Direct laser forme imaging boosts print quality

Brazilian packaging materials supplier, Antilhas is the first in the country to adopt direct laser engraving.

Direct laser engraving is a fully digital printing forme imaging method and Antilhas has installed Stork Prints' Agrios 5511 system.

With the newly commissioned equipment, the company aims to boost printing quality and reduce lead-times in the preparation of its flexo plates and sleeves.

As one of the main sources of flexographic printed goods, Antilhas supplies a range of high-end printed goods, including flexible packaging, shopping bags, and wrapping paper.

The company also specialises in offset-printed corrugated printing.

Valter M Baptista, Antilhas's president, commented: "After very successful trials with plates that were originally engraved in Austria, it was clear that Stork Prints' direct laser engraving technology could significantly improve the quality of our flexo-printed work.

Naturally, we are very excited about the installation of the new Agrios system.

It will further boost our competitiveness in printing markets, where high-impact presentation is paramount." In the trials, linework results of 80 lines per centimetre (lpc) were recorded, which is claimed to be a boost in quality compared with the 54lpc the company was formerly able to reach.

Plates imaged by the engraver achieved exceptionally fine linework detail, as well as improved highlight consistency, which was maintained over long print runs.

Until the arrival of the Agrios, Antilhas relied on an external supplier to image its printing formes, by the conventional exposure method.

Baptista commented: "With access to in-house pre-production imaging facilities, and a single-step imaging process that, in some cases, can be completed in a matter of minutes, we can increase our flexibility and productivity.

For instance, we expect to reduce lead-times at least one day.

And furthermore, in the unlikely event there should be a problem with a plate, the image can be re-engraved almost straight away, without needing to abort the printing run." Direct laser engraving is a fully digital process for imaging printing formes - relief plates, and sleeves, as well as nickel screen.

A highly focused CO2 laser burns away the unwanted areas and the printing forme is ready for the press, without using film, or lengthy processes like exposure, washing and drying.

Quality improvements are possible especially because the lasers can engrave at angles far exceeding those of the natural path of light.

Stork's new dot-shaping software tool, Active 3D RIP, included with the system.

This will also allow Antilhas total control in generating dot shapes, shoulder steepness and depths, across the whole tonal range.

This in turn results in very smooth gradations, from one per cent to 99 per cent.

Unsupported dots can be afforded extra protection against wear and tear for instance.

Another reason for improved half-tones is the system's ability to generate localised undercut dots, which ensure minimal pressure is used in order to transfer ink, thus minimising dot-gain.

And because the Stork laser engraving concept is a pure CTP imaging method, minimal manual input is needed.

The file is uploaded, and once the RIP data is transferred, the engraving begins.

Repeat engraving jobs carried out in this way are accurate to the last cell as a result.

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