Flint Group Flexographic Products showcases at drupa 2016

Under the slogan “One Team. One Vision. One Flint Group”, Flint Group demonstrates its vast range of products and services at drupa 2016, in Dusseldorf. The product offering ranges from inks, coatings, pressroom chemicals, printing blankets, flexographic and letterpress plates, equipment and solvents, sleeves, up to digital printing solutions. In total, the company has booths in three halls, whereby Flint Group Flexographic Products presents its portfolio on stand D/12 in hall 08b.

With the FlexoExpert, Flint Group Flexographic Products offers a new certification programme to provide plate makers with much more support for their daily business. With this programme, the platemaking processes as well as the functionality of the processing equipment will be evaluated. A status report is provided, which includes strengths and divergences as well as recommendations for improvement. With the assistance of a Flint Group expert, this action plan is implemented within a defined period of time. Then, after six months, the Flint Group specialist performs a final audit. By passing this audit, the customer is certified as a FlexoExpert for two years, and his customers can rely on consistently high quality printing plates.

The presentation focuses on the nyloflex FTF Digital plate, introduced to the market in July 2015 as the first in the industry that is both inherently flat top and texturised, provides The Easy Way to flat top dots. The plate with integrated flat top dots reduces complexity significantly and enhances efficiency for the reproduction of flat top dots, as it can be processed like any standard digital plate – no changes, additional equipment, processes or consumables are needed. Furthermore, the special texture eliminates the need for time consuming surface screening. Additionally, the plate offers reliable high quality and consistency. This plate was awarded the 2016 FTA Technical Innovation Award.

The award winning nyloflex FTF Digital has opened the way to further innovations. Following The Easy Way, Flint Group Flexographic Products will expand its product range with a further inherent flat top dot and micro textured flexo plate. Specifically designed for absorbent substrates and water based inks, the new printing plate provides to customers in preprint, beverage cartons or flexible paper packaging the benefits of Flat Top Dots in a simple way. Thus, it allows to easily achieve enhanced ink laydown and improved solid ink density on fiber substrates. Currently being in extended field trial phase, the new printing plate will be commercially available in the last quarter of 2016.

Another exhibition highlight is the new rotec® Lightweight Sleeve, a hard-coated sleeve for conventional plate mounting with adhesive tapes, which offers weight savings up to 40% compared to standard sleeves. Additionally, it meets a range of customers’ requirements in the mid to wide web and pre-print sector. With this sleeve, maximum weight limits in the pressroom, shorter and easier press setups, or missing adapter configurations can easily be managed. The entire edge of the rotec® Lightweight sleeve is sealed with an aluminum plate, which protects the sleeve from exposure to cleaning liquids, inks or solvents and prevents unnatural diameter growth of the sleeve. The new sleeves are available in rotec® Omega Surface Technology for use of solvent based inks as well as with other well-known features like the rotec® Stainless Steel Register Ring.

Flint Group brings yet another important technical development in prepress, the brand new rotec® Eco Bridge. A bridge with breathable metal ring, which creates an air pillow to virtually eliminate all tight-fit and sleeve-mounting problems. This bridge reduces up to 90% air volume requirement, up to 30% reduction in noise and significantly improves ease and speed of mounting all sleeves.