ContiTech’s innovative elastomer printing forms in flexographic printing
Interview with Heinz-Gerhard Wente, member of the Executive Board at Continental and CEO of the ContiTech partitioning
Packaging South asia: At the end of 2011, ContiTech announced that information technology would be moving into the market for elastomer flexographic press course materials in time for drupa 2012. What brought ContiTech to this decision?
Heinz-Gerhard Wente: We believe that the marketplace for flexographic printing forms has a vivid future and offers a great number of opportunities for our elastomer coatings business unit. We can benefit from our comprehensive expertise in offset printing. Due to a process we have developed in-business firm, we tin mass produce flexographic printing plates for flexible packaging in the form of solvent-free reel stock. Our Conti Laserline portfolio covers the entire market place from directly printing on corrugated lath right up to the efficient product of coating forms.
Packaging South Asia: Withal, there must take been a lot of alternative options and fields of business concern in the corporation that could have been pursued…
Heinz-Gerhard Wente: We are constantly developing our portfolio and our applications. And, in doing so, we focus on electric current market place conditions. We identified flexographic printing every bit a growth market. Due to our innovative solutions for the unabridged marketplace, nosotros are leading the style in a revolution that is shaping printing engineering. And so the strategy is to launch new technology onto the market place the unique innovation of offer Laserline materials with an integrated compression layer is particularly hit. Unlike conventional photopolymer plates, our flexographic printing forms are manufactured with this compressible layer an innovation that offers our customers real added value.
The compressible layer eliminates the need for expensive absorber tape. Whats more than, the printing process is as well more environmentally friendly considering no solvents are used. The layer reduces vibration and thus compensates for unevenness in the material that is existence printed such every bit corrugated board to deliver optimum print qualities. Ink is transferred consistently and evenly. Unattractive washboard patterns are eliminated. Furthermore, halftones and line fine art tin be printed together in 1 plate.
Packaging S Asia: During the drupa year, ContiTech besides established a collaboration with Hell Gravure Systems relating to development and application applied science. Why was this done with Hell Gravure Systems?
Heinz-Gerhard Wente: The collaboration betwixt ContiTech and Hell Gravure Systems has brought together two strong companies in the print industry. That offers numerous advantages, non just for the companies themselves, just for customers likewise. A partnership like this betwixt motorcar and material manufacturers produces technological solutions that neither party, despite all their experience, could ever supply on its own. Hell contributes expertise in arrangement solutions for printing form production, while the Conti Laserline flexographic printing forms are optimized for use with Hell light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation engraving machines. Both companies take pooled their know-how with the aim of actively enhancing the strengths of this future-focused technology and offer the flexographic market a competitive alternative to current production processes. Since the market place launch, this collaboration has enabled us to consistently improve our sales success.
Packaging Due south Asia: What targets are you pursuing in your marketing activities for the Laserline products?
Heinz-Gerhard Wente: We want to establish Laserline products every bit cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional processes in boosted, fast-growing markets. To that end, we accept expanded our presence in the Asian market for packaging printing. Our Conti service centres in Singapore and Shanghai have been expanded to include Laserline flexographic press products. The elastomer printing forms are engraved in the centres using direct laser engraving machines from Hell Gravure Systems. Furthermore, a sales partner in Poland recently opened a service centre with a direct laser engraving machine, and another is to follow in Moscow. In the Us and United mexican states, ContiTech printing forms are marketed through our partners MDC in United states and Max Daetwyler de Mexico. The global packaging industry is renowned for its enervating jobs, particularly when it comes to branded appurtenances, and the sector is placing ever stricter requirements on quality and toll-efficiency. We can provide solutions to run into these demands.
Packaging South asia: What is the strategic importance of the Conti Laserline product range for ContiTechs elastomer coatings business unit?
Heinz-Gerhard Wente: Until at present, the increasingly important flexographic and packaging printing sector has been dominated by photopolymer printing forms, which are difficult to produce. Through its Conti Laserline CSX, CSC, CAL, CML, CCX and CSL printing plates, ContiTech can at present offer the flexographic printing market a comprehensive range of environmentally friendly and time to come-focused products. From the viewpoint of Elastomer Coatings, flexographic printing is a new area of business that opens upwards a whole range of opportunities. So far, our flexographic printing products have been well received on the market place. What matters to the states at present is that nosotros can tap into more than fundamental markets, such as label printing. Every bit a division of the ContiTech Group, Elastomer Coatings can utilize the interdisciplinary know-how of a leading international prophylactic specialist.
Packaging South Asia: ContiTech has entered the market with elastomer plates and is set to follow these upwardly with sleeves, which offer advantages that customers really appreciate. Photopolymer sleeves haven't really made a quantum and so far in part due to the long delivery times and considerable costs. How is ContiTech going to make sure elastomer sleeves are supplied in a way that suits the marketplace?
Heinz-Gerhard Wente: ContiTech is geared up to ensure the required quantities including growing volumes are supplied in the space of a few days, rather than weeks. And at a competitive price, too.
Packaging South Asia: In 2014, during Lopec, the trade fair for printed electronics, ContiTech exhibited solar cells with metallic fronts that had been produced using flexographic printing. What kind of role do applications like these play compared to classic flexographic packaging press?
Heinz-Gerhard Wente: We took a leading office in working with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE to develop this innovative engineering science. The successful testing phase showed that the applied science offers huge potential for driving down the costs involved in manufacturing crystalline solar cells. Still, we are merely in the initial stages of a development that ContiTech will go along to pursue. The new expertise we accept gained through this project will help us cost-effectively industry many more functional printing products for the flexographic printing process. One such product would be printed electronics, potentially in the form of interactive packaging that could communicate with consumers.
Packaging S Asia: What developments is ContiTech planning to promote the use of direct engraving and make it more competitive?
Heinz-Gerhard Wente: As I mentioned earlier, our electric current goal is to establish the utilise of our flexographic printing forms and flexographic printing in general worldwide. To achieve that goal, we are highlighting the many advantages of the process, which include toll and free energy efficiency, as well as eco-friendly credentials. Moreover, our international service centres give customers the opportunity to get to know flexographic printing and see the quality it offers. And we are also working intensively on materials that can be engraved much faster.
Source: https://packagingsouthasia.com/zarchive/contitechs-innovative-elastomer-printing-forms-in-flexographic-printing/
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