August 2008 Issue
AB Graphic Offers Short-Run Rotary Screen Capability
BOXMEER, Netherlands—A new intermittent screen printing unit, designed by Stork Prints for AB Graphic International’s 330 mm-wide Digicon Series 2 modular converting line, is proving to be a resounding success, with several orders placed in the first months of its launch. A special feature of the unit is Stork’s patented intermittent-contact squeegee system. This eliminates the problem of mesh-stretching, by only applying downward pressure against the screen, while the mesh makes contact with the substrate. When the screen assumes the off-contact position, the squeegee pressure is immediately disengaged. Intermittent printing systems enable substantial savings in tooling costs and changeover time. Between impressions, the web
Air Motion Systems Relocates to Minneapolis Area
ARVADA, Colo.—Air Motion Systems, Inc. (AMS) has relocated to a new, expanded facility in River Falls, Wis., centrally located just east of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. The 36,000-square-foot facility doubles the size of the company’s existing operation in Arvada, Colo. and more than triples its production capacity. The new building was designed and built from the ground up to be eligible for ‘green’ certification based on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The LEED program is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council and serves as a benchmark in the United States for energy-efficient, sustainable building design. The new building will become the
Designing for Flexo
Flexographic printing has come a long way, baby! It’s not your father’s printing process anymore (not even your older sister’s). Flexography has made huge technological gains in many areas, resulting in print quality improvements that have allowed it to rival the benchmark standards established by gravure and offset printing. These improvements, combined with some of its cost advantages, have allowed flexo printing to become a major force in the package-printing arena. “The flexo print process has made great strides in the last decade,” says Darko Martinovic, managing director, SGS Evolution Designworks. “Advances such as hybrid screening, photopolymer plates, direct-to-plate technology, and gearless presses
Excellence Awards — Yes They Did!
When presented with a challenge, MPI Label Systems stepped up to the plate, impressing its customer, as well as the judges of this year’s packagePRINTING Excellence Awards.
Films for the Future
Film materials have enjoyed increased usage in the packaging arena for many years now, and this trend will no doubt continue. There are, however, significant, broad-based considerations that will impact the nature and degree of its overall growth in the years ahead. A couple of these considerations you have undoubtedly heard of (if you haven’t, you probably couldn’t count yourself among the living). One is the general upward trend in oil costs, also known as skyrocketing oil prices. The other is sustainability, which is being driven by a growing consensus that we are simply consuming the earth’s resources too rapidly and leaving behind
Instant Attention Grabber
This month and next month, packagePRINTING will cover two types of packaging enhancements closely linked together: stamping and embossing, and next month, foil decorating. According to Steve Lee, vice president and director of technical support with RotoMetrics, “Stamping and embossing have quickly become recognized as value enhancements.” It’s well known that consumers experience a tremendous amount of visual noise as they peruse store shelves. “In the competitive retail world,” says Christopher Raney, vice president, folding carton, Bobst, “you need a package to stand out on the shelf. Whether it is foil or embossing, they will both make a difference.” Jim Kingsby, technical service manger,
Making Ends Meet. . .Fast
As finishing processes move into the pressroom, it becomes essential for printers to know how they will fit into their overall business plans and what products are out there to help them enhance their offerings to their customers. Splicing is one area that has seen significant advancements in recent years. We splice whatever you have One of the most significant improvements across the board for splicers has been their ability to splice extremely weak, flimsy, or exotic materials at high speeds, according to Rich Herbert, technical sales manager, CTC International. Splicers can now run a wide range of materials with minimal changeover. The ability
Marathons and More —Tom Polischuk
Let the games begin! Thank God for the summer Olympics. For at least a two-week period, the news in our country was dominated by something other than another marathon contest that is taking place, not in Beijing, China, but in the good old U.S. of A. The other marathon, of course, is the run for the Oval Office, which seems as though it has been going on since Pheidippides ran the first marathon in 490 B.C. The printing industry’s version of the Olympics, drupa, took place during the Spring trade show season. Also held every four years, it dominated our news in much
Parmaco Global Graphics to Move Elk Grove Village Plant
MARIETTA, Ga.—Pamarco Global Graphics will be moving its Elk Grove Village plant in Illinois (focused on the recovery of their Diamond brand rollers) to Wheeling (which manufactures Syn-tac rollers), as part of the strategy for integrating their group’s offset division. Work is underway to reorganize the Wheeling facility to allow for a dedicated large roller recovery cell, which will consist of the team and equipment from Elk Grove Village. Bill Ford, president PPG Diamond stated, “The benefits of this move are many. The obvious financial savings in plant overhead will enable us to maintain a competitive edge at a time when material, distribution,
Polywest USA To Open New Facility
APPLETON, Wis.—Polywest USA will open a new 10,000+ square foot manufacturing and sales/warehouse facility in Appleton, Wis. on Sept. 1. The company says that the new facility will feature leading-edge equipment required to manufacture Polywest sleeves, laboratory and testing equipment for quality control, and the latest inventory management systems for fast turnaround and delivery of sleeves throughout North America. The sleeves to be manufactured in the new Appleton facility will initially include the Rubin Sleeve—a build-up, plate-mounting sleeve for use in flexographic printing applications. Polywest USA’s new manufacturing facility is located at 2900 North Roemer Road, Appleton, WI 54911. For further information call 920-738-6828,
Sani-Blast Promotes Economic Stimulus Package
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.—Sani-Blast, LLC of Spring Grove, Minn. is guaranteeing 2008 delivery of equipment orders placed by Nov. 1 to help printers take advantage of the potential tax benefits of the 2008 Economic Stimulus Package. Using these accelerated tax deductions is a way businesses can profit in the economic downturn. A company may be able to deduct more than 50 percent of the price of a Sani-Blast Anilox Roll Cleaning System from its 2008 tax bill. Visit www.sba.gov/stimulus to see how the stimulus package impacts businesses, and consult a tax specialist to determine exactly how the economic stimulus package could benefit your business.
Start Your Journey with Your Customer
Printers like to hear their presses running, because hopefully money is being made and customer demands are being met. But shorter runs can tie up a press with more frequent setups. Integrating short print runs into an overall business plan isn’t as easy as it might sound. To accommodate customer demand for these types of runs, a package printer must do its homework long before actually accepting the orders. Impact of shorter runs Print jobs that are shorter than the norm impact printers’ businesses and business operations, but not necessarily negatively as long as they are proactive. “Our short-run sales increased by 50 percent
The Right Tools for the Job
What will I look like? How will I perform? If a package could ask questions, these might be among the first and most important it would pose. The answers are less elusive than they used to be, thanks to the development of automated workflows that understand the complex nature of packaging work. However, for mixed commercial and packaging printers wanting to increase the amount of repeat packaging work they take on, or for pure commercial printers wanting to tap the potentially lucrative packaging market, it is important to grasp that their familiar thinking in pages and jobs no longer applies and also that
Wide-Format Equipment to be Displayed at Graph Expo
RESTON, Va.—Graphic communications professionals seeking the latest wide-format imaging technologies and equipment will find them at GRAPH EXPO® 2008, all highly visible across the show floor and more densely clustered in the Wide Format Pavilion. This year’s show will be held Oct. 26-29, in Chicago’s McCormick Place. More than 600 exhibitors, including the industry’s top wide-format manufacturers and suppliers, will showcase a full range of graphic communications equipment across 450,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space. The Wide Format Pavilion debuted six years ago with a mere five companies in a 30 x 40-ft. space and has since become a must-see showcase for everything
Yes They Did!
When the judges of this year’s Excellence Awards began examining the more than 200 entries, it was like watching kids in a candy store. And, the judges were excited for good reason. packagePRINTING received a great collection of entries this year. But, the entry that took front and center was a wine label submitted by MPI Label Systems of California (MPI, Calif.). The label, produced for Lodi Vineyards’ Windmill Estates Chardonnay, part of the Michael-David Winery’s family of wines, impressed judges with its complexity, aesthetics, embossing, tight tolerances, and small type. “I think it’s a combination of technical difficulty and overall aesthetics,” said Joe
