The greatest label show - part 1

The world of label and narrow web printing and converting will centre on Brussels from September 23-26, when Labelexpo Europe 2009 opens its doors at the Expo. In addition to launching an impressive array of new products in six halls, many exhibitors this year will focus on providing equipment, products and services to help converters and brand owners make the most of the current economic climate. Digital technology, for example, will account for about 15 per cent of the exhibition space. The Converting Today team will be based on stand 7N140.

AB Graphic International (stand 6F70) will launch the Omega VSR vertical slitter rewinder with a servodrive option for speeds of up to 400 m/min. Capable of winding films and delicate substrates, the VSR range is available in 330, 430 and 530 mm web widths. A new air assisted spreader bar will be demonstrated on a VSR530 model that allows unsupported films to be rewound on a single spindle without cross-over. Also making its debut is the new Mini Digicon, a compact, entry level machine with a specification to meet basic converting requirements for digitally printed labels including flood varnish, UV curing, semi-rotary die cutting, slitting and single spindle rewinding. Featuring for the first time is a Digicon 2 with a new flat bed screen module for short run work and reduced tooling costs. The screen module, together with the flat bed foil and embossing units, can be configured alongside semi-rotary print and die cutting for greater flexibility. Also new is the Flytec 150 bi-directional 100 per cent inspection rewinder for security applications.

Ashe Converting Equipment’s (stand 5B20) Opal Series offers the narrow web and label industries a vast range, from standard stop/start inspection slitter rewinders to fully automatic non-stop turret rewinders and converting lines for high speed blank and pre-printed label production in one pass. The Opal Series features servo motion control systems and standard web widths from 330-800 mm, with a variety of options to suit individual finishing requirements. Ashe will also be demonstrating its Solitaire narrow web duplex slitter for unsupported film. This will be running various forms of thin printed films based around wraparound labels.

For the first time in Europe, Atlantic Zeiser (stand 11Q75) will introduce the Gamma 70 full colour and Delta 105 UV grayscale inkjet printing modules. The Gamma 70 P will be exhibited on the Prati Saturn web system, using AZ’s ‘eco-friendly’ Smartcure LED UV curing modules. The Delta 105, which is available in UV and water based versions, offers speeds of up to 120 m/min with UV, or 150 m/min with water based inks, at a print width of 105 mm and a native print resolution of up to 600 dpi. The Braillejet printer will be displayed on the nearby stand of partner company Grafotronic (11P70), operating live in production as part of a complex web system for variable data label marking.

Visitors to the Avery Dennison stand (5A40) will find specific information on the areas where the company offers label converters ‘the expertise and support to tap into real volume and value growth in their businesses’. In addition to supplying label mateials for a broad spectrum of FMCG products, the company’s markets and specialist niches include wine labels, pharmaceuticals and durable goods. Its global Fasson brand labelstocks, and its portfolio of specialist supporting service platforms, have been developed to meet the needs of brand owners.

The new PrintVision/Helios II print inspection system from AVT (stand 6H60) offers on-line verification of bar codes, data matrix codes and variable data. It can inspect and verify UPC bar codes, 2D data matrix bar codes, and human readable information. The system is able to detect and immediately alert press or rewinder operators to any bar code quality or readability problems. It also supports the new E-Pedigree FDA regulations to ‘track and trace’ pharmaceuticals from manufacturer to customer. The PrintVision/Helios II is now able to have bi-directional communication with MIS systems in the print production environment. This sharing of information is said to contribute to shorter set-up times and eliminate the need to re-enter information.

Bobst Group – BA Flexible Materials (stand 7L115) will present its latest advances in slitting and rewinding, short run gravure printing, coating and laminating, and flexo printing. These include: Atlas centre surface slitters for high volume production of all types of labelstock, including filmic/synthetic material as low as 50 micron, at speeds up to 750 m/min and rewind diameters to 1,250 mm; secondary slitter specialist Titan’s SR8 twin-shaft cantilever model, particularly suitable for slitting narrower width labelstock materials for smaller manufacturers and printing converters (for shorter production runs) and up to 1,800 mm web width; and Rotomec gravure presses and coating and laminating equipment. Fischer & Krecke will provide information on its latest CI flexo press models and innovations including the smartGPS (Graphic Positioning System), ‘which makes impression and registration setting a thing of the past’.

