BUJA, Italy—SEI Laser Converting is based in Buja in the northeast corner of Italy. The company is part of the international SEI Group that has installed more than 7,000 machines in 53 countries around the world since it was established in 1982. Engaged in a variety of markets from automotive to packaging, the Group prides itself on its ability to offer innovative solutions that help its customers to attract new business.
Its involvement with manufacturing technology for the label and flexible packaging sectors brought SEI Laser Converting into contact with Vetaphone back in 2010 when it developed its narrow web laser die cutting capability into a fully modular converting line known as the Labelmaster for roll-to-roll and roll-to-sheet applications.
The Labelmaster series, which is available in 13.78-in. and 23.62-in. web widths, is a high-performance system for the self-adhesive label converters involved in production for the food and beverage, wine, beauty, health care, textile and industrial sectors. In addition, flexible packaging, anti-counterfeiting and promotional work are growing areas of importance, with the Labelmaster machines’ ability to work with substrates from paper and carton to plastic films and foils.
According to Raffaella Copetti, purchasing manager at the Buja site, “It was our entry into the film and foil area that first alerted us to the need for surface treatment and after extensive market research we identified Vetaphone as our preferred supplier.” Renowned as the inventors of what is known globally as corona treatment, Vetaphone has a unique knowledge bank relating to all types of polymer-based materials and invests heavily in R&D to ensure that its technology keeps pace with the rapidly changing demands of today’s packaging market.
In fact, it was Vetaphone’s attention to detail on each customer job that appealed to SEI, whose business philosophy is closely aligned. The modular concept of the Labelmaster makes it highly adaptable to individual customer requirements with the benefit that it can be reconfigured after installation to cope with changes in market demand. According to Giuseppe Rossi, Vetaphone’s sales manager for Italy, “This sits well with our technology, because Vetaphone corona systems can be finely tuned to meet the specific demands of different substrates and they are also upgradeable as the need arises.”
In today’s competitive packaging market, the Labelmaster’s QR/bar code reader allows job changes on the fly for maximum productivity. With laser die cutting now a well-proven industrial process, SEI Laser Converting offers the most efficient digital business model with web to label, web to sticker, and web to flexible packaging. In this fast-turnaround environment it is essential to have accurate control of all elements and guaranteed reliability. “We have nothing but praise for the way in which Vetaphone works with us on all of our projects, and only positive feedback from our customers on the reliable performance of their corona systems,” concluded Raffaella Copetti.