Italy: Uteco

Uteco’s innovations are not limited to the technical improvement of its printing and laminating machines, but also to the application of technology to achieve energy savings to satisfy increasingly stringent environmental regulations. The regenerative DC bus system, and the patented Direct Drive gearless system are just two examples that save energy (by literally regenerating it back into the system), and ‘greatly reduce waste with unparalleled print register precision’.

Many flexible packaging printers currently use solvent based inks that require costly exhaust abatement systems to process emissions before being released into the environment. Uteco’s goal is to excel in printing quality through a completely eco-friendly process - flexo printing with water based inks. During drupa 2008, the company demonstrated premium quality printing of film on a Diamond HP 808 flexo press at 500m/min using Sun Chemical’s XP07 water based inks.

For printing with UV inks on food packaging material, the UVi technology (inside an inert environment) is said to achieve remarkable reductions in odour and oxidation problems. With the Uteco technology downstream from the central drum printing group, it is said to be possible to obtain a 100% safe and certified printed product for food packaging.

Parallel to the continuous development of UV and UVi technology, Uteco has also been optimising the WetFlex EB printing system in co-operation with Sun Chemical and ESI, diversifying its use on special applications. An Emerald 8C press retrofitted with EB technology is employed at Uteco for R&D work customer trials.