New from Collano (stand 12T90), L1 1164 and L1 1202 are solventless hotmelt pressure sensitive adhesives said to be ideal for producing wash-off, clear-on-clear labels for glass bottles. Labels made with these adhesives are said to be permanent, yet can be removed without trace in bottle washing lines - so even reusable bottles can now be provided with transparent labels. The L1 1255 adhesive for high speed rubber has the ability to bond labels to car tyres. A further characteristic is its ease of stamping. Collano now has a new in-house high-tech pilot coater from Nordson that offers a platform for companies to conduct customised application tests and produce high quality samples for feasibility analyses and commercial trials.

DCM Usimeca (stand 6H140) will present its Biva narrow web gravure press for high quality coating and printing up to 12 colours and a speed of 400 m/min. The Minilam and Laminastar are coater laminators for laminated products, with solvent-free, solvent or water base adhesives. Also showing are the Serval 500 m/min cantilevered slitter for films, papers, laminates and pressure sensitive labels; and the Sleeve Auto, Sleevecut and Babycat shrink sleeve label converting systems.

Domino (stand 7K95) will demonstrate the capabilities of its range of binary, continuous, drop on demand and thermal technologies. Many of these will feature in a collaboration with AB Graphic International: the companies will team up to demonstrate a Flytec 150 rewinder with interchangeable Domino printhead technology.

ExxonMobil Chemical (stand 5B15) will feature Label-Lyte PSL films. Thanks to a new proprietary top coat technology, they are now said to offer ‘class-leading off-the-press ink adhesion’ – which reduces off-spec ink adhesion risks – and allows maximum press speed to be used. Label-Lyte Wet Glue Patch films are said to offer the balance of key properties that allow synthetic patch labels to be used with water based glues for the first time with consistent results. The LP range of films can be processed on most standard converting machinery.

Edale’s stand (stand 6G92) will be structured around the company’s four main market sectors: digital printing, commercial security, converting and coating, and flexo printing. Samples will be on display and Edale will be showing video footage of its equipment performing in each sector. “We have decided not to take any specific machines to the show this year,” says managing director James Boughton. “We feel it’s more appropriate to concentrate on what customers are hoping to achieve and then help them to find cost effective solutions.” Sharing the stand, in the digital printing section, will be Agfa Graphics. Edale manufactures web transport systems and provides a range of conventional printing and converting options for Agfa’s :Dotrix single pass UV inkjet press. During Labelexpo, the partners will be staging workshops on the developments in single pass inkjet at the nearby :Dotrix factory. Visitors will have the opportunity to see a :Dotrix and Edale’s new Gamma flexo press running side by side. The :Dotrix is the only digital press able to print with high production capacity on a wide variety of substrates ranging from flexible foils from 20 micron, over self-adhesives to folding carton up to 600 micron, at a print width of 63 cm.

Eltromat (stand 12U20) will focus on the print check_7000 100 per cent inspection system, which was specifically developed for the needs of the packaging industry and is applicable to all printing processes. The new webvideo_star 500 web inspection system will be presented for the first time at a trade fair. As with the other eltromat systems, this entry level model is equipped with proven digital camera technology promising exceptional image quality and ease of use, as well as a wide range of functions, ‘all for a favourable price’. Another new product is ColorProve for objective colour sample measurement and brand standardisation, which is able to work with vignettes and metallised films.

EskoArtwork (stand 5B30) will present HD Flexo, introduced earlier this year, which combines 4,000 dpi optics with proven screening technology to deliver ‘exceptional flexo print quality in a simple, straightforward manner’. The CDI Spark 1712 will be presented for the first time in Europe. A small footprint, ‘cost effective’ flexo plate and film imager for narrow web tag and label printers, it images a 420 x 300mm plate of arbitrary thickness in 9 min 30 sec. Also being introduced are additional Studio 3D shapes for label design for cans and bottles. Visualizer generates ‘hyper-realisti’ on-screen mock-ups of label designs including special effects such as embossing, foils, and special finishes. A range of new textures and substrates will be introduced. The new Dynamic Content Engine provides a collaboration and management environment for storing and maintaining label copy and content. The new DeskPack Instant Trapper is a real-time intelligent interactive trapping tool for Adobe Illustrator. Also new is the updated version of prepress editor ArtPro 9.5, combining an updated user interface with new features to increase productivity. The Variable Data Printing Module expands EskoArtwork’s capabilities in digital printing for HP Indigo industrial presses.

Flint Group (stand 5B45) will host the 5th Annual Narrow Web Print Awards. Label converters from all over the world have been invited to submit samples for evaluation by a panel of industry judges. Criteria for judging includes: registration, smoothness of dot/vignette, overall print quality, and degree of difficulty. New for the 2009 awards is a special focus on the creative use of inks. The 2009 award winners will be announced on the Flint Group stand on Thursday, September 24.

Focus Label (stand 7L20) will launch the Proflex S flexo press with shaftless, servodrive technology for consistent quality and increased productivity, Claimed to be the most effective, affordable servo driven flexo press on the market, it is available with standard web widths of 250 and 330 mm, and 2, 4, 6 or 8 colours. Drying can be by combined infra-red/cold air or UV. Rapid change print cartridges help reduce downtime and an ‘ultra-efficient’ inter-station drying system enables much higher press speeds. The relatively short web path allows for a compact design, whilst still maintaining good accessibility for the operator and plenty of space for optional equipment. The Proflex will print and convert a wide range of substrates, from 20 micron film, to lightweight cartonboard. Focus will also introduce Tagtrans technology for the production of high quality heat transfers.

Gallus (stand 5B50) will ‘herald a new era for the cost effective printing of commodity product decorations’ with the launch of the ECS 340 machine. ”Never has printing been so easy, efficient and user friendly; never have costs per label been so low – and all on a very attractive investment level,” the company boasts. Also, the enhanced process efficiency of the RCS 330/430 line will be demonstrated. The version at Labelexpo will be equipped with an exclusive measuring system based on colour spectrometry that enables closed loop colour management on the fly, opening up significant waste saving potential. The data workflow system developed by Gallus will also be demonstrated live on the RCS. This links the press directly to the production planning and finishing sections and allows virtually the entire job to be processed digitally, which saves time and reduces workloads. The Digital Screeny digital screen printing plate will also be launched at the show.

GEW (stand 6H70) will feature its e-System range of UV lampheads offering the combined benefits of increased output with reduced energy consumption and CO2. A new lamphead reflector profile for the VCP model with highly focused range includes cold shutter and cold filter to optimise UV efficiency with cooler running. With the emphasis on increased efficiencies with time and cost savings, GEW’s new internet technology enables remote monitoring linked to a customer’s UV system from its UK headquarters. Conditions that affect UV curing performance, reliability and efficiency such as ambient factory temperature, unchanged filters or other minor maintenance issues can be diagnosed and corrected, eliminating the need for unnecessary service calls.

Grafisk Maskinfabrik (stand 9F55) will show three new machines: the LS360 high speed slitter rewinder with register die cutting; the DC330mini label finishing system; and a new version of the PNTS series of core cutters.

GSE Dispensing (stand 12U75) aims to show that automated ink logistics are both environment friendly and help reduce running costs, while delivering higher print quality and productivity. The company claims its Colorsat Match dispenser has enabled printers to reduce running costs by up to 30 per cent. Firstly, the system reduces ink usage, by dispensing exactly what is needed for each job. Secondly, any excess ink that does remain after a print run can be easily reused. So, press return inks, normally too complex to be calculated manually into new recipes, are included in future print runs. SEE PART 2 FOR MORE EXHIBITORS