Japanese manufacturer of purpose designed presses KPG has launched a single drum Euroflex 9-colour flexo machine, including varnish. The press is designed for non-stop printing of ABL/PBL tube laminates and 25-350 micron films. It can also be supplied with rotary die cutting and waste rewind for label production.
Fitted with two AC servo driven accumulators, unwinds and rewinds, the new press automatically slows to 25 m/min, allowing the operator 45 sec to splice the new roll – said to eliminate waste and downtime for roll changes. Should slitting after printing be required, it can be fitted with two additional rewinds for narrow edge leading designs.
According to KPG, the single-drum design ensures pin-point register, as well as excellent web tension control, even when using difficult to handle substrates.
The eight open chamber flexo units are located on a single temperature controlled 1,800 mm diameter steel CI cylinder. Print units are fitted with fully retractable print cylinder shafts to facilitate quick and easy plate changes. A plate sleeve system can also be fitted if required.
Following its launch at TokyoPack in September, KPG has supplied the first press to a leading Japanese printer of tube laminates. The customer specified eight colours, to meet the increasing design demands of the Asian market for high quality printed graduations on tubes. Up to three similar colours can be used to create the graduation, leaving one print unit for special branding/company logo and four for the CMYK colours.
With a web width of 270 mm (400 mm is also available), a mechanical speed of 150 m/min and a top speed of 100 m/min, the press has an extended web path to allow good varnish flow and a high gloss finish. It is fitted with GEW interstation UV lamps plus final cure with E brick controls. Other features include chill roller and chiller system, corona treater and static eliminator, BST web guides with infra-red sensors, AC servo web tension control and video web scanning system.
KPG says “serious interest” is now being shown in this technology by European tube printers. Similar Euroflex presses for printing polyamide casings and polybags have already been installed in Poland, Russia, Slovenia and the Ukraine.
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