1. New Innovations in Plates and Sleeves
Rich Emmerling
Technical Manager
New Innovations in Plates and Sleeves

2. Flint Group Flexographic Products
Comprehensive Expertise in Flexographic Printing

3. Flint Group: Powerful Roots

4. Flint Group History
November 2004 CVC acquired ANI Inks and BASF Printing Systems.
September 2005 XSYS acquired Flint Ink, a privately owned company with operations in USA, Europe, Latin America, Asia and India/Pacific.
Integration of these businesses lead to creation of Flint Group, number two ink supplier worldwide.
In 2007 Day International was integrated into Flint Group.
2008 Flint Group Printing Plates and rotec became Flint Group Flexographic Products.

5. Flint Group Overview 2011 Sales: €2.2 billion (US$ 3 billion)
Number of employees: 6 900
>170 company sites in over 40 countries
Global network of partners and distributors

6. Flint Group Locations Worldwide

7. Flint Group – Business Segments
Flint Group’s products are everywhere in our daily life and can be split into two segments:
Packaging Products
Print Media Products

8. Flint Group – Products Packaging Print Media Packaging inks
Packaging and Narrow Web
Flexographic Products
Europe
Americas
Asia-Pacific
Packaging inks
Inks for labels and other narrow web printing applications
Sleeves and adapters for flexo and offset printing
Photopolymer printing plates for flexo and letterpress applications
Processing equipment
Printing inks for heatset, coldset, sheetfed, gravure and specialty printing
Lithographic printing blankets and sleeves
Pressroom chemicals
Pigments

9. Flexographic Products - Extensive Product Range
rotec®
nylosolv®
Sleeves and adapters
Printing plates for
Flexible packaging
Label printing
Corrugated (Pre- and postprint)
Ready-to-image ITR Sleeves
Processing equipment
Washout solvents
Printing plates for
Label printing
Tubes, cups and tins printing
Security printing
Pad printing
Embossing & hot moulding
Processing equipment
nyloflex®
nyloprint®

10. Worldwide Presence Distributors in more than 100 countries
Main Offices
Germany, Stuttgart*
Subsidiaries
Australia
Brazil
China*
Denmark
France
Netherland
Spain UK
USA*
Production sites
Plates, equipment and washout solvents
Germany, Willstätt**
Sleeves and adapters
Germany, Ahaus**
Czech Republic, Chrastava
USA, Asheville
Distributors in more than 100 countries
* holding Technical Center
** holding R&D Center

11. Market Shares World 2011: Photopolymer Printing Plates
Data Source: internal estimations

12. Market Shares World 2011: Sleeves
Data Source: internal estimations

13. Topics The NEW nyloflex® ACE: The Benchmark for High Quality Flexo
nyloflex® NExT Exposure Technology: High Definition, Flat Top Dots & Surface Screening
Improvements With Solid Ink Density
High Opacity Values Using Less Ink
Fit For Flat Top Dot Technology

14. Introducing nyloflex® New ACE

15. nyloflex® ACE - Why Change a Proven Winner?..
Introduced in 2001 quickly becoming market standard for high quality print
Confirmed by numerous print awards throughout the years

16. nyloflex® ACE – What Could Be Improved?
Plate Room
Press Room
Reliability and Productivity
Higher quality ingredients
Stable color, less tack improves handling and is more user friendly
No change in pre-press necessary
Performance and Cost
Better solvent resistance
Improved ink transfer, fewer press stops
Compatibility with new plate technologies

17. The NEW nyloflex® ACE – Physical Properties
62 Shore A (DIN 53505), same as previous nyloflex® ACE
Designed for solvent, water and UV curable flexographic inks
Improved overall image quality and color stability, with a brighter green color

18. Comparison of ACE and NEW ACE
Nearly identical dot area
Can use same files
Verified in trials
Dot Percent on Print
Dot Percent on Plate
Dot Percent in File

19. The NEW nyloflex® ACE – Customers’ Feedback
“As a leading printer of confectionary bars we ran 1,500,000 ft and no cleaning of the plates was needed.”
“…label printing job with the NEW nyloflex® ACE Digital ran 200,000 ft, no stops for cleaning were necessary.”
“We printed 1,000,000 ft of pet food bags without cleaning (normally we stop to clean after 500,000 ft); We were able to run the job 175 fpm faster and saved 7.5 hours in press time!”
“A difficult hygiene packaging job 650,000 ft could be printed without stop for cleaning - constant print quality over the whole production run.”
“We ran 70,000 lbs of film substrate on the potato chips job with only one set of NEW nyloflex® ACE Digital where previously we needed to replace the plates after 30,000 lbs.”
“High speed flexible packaging job, 1,650,000 ft printed without cleaning.”
“110,000 ft diapers job with showed excellent ink transfer and the reduced ink consumption for achieving target density.”

20. nyloflex® NExT Exposure Technology
The NEW nyloflex® ACE –
nyloflex® NExT Exposure Technology
Outstanding performance with HD Flexo screening
Designed to work well with both digital Round Top Dots as well as Flat Top Dots

21. Improving Solid Ink Density Combining Plate and Surface Screening Technologies

22. Topics Surface Screening - Solid Ink Density
Surface Screening – Opacity
Flat Top Dot Approaches
Fit For Flat Top Dot Plates

23. Improve SID and smoothness
Basic advice: Optimize