Competitive Posture
Todd from Bobst offers, “Continuous advances in technology enable the industry to unlock the potential of flexo in ways that previously were not possible. The great advantage is that while maintaining the features that have made flexo printing so cost effective, advances keep the flexo printing system always up to date in terms of evolving market trends, not only in regard to printing itself, but also the complementary processes that can be carried out inline, such as overprinting and application of varnishes or lacquers.”
From a converter’s perspective, Todd says, “Adoption of fixed color palette/EG printing means increased press uptime and notable quality, efficiency and cost savings. Downtime between jobs is reduced since the same sets of anilox rollers and inks are used for all jobs, and there is no need for washups and spot color matching.”
Tony of Sun Chemical reveals, “Product differentiation has always been an important quality brand owners demand from their packaging. We strive to remain ahead of the curve in providing options to help a package pop on the shelf, from sensory coatings and vibrant spot color inks that match on a variety of substrates to printed electronics.”
He reports, “Solvent-based inks continue to dominate the flexible packaging market, but EB energy-curing offerings for the packaging market and flexo applications also are a growing trend. Product resistance performance is a key criterion. There is also growing interest in EB lamination adhesives in combination with solvent flexo printing inks.”
“Water-based inks, already widely used in certain absorbent, paper-based packaging applications, such as preprint corrugated, are oftentimes used by printers in an effort to reduce waste and emissions,” according to Tony. “While many claim the key challenge for widespread usage of water-based inks is the lack of acceptable quality levels, the reality is that water-based inks can provide similar end-use performance to their solvent-based counterparts in the flexible packaging market.”
Still, Tony alludes to the fact that, “The key challenge with water-based inks is typically press efficiency, such as limitations on press speeds. This is especially problematic with non-absorbent substrates, such as films. Press efficiency relates back to the ease of drying solvent-based ink versus water-based ink.”
Stressing the point, he adds, “In certain market segments, where high-speed printing reigns supreme, this inherent constraint of water-borne systems has, and will likely continue, to restrict widespread or significant adoption. However, in many applications, there is growing demand for shorter printruns. As run length decreases, press speed, as the key operational efficiency requirement, gives way to changeover time. Within these segments, water-based products are certainly viable. Acceptance of water-based inks depends first on the equipment printers are already using and the substrates they are printing on, as well as the end-use characteristics to which the product will be subjected.”
Introducing the topic of high-speed printing, Tony begins, “Flexographic printing presses are achieving speeds that surpass as much as 2,400 fpm and most printers want high-speed inks that will not restrict speed due to print defects. The demand performance on a high-speed ink is different and unique materials and approaches need to be taken in the formulation. Converters want a stable print process over a prolonged run, where there are minimal defects attributable to material fatigue to plates, stickyback, blades and other press consumables.”
He relays, “Converters who have invested millions of dollars in high speed presses, as a way to improve efficiencies, want to make sure they maximize that investment by using the right ink. By doing so, converters will maximize efficiencies in the workplace and stretch their dollars even further by avoiding downtime and wasted print.”
Paul from Nilpeter wraps things up. “One of the top priorities of flexo is to continue down the path of supporting the process as a science and not a craft. Following FIRST methodology allows us to do this. With current technologies, it has never been easier to create a more consistent and predictable production workflow. For flexo to maintain and grow its position as the most flexible printing process in the world, this journey is a must.
“When the journey is complete, both sides of our hybrid offering—conventional and digital—will have the same level of science applied, to be more efficient, more productive and ultimately increase our production and profitability. Once we have a complete production workflow that is managed by a science and not a craft, we can enter the world of Industry 4.0—big data. The IoT will open new doors to streamline our entire operation and customer experience from order entry to logistics.”