Flexo Press Allows Label Firms To Compete Better

With the diversity and increased choice in today's labeling market wet glue labels are often being substituted by self adhesive labels, according to press manufacturer Edale.

With the diversity and increased choice in today's labeling market more traditional methods such as wet glue labels are often being substituted by self adhesive labels, according to press manufacturer Edale.

However, self adhesive labels are in turn being substituted by monoweb film or wrap arounds for the advantages each type has over the other.

Sheet fed offset printers successfully print wet glue and paper wrap around labels but are not able to respond to their customers demands when they move in to self adhesive and film wrap-arounds and can thus be faced with the loss of major customers.

Such companies are increasingly finding the need to invest in new technology in the flexo arena of printing and converting believes Edale.

One such sheet fed offset printer, after investigating the options available, chose an Edale Beta machine as its way forward to respond to that market shift.

The company originally sought out a high end shaftless servo driven flexopress with web widths of up to 720mm and a price tag of well over one million Euros, but it soon recognised the gap the Beta 330 eight colour press could fill.

As a slightly less sophisticated machine, the Beta is still able to print on a wide range of substrates and with a price tag of half the investment expected to spend on a servo flexo press, or even a traditional multi-colour offset press with additional hot foiling and finishing equipment, it was an obvious choice, claimed Edale.

The Beta machine is a fully UV flexopress that allows the printing of front and back in one operation.

It has a water chilled transport roller with a slide-out UV system for optimum material temperature control and a low tension servo in-feed system to handle a wider range of materials from film to carton board.

It also features web cleaning and corona treatment units and has in-line hot and cold foiling, including holograms for brand protection.

Edale added that the Beta includes in-line lamination, embossing, punching, die cutting, sheeting and perforating and has reel-to-reel and reel-to-finished product on delivery table including pharmaceutical folding cartons.

There are also further optional ad-ons to meet latent requirements, including combination printing for screen and digital, delam and relam, to print on the adhesive side of a substrate.

Bernhard Grob of Edale said: "We have seen an enormous increase in enquiries and orders from sheet offset printers who are forced to move in to flexo and web production.

Besides the need to move from sheet to web there is also the need to rationalise and automate to regain lost margins and to remain profitable.

By printing front and back, with UV varnishing, hot or cold foiling, laminating and finishing in reel or sheet - all in one operation, all objectives are achieved.".

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