ITR flexographic printing
Interview with Mario Busshoff, Vice President Marketing Management at Flint Group Flexographic Products - (Note: interview provided by Flint Group) In early summer 2008 Flint Group Flexographic Products added two new products to its range: nyloflex® ITR Thin and nyloflex® ITR Classic. This development underlines the company's special commitment to the endless photopolymer sleeve sector. Mario Busshoff, who as Vice President of Flint Group Flexographic Products is responsible for marketing management for the Flexographic Products division, explains this latest move in the following interview.
Question: Mr Busshoff, the development of products such as the new endless photopolymer sleeves is normally quite a lengthy process. Can you explain how these two nyloflex® ITR product variants came to be developed so quickly?
Mario Busshoff: Given future trends in flexographic printing, the nyloflex® ITR (In the round) product area is a strategically important growth segment for Flint Group. That is why we really pushed ahead with this development. In addition, the exceptionally short development time of just a few months also had a lot to do with the acquisition of Day International in 2007. As a result of this acquisition, Flint Group has been able to combine its printing plate operations with the rotec sleeves business in the newly formed Flexographic Products business unit. In developing the endless photopolymer sleeves we have therefore been able to draw upon extensive experience with ITR printing forms, sleeves and adapter systems. For instance, in terms of both the base sleeve and the manufacturing technology, nyloflex® ITR Thin and nyloflex® ITR Classic are based on existing rotec expertise.
Flint Group has also been able to call upon its wealth of experience in the field of polymers for printing plates. Taken together, these two factors enabled us to launch the products commercially in May 2008 following a very short introductory phase.
Question: How did the market react to the new ITR sleeves when they were unveiled at drupa 2008?
Mario Busshoff: Both during the exhibition in Düsseldorf and afterwards, users and potential users have responded very positively to Flint Group's decision to design the ITR products as an open system. This applies in particular to the sleeve dimensions, which were deliberately based on those of existing systems. The wall thickness of the Thin version is 1.570 mm, that of the Classic version 3.165 mm. These sizes are equivalent to using printing plates in the standard commercial thickness of 1.14 mm and 2.84 mm respectively. For customers, this in turn represents a kind of standard in terms of printing forms, regardless of whether a mounted printing plate or an ITR sleeve is used.
Question: As well as the points of commonality you have mentioned, are there also differences between the available systems?
Mario Busshoff: The polymers used for the nyloflex® ITR range of photopolymer sleeves come from Flint Group's own product range. The products available on the market are therefore based on a variety of different raw materials, which logically leads to differences in properties too. Feedback from users suggests that nyloflex® ITR sleeves outperform existing products in some respects. For instance, they have reported improvements in colour transfer and advantages in laser imaging.
Question: Where else do you see good potential for further developments?
Mario Busshoff: We are constantly working on application-oriented developments which we hope will open up additional potential for us in future. Among other things, our developers are looking at new polymer/base sleeve combinations in order to produce ITR sleeves optimised for use with specific substrates or printing inks. These include coated paper and UV-inks. We can take advantage here of synergies within Flint Group's range of printing plates. For example, we may be able to modify the raw material used for the new nyloflex® FAB plate, which is designed specifically for printing with UV-inks, so that it can be used for ITR sleeves.
Question: What is the outlook in processing of ITR printing forms? Can we look forward to advances in this area too?
Mario Busshoff: With the rising popularity of endless photopolymer sleeves, it is true that there is also a growing need for suitable processing systems. For that reason we have just introduced a new generation of equipment for nyloflex® ITR sleeves. This includes a new exposure unit and a new processor. The nyloflex® ITR Exposure can image two ITR sleeves simultaneously. The nyloflex® ITR processor provides washout, drying, post-imaging and finishing in a single system. It has a maximum capacity of ten sleeves, which are processed in parallel. The integrated dryer plays an important part in improving efficiency. It can handle eight sleeves simultaneously, so the drying process - which largely determines the overall processing time - is reduced dramatically. Both units can process photopolymer ITR sleeves up to a maximum width of 1800 mm. They are easy to operate, with self-explanatory software and a touch screen display. The nyloflex® ITR Exposure system can store up to 32 different programs, the nyloflex® ITR Processor 20 programs. The equipment is designed in such a way that further units can be added for a greater level of automation. The processor, for instance, can be expanded to an entire production line. The exceptionally compact design of the units and their correspondingly small footprint is also an important decision-making criterion for many customers.
Question: What are your objectives in offering such an extensive range of ITR products?
Mario Busshoff: We want our customers in particular to benefit from the concept of a complete nyloflex® ITR system. Since components such as polymers, sleeves, adapters and processing units all come from a single source, Flint Group Flexographic Products is able to operate as a full-system supplier. The advantage for ITR users is that we assume responsibility for the system and they can be sure that the products will work together.
Question: And what are the implications for the flexographic printing market if ITR technology with the new endless photopolymer sleeves takes hold in the way that you hope?
Mario Busshoff: For ITR users in flexographic printers, the development of the various nyloflex® ITR products is a definite advantage. From several discussions we got the feedback that it is extremely important for the acceptance of ITR technology to have at least the choice between two reputable suppliers. This means that the use of ITR sleeves becomes an option for companies which do not want to be dependent on a single supplier. Since the dimensions of nyloflex® ITR sleeves are based exactly on the conventional system, existing adapters can be still used. So users can choose alternative endless sleeves with specific print characteristics without having to invest in new peripherals.
It is most likely that a healthy competition will develop, and that will benefit customers in financial terms too. As a result of a growing market share for photopolymer sleeves overall, the emerging volume market combined with the introduction of new technology will positively impact the prices of endless printing forms in the long-term.
Last but not least, the decision to adopt standard dimensions and to spread available products across several suppliers will also encourage efforts to increase standardisation in flexographic printing.
