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Inci.Flex boosts quality and productivity with EskoArtworks newest digital flexo technology
Wednesday 24. June 2009 - CDI Spark 5080 with HD Flexo and inline UV exposure technology more than doubles Inci.Flexs production of flexographic plates
Installed at Inci.Flex, the EskoArtworks CDI Spark 5080 is the first CDI unit equipped with HD Flexo technology in production in Italy. The installation has given Inci.Flex a distinct technological advantage and enabled the company to expand its business from Campania to the international market. With their investment in EskoArtworks digital flexo technologies, Inci.Flex is able to respond to the demands of the packaging and label market with fast production and high-quality results.
Inci.Flex is operational in the Salerno area since 1997 and specialises in flexo plates. The company has 44 employees and is headed by owner Carmine Consalvo and his son Vincenzo.
CDI Spark 5080 – market reference for quality and reliability
Inci.Flexs product portfolio covers a vast range of applications in the packaging sector: corrugated board; film; printed paper for food packaging; boxes; cardboard displays and labels. After experiencing the quality and reliability of the CDI Classic 5080 digital exposure system installed for several years, Inci.Flex decided to invest in another EskoArtwork CDI Spark 5080 unit with Inline UV exposure technology and a plate format of maximum 1270x2032mm because of the improved throughput and enhanced quality.
Inline UV Main Exposure allows digital flexo plates to receive the UV main exposure within the same device where they are imaged, rather than requiring a separate exposure step on an offline unit. EskoArtworks UV Main Exposure also offers an environment that guarantees control of dot formation, further increasing the repeatability and consistency on the plate.
The CDI Spark 5080 installed at Inci.Flex is also equipped with HD Flexo, a system that combines the performance of 4000 dpi HD optics along with an exclusive screening technology, achieving sharper and more accurate imaging as well as attaining over 60-line printing, a characteristic required by the label and stiff card market.
EskoArtwork HD Flexo: unique combination of optics and screening
“We believe the HD Flexo technology is a real step forward in quality for the flexographic industry – it significantly narrows the gap in quality with other kinds of printing, like gravure and offset,” says Rossella Salvatore, Sales Manager at Inci.Flex. “This technology ensures we can achieve print results that we couldnt have hoped for before. Not only can we now deliver a better quality product to our existing customers, we can also penetrate previously unexplored markets.”
The screening technology included in HD Flexo ensures clearly defined, better shaped dots and screen management. The convex structure of the top of the digital dot means considerably lower dot percentages can be obtained during printing, together with higher line counts. This guarantees uniform ink transfer on highlights and in crucial areas e.g. fade outs to zero.
“Using the screening technology, we can achieve much higher line counts while leaving the Anilox rollers unchanged,” says Consalvo. “The system uses support dots that are larger than the anilox cells. This avoids any blurring of the surrounding tiny dots, while ideal dot positioning simulates a uniform and even tone thats undetectable by the human eye.”
“With these EskoArtwork solutions in place, we believe we can provide the top-quality results needed to weather the challenging economic climate,” says Consalvo. “With this in mind, we have prepared a new 10,000m2 facility, where well soon be moving production. This logistic and technological reorganisation will allow us to grow the business in Italy and abroad, and help us expand into the label market.”