mounting plates to a sleeve. Answers will be rooted in the long-standing principles of flexography, but also have an eye to the future, exploring the role mounting tapes and sleeves will have in the emerging technologies within the industry.
Learn more about all FORUM 2023’s sessions and register to attend the conference at forum.flexography.org.