Packaging

EskoArtwork demonstrates complete front to back corrugated design and production systems at SuperCorrExpo

Friday 19. September 2008 - Company highlights new Studio software, Digital Flexo Suite for Corrugated and Kongsberg XP 24 dieless cutting table

The technology of design and production of corrugated packaging has progressed considerably over the past few years, providing additional capacity and wider profit margins-along with more attractive artwork targeted to the consumer. EskoArtwork, the global market leader in innovative design, pre-production, collaboration and finishing solutions for the packaging, commercial printing and sign and display industry, contributes a lot to this new technology. The company will be exhibiting a wide range of new software and hardware solutions specifically for corrugated and paperboard converters at booth 1548 during SuperCorrExpo(r), September 22-26, in The Georgia World Congress Center.

“EskoArtwork will be demonstrating a wide range of solutions for corrugated converting, including the new Kongsberg XP 24 table, structural and graphic design tools, and our Digital Flexo Suite for Corrugated,” remarks Mark Vanover, EskoArtwork Vice President, Marketing. “Packaging printers, converters and trade shops can dramatically boost their profits and increase their productivity throughput by eliminating unnecessary plate waste and reducing human errors.”

Combining structure and graphic design

One of the most significant new EskoArtwork tools allows designers to combine graphic and structural design. At SuperCorrExpo, EskoArtwork will demonstrate Studio, a plug-in for Adobe(r) Illustrator(r) that puts interactive 3D packaging creation in the hands of the designer. Studio offers a 3D viewing environment where designers can see their artwork applied instantly on packaging. For folding carton or corrugated packaging, the shapes can be supplied by ArtiosCAD. And, by creating a 3D PDF file from Studio, designers can share their ideas with clients for review and approval. Studio reduces time-consuming mock-ups, spots design-errors faster and takes away the guesswork from 2D flats.

To support the structural creative process, Studio Toolkit for Boxes is an Adobe(r) Illustrator(r) plug-in that generates a rectangular box, based on dimensions, or folds any keyline drawing into a 3D structure. With this toolkit, designers can create box shapes that can be imported, sketched and folded right inside Adobe(r) Illustrator(r). Or, designers can take an existing technical drawing and fold it into a 3D representation of a box.

Adding structure to design

Also on display at SuperCorrExpo will be ArtiosCAD 7.3 and Score!, the most popular structural design software packages for packaging designers, ideal for all corrugated, folding cartons and POP displays. More than just a CAD program, Score! combines powerful design tools with equally powerful database and communication capabilities. These provide a complete solution for design and design data management while becoming a valuable contributor to enterprise-wide business systems.

ArtiosCAD 7.3 provides easier design features, more realistic views of packaging against backgrounds and extensive support for new operating systems and applications. Its design and drafting tools include functions that structural designers need to get their job done accurately and efficiently. Complete 3D integration allows for quick prototyping of designs and presentations, eliminating communication errors and reducing design review cycles. ArtiosCAD 7.3 includes a rubber design module for ejection rubber profiles, using a sophisticated set of user configurable rules taking into consideration rule type, location, geometry and other parameters. Combined with a Kongsberg table, designs can be sent immediately to the cutting table to automatically create the cutting profiles-using a dry process that allows the profiles to be used for the production of cutting profiles, without delay.

Corrugated flexo workflow: adding productivity to corrugated production

Using corrugated boxes as promotional pieces has created new demands on corrugated converting, requiring specialized techniques for prepress, printing and diecutting. The Digital Flexo Suite for Corrugated integrates all flexo related devices into a cost-effective solution that simplifies flexo plate room operation: from the digital file to the finished flexo plate, including plate cutting on the Kongsberg table and mounting on Mylar carrier sheets, ready for press.

The Digital Flexo Suite offers significant cost savings through automated flexo plate optimization. It is a collection of EskoArtwork’s plate making software, designed especially for the needs of the packaging industry. For example, using PlatePatcher, users can automatically divide large format layouts into a number of smallest-size plate patches. By placing these patches on a small-format flexo plate, plate waste is dramatically reduced. No extra work on the repro side is needed, because crossmarks and reference codes for identification as well as for further processing are automatically added by PlatePatcher.

The Digital Flexo Suite adds a flow of information to platemaking. Automatically, instantly and with computerized accuracy, a job is sent to an EskoArtwork CyrelTM Digital Imager (CDI). Meanwhile, concurrently files are created for cutting and sent to a Kongsberg table, while data files are made for mounting. Once imaged and processed, the flexo plate is automatically cut into individual patches using an Esko Kongsberg cutting table. On average, users can save 20 min. per color for a typical 4-color job, just in the mounting department thus saving up to about 80 min. for an entire job.

New: Kongsberg XP – fast dieless cutting table for corrugated production

On display for the first time in the US at SuperCorrExpo will be the new Kongsberg XP 24 (66″ x 125″). The new Kongsberg XP series of digital cutting tables is targeted for corrugated packing companies and manufacturers of POP and permanent in-store product displays that need a fast and highly reliable solution for short run production. These heavy-duty tables are optimized for very fast short-run digital converting for the packaging and POP markets.

Kongsberg XP series digital cutting machines are the first to be specifically designed to operate continuously in a 24/7 production environment. Production capacity can be increased up to twice as much as what is available on any machine currently on the market. It can handle all grades of corrugated board, display carton, corrugated plastic, foam boards, and rigid display materials such as MDF, plywood, acrylics, ACM and Forex(r). The machines can be equipped with an optional automatic optical registration system to match structural design with the graphic elements.