Fischer & Krecke Delivers First WetFlex Press

BIELEFELD, Germany—Fischer & Krecke delivered their its CI flexo press designed for Sun Chemical’s WetFlex process to UV-Flex GmbH, Aichstetten, Germany. The 10-color press, a FLEXPRESS 16S model, will be commissioned in the beginning of March. WetFlex is an innovative process in which the radiation cured inks developed by Sun Chemical are applied wet-on-wet to the substrate.

The new WetFlex press features a print width of 1350 mm (53 inches) and repeat lengths or 320 – 1050 mm (12.6 – 41 inches). It is designed for printing and in-line lamination of aluminium foil, film and co-extrusions. Additionally, the press line includes an in-line laminating process, where radiation cured adhesives are applied at the CI press, further contributing to the uniqueness of this application. According to Fischer & Krecke, once again the incredible flexibility of design, rigidity of construction, and precision in adjustment enable the print stand frame and the print unit to be the same design as models used for processing solvent- or water-based inks.

“This means that the new WetFlex press offers the same advantages of strength of construction for high speed, precision impression setting for the highest possible grade, quality and speeds and it accomplishes all this with fast and easy, user-friendly change-overs, the same as conventional FLEXPRESS models,” Andreas Kückelmann, managing director at Fischer & Krecke, explains.

The specific properties of the WetFlex inks (UniQure), however, required extensive modifications of the automatic inking and wash-up system. For example, the inks need to be temperature controlled to ensure an optimum processing temperature at all production conditions. In the same manner, the inking and wash-up cycles of the AUTOCLEAN system had to be adapted to the properties of the UniQure inks. At the end of the process, the inks are radiation cured with no inter-station drying required.

Compared to conventional systems that use solvent-based or water-based inks, WetFlex allows for a much higher resolution of the graphics. This is due to a finer screen (up to 80 l/cm), finer aniloxes and a more homogeneous dot structure. In addition to the high-resolution capability, it is the excellent trapping behaviour, the brilliance, the density stability, and the durability of the WetFlex inks that ensure high quality flexo printing graphics. WetFlex is ideally suited for using an expanded gamut printing process. This process uses five, six, seven, or more standardized colors to create a broad range of colors. This standardization provides a further significant reduction of changeover times, and the elimination of leftover ink. With regard to costs and environmental aspects, WetFlex also scores. According to Fischer & Krecke, a WetFlex press is ahead of presses using water-based or solvent-based inks when comparing the costs for all the additional equipment and costs required to run a press, for example there are no dryers and no thermal oxidation systems required. This also has the added benefit that there is no CO2 emission at all.

“The WetFlex process has the potential to put flexo printing to an even wider acceptance. However, to tap the full potential of this new technology, a high-end flexo printing press is required. This is why we decided in favor of Fischer & Krecke,” says Rainer Schröpfer, UV-Flex managing director.