Max Daetwyler Corp.

As always, companies exhibiting at CMM International 2005 put on a display of impressive new products and technologies for converters and package printers. A SUCCESSFUL TRADE show is always measured on an individual basis—foot traffic, promising leads, or signed contracts. While attendees weren't exactly carried down the aisles in a swell of people, CMM International 2005 still offered a wide array of new products and technologies from the exhibiting companies. The following is a small sampling of what CMM International had to offer. Company news Enercon and Ciba Specialty Chemicals announced a joint development agreement which will combine Enercon's surface modification Plasma3™ technology

How important is it to have just one person in charge of cleaning, certifying, and inventorying anilox rolls? Very, according to experts. "ONE" MAY BE the loneliest number, but it's also the magic number when it comes anilox roll cleaning. Regardless of the kind of cleaning system employed, the key to well and properly cleaned rolls is charging one, and only one, person with the responsibility. Ask any roll cleaning system manufacturer. "The print quality of an anilox roll is only as good as the operator who's cleaning and maintaining it," said Dave Moulder, technical sales representative, Solutions Division, Pamarco Global Graphics. Having one

AGFA Offers the Thermostar P970-ideal for VLF applications-and the Thermostar P971 thermal imaging plate. Write 207, Visit www.agfa.com, ANDERSON & VREELAND Offers digital prepress systems and conventional photopolymer processors and plate mounters. Platemaking materials include a range of solvent and water-wash sheet photopolymer, liquid photopolymer, rubber compounds, matrix and accessories. Write 208, Visit www. andersonvreeland.com BETA INDUSTRIES The Betaflex 334 Flexo Plate Analyzer eliminates bad plates early in production cycle. Measures flexo plates, negatives, proofs, prints for true dot area, ruling, dot quality. Write 209, Visit www.betascreen.com BPS Printing Systems Offers state-of-the-art nyloflex® and nyloprint® brand photopolymer printing plates for printing

While not a headline-catching subject, doctoring systems have a big impact on printing quality and overall production costs. ALTHOUGH NOT A particularly glamorous topic, package printers know that doctoring systems represent a complex challenge. The selection, operation, and maintenance of these systems can have a major impact on consistent print quality, along with longer term cost issues when it comes to roll maintenance and life. When selecting the right doctor blade for your application, there are any number of places to begin and approaches that can be taken. For starters, Perry Lichon, president of Retroflex, lists blade material composition, tip design, thickness, and

Converters will be singing once they've mastered keeping their anilox rolls clean with these supplier cleaning tips! By Joy English Assistant Editor IT'S BATH TIME! And a mother's famous words, "Don't forget to scrub behind your ears," are ringing loud and clear. Bath time, to a child anyway, is never much fun. But, it is necessary—and for anilox rolls, it is essential. For anilox rolls, scrubbing the hard-to-reach areas is key to removing dried ink. And just using water will not get the job done. A cleaning system must be used. Several suppliers have given packagePRINTING their top anilox roll cleaning tips, while several

AAA PRESS INT'L Praxair™ laser-engraved ceramic anilox rolls; tint sleeve kits. Write 604, Visit www.aaapress.com, ABSOLUTELY MICRO*CLEAN Micro*Clean use a unique plastic media to deep-clean anilox rolls. The well-proven method is used off-press in an enclosed blast cabinet. The media is cleaned and recycled for reduced costs/elimination of hazardous waste. Write 605, Visit www.microcleanintl.com ADVANCED CYLINDER REPAIR Recognized leader in "In Press" cylinder repair services. We serve the offset, web, and flexo industries with the most up-to-date repair technology available. Write 606 American Die Technology Anvil rolls and printing cylinders for narrow-web flexo equipment with web widths to 30˝. Write 607, Visit

AAA PRESS INTERNATIONAL Web cleaning systems, anilox roll cleaners.Visit www.aaapress.com, ABSOLUTELY MICRO*CLEAN Micro*Clean uses plastic media to deep-clean rolls. The well-proven method is used off-press in an enclosed, automated blast cabinet. Media is cleaned/recycled for reduced costs and elimination of hazardous waste. Write 296, Visit www.microcleanintl.com BST PRO MARK Complete line of single and dual-sided "contact" cleaning systems. Visit www.bstpromark.com COMEXI GROUP/ENVIROXI Offers the EVI 2000/2600 Parts Washing unit, the EVT 1500/2000/2700 Parts Washing Unit, and the EV-25/50 VAC Solvent Recovery Unit. Visit www.comexi.com Conversource Conversource is a distributor of consumable supplies and accessory equipment for the flexographic pressroom. The company

Advanced Prepress Graphics Flexo prepress tradeshop producing Cyrel high-definition flexo plates and film. Visit www.flexoprepress.com Agfa Offers the Thermostar P970-ideal for VLF applications-and the Thermostar P971 thermal imaging plate. Visit www.agfa.com ANDERSON & VREELAND Complete selection of digital prepress systems and conventional photopolymer plate processors and plate mounters. Platemaking materials include a broad range of solvent and water-wash sheet photopolymer, liquid photopolymer, rubber compounds, matrix and accessories. Visit andersonvreeland.com BASF Corp. Offers full line of nyloflex®, nyloprint® photopolymer printing plates, platemaking equipment for flexographic, letterpress, gravure applications; and K+E inks for sheetfed, web offset printing. Visit basf.com/printingsystems Beta Industries The Betaflex 334

With benefits stemming from the improved quality of digital plates, CtP for flexo is making its presence known. by Tom Polischuk, Editor-in-Chief WITH COMPUTER-TO-PLATE (CtP) technology for flexographic printing nearing its pre-teen years, its benefits are having a significant impact throughout the industry. These benefits are derived from the elimination of film and the on-press efficiencies stemming from improved quality plates. Frances Cicogna, packaging segment marketing manager for Agfa, points out a major difference between the current state of CtP for flexo vs. CtP for offset. "Computer-to-offset is a direct-image process in which the plate is exposed via the laser. Computer-to-flexo uses a digital

A review of the top issues concerning doctor blades. THE ARTISTRY OF doctoring the doctor blade is giving way to science. Tom Allison, president of Allison Systems (Riverside, N.J.), remembers when he used to ask his dad what the press operators were doing as he watched them prepare the doctor blade for printing. After hushing his son, Allison's father would say, "Pressmen are frustrated artists; each one has his own 'pallet' of special things he feels that he alone can do to make 'great art' come off the press." Where once true—when the performance of the doctor blade depended solely upon the operator's set-up—now