FlexoExport

Look to press suppliers' suggestions, as well as material and tension specs, to make the best unwind/rewind purchase. By Susan Friedman Why venture beyond the standard unwind/rewind system supplied with a press? For package printers, the mission is often to reach a loftier tier of efficiency, productivity or safety. 'Herb' Herbert, president of CTC International, says CTC frequently sells automatic winding equipment to converters seeking a higher level of press automation. "A printing press will always have an unwind and a rewind. But they are not always automatic, unless specified. What comes standard might be a single-arbor unwind and a single-arbor rewind that must

Options abound for printers seeking to bring the slitting department up to par with newer presses and other primary equipment. by Susan Friedman When it comes to equipment upgrade priorities, package printers have traditionally pushed slitters toward the back of the line. Technology is now in place to end productivity imbalances caused by using older slitters with more advanced pressroom machinery. "The slitting department has become a bottleneck because slitting equipment made in the 1960s has stayed in use while presses, laminators and other equipment are being updated," observes Randy Wolf, sales manager at Titan Converting Equipment, Cumming, GA. On-par productivity Advanced slitter productivity

Plastic and composite doctor blades come up sharp in safety and wear, but steel's metering edge may be tough to beat. By Susan Friedman "Plastics make it possible," a recent American Plastics Council ad campaign trumpets. In the doctor blade arena, plastic and composite blades have offered an alternative to steel for over 20 years. Here's a review of what these materials make possible on-press, most notably, safety perks and wear resistance. Meter credos Supplier perspectives on blade metering capability leave plastics, in particular, a bit behind. Mark Hahn, director of sales and marketing for AAA Press International, Arlington Heights, IL, states in customer