A Guide Down the Narrow Web Press Selection Path

Simple, smart and adaptable—that’s what today’s printers and converters are looking for in a narrow web press, according to machinery experts servicing their needs. To no surprise, engineering and marketing teams from most original equipment manufacturers point to shorter runs, tighter delivery windows, expanded color options, multi-substrate and multiprocess capabilities, plus single-pass production, as driving the development and execution of all strategic in-plant moves centered at the press.

Automation rules! The call for faster, better, less costly, more efficient, streamlined, standardized and intuitive production echoes throughout the packaging industry. Taking the printer-issued directive to heart and rising to meet the challenges outlined are business partners the likes of: Bobst, Edale, Gallus, Mark Andy, MPS, Nilpeter, Omet, Retroflex and others.

FLEXO recently approached each of those firms and requested that all list out “10 essential elements that every flexographer should consider when buying or evaluating the purchase of a narrow web inline press.” Commonality was conveyed in many answers, with some choosing the exact same words, and others utilizing very similar descriptions.

Before going into each firm’s checklist and the rationale used in assembling it, a short summary of viewpoints expressed will serve to put things in perspective and guide converters along the press selection path.

The Bobst M1 inline flexo press, dedicated to label production, has an open architecture that simplifies access to the flower flexo print unit and offers a very short web path. A host of accessories gives the M1 high flexibility for multiple press configuration.

Briefly looking at the assessments offered, specific trends emerge:

  • 100 percent of respondents list “automation as essential”
  • 90 percent point to control
  • 90 percent cite modularity
  • 78 percent insist man/machine interface is critical
  • More than two-thirds—67 percent—stress waste reduction
  • 67 percent see service and support offered as highly significant
  • 67 percent believe training and skills development programs folded into the press purchase are of paramount importance
  • 67 percent promote quick-change features as imperative
  • 67 percent like integrated waste reduction features
  • 56 percent assign ease of maintenance a place on their top 10 list
  • 45 percent vote for energy efficiency
  • 45 percent specify connectivity as integral
  • 45 percent encourage embracing 100 percent inspection systems

No Missing Link

“Automation not only means efficiency, but also consistency,” explains Todd Blumsack, vice president, business unit web-fed, Bobst North America Inc. “It was the missing link in the flexo world for years, due to the inherent lack of standardization.”

The Bobst M5 is a full servo, multi-substrate inline flexo press. It can be equipped with the Bobst Digital Automation program, which uses a wide range of technologies that are integrated into the workflow, so as to make printing and converting operations highly efficient, quality driven, consistent and repeatable in terms of print quality and color consistency. The M5 can be configured for printing and converting substrates for applications serving the need of labels, flexible packaging and folding carton.

He points to:

  • Constant control and automatic adjustment of parameters, such as printing pressures and register, as well as die cutting pressure and register in printing and converting lines, as the No. 1 necessity when buying a press
  • Fully automatic job changeovers ranks second
  • Use of 7-color expanded gamut (EG) and perfect color matching between the job file and the final product comes in third
  • Print consistency and quality of repeat orders for 100 percent product quality conformity ranks fourth
  • Flexibility, in terms of substrates handled, especially for functional and decorative added value, is next
  • Maximum press uptime follows
  • Optimized total cost of ownership is worthy of calculation
  • Profitability, with mix of job lengths—from micro/short-run production upwards—needs to be assessed
  • Reduced energy consumption is of value
  • Less skilled press operators, as automation has led to minimum manual intervention

Todd contends that, “All of the features listed are encompassed by a full circle digital flexo solution, i.e. a workflow which can be digitally measured and validated by global digital quality standards.” He believes, “The advantages are many: higher print quality, total graphic flexibility and assurance of worldwide color consistency to brand owners who need to protect their brand identity.”

Other benefits that Bobst’s expert applauds include:

  • Fast multiprocess changeover systems that do not require any manual intervention from the operator
  • Up to 95 percent press uptime
  • Short lead times