Getting Better all the Time
Have you ever noticed how every year, just about everything you buy gets a little better? Your truck or car has a few more bells and whistles. Your TV has a smoother connection to the Internet. Your phone’s camera delivers better images and uploads to Instagram or Facebook a bit faster. The same thing happens on that flexo press you spend quality time with every day. Just as with your phone, some of the upgrades require a little attention, and there can be a big time payoff.
For example, automated cleaning of the decks on your press makes your life easier while decreasing downtime. You can hard-pipe FlexoClean solutions directly to each of your decks, so instead of shutting down the press and taking the decks apart, cleaning takes place without removing rolls and ink chambers and keeps your press productive with less time and less effort. This system was first introduced to converters in Europe, where more than 250 automated systems are in action every day. Now it’s available in North America, and if automated cleaning helps improve print quality and helps get even one or two more jobs out the door each day it’s probably a good thing.
Pictures tell the story
To take a deeper dive in anilox cleaning, make sure your anilox rolls are really clean by using a Troika AniCam for labels and flexible substrates. This small, on-press camera shows you whether any dried ink is taking up space in the anilox cells, a problem that reduces a roll’s efficiency. That’s long been important for flexible packages, and now, for shops running corrugated materials, Troika’s new CorruCam gives you a close look at the rolls used for those heavier substrates. This is a big deal because ink metering needs to be well controlled on corrugated topsheets. And, because those stocks can generate more dust than the smooth, slick substrates used for flexible packages, some of that dust can find its way into anilox ink chambers. The Troika CorruCam lets you do a deep dive into those rolls so you know when a really thorough cleaning is needed.
Save ink, money, and look like a hero
Why is this important? Because clean rolls mean higher print quality and lower ink consumption. Depending on the application and the size and line screen of the rolls, clean rolls can reduce ink consumption by 20% to 30%. That’s a number someone in your company is bound to appreciate. This will be part of the story Provident will be sharing at SuperCorr, the trade show focused on corrugated printing and converting, running October 17-20 in Orlando, Florida. Provident will show off how some of its latest offerings for the corrugated market. Be sure to take a look if you head to Orlando.
Another flexo upgrade is using top quality doctor blades and end seals for both narrow web and ultra-wide presses. As with Provident’s blades for wide- and mid-web presses unique steel quality, engineering and tight manufacturing specs provide difference in the blades you can see on your press. Making blades shorter or or longer is not as simple as trimming blades to a new length. Each type of blade must be engineered for its intended applications and all Provident blades are designed to deliver the same longer lifespans and better print quality that Provident blades are known for.
Getting Better all the Time
From blades to manufacturing processes to cleaning systems and solutions, Provident is continuing to invest in R&D and manufacturing to ensure it continues raising the bar and giving you the best possible technologies for flexographic printing of labels, flexible packaging, or corrugated containers. Because it is a manufacturer, Provident has the technical expertise to help you make the best choices for your press room operations, it has the inventory available to meet your last-minute needs, making the company a resource that can make a converter—and its press operators—more successful. Give your Provident rep a call and ask how Provident’s manufacturing capabilities and understanding of your operational issues can help you get better all the time.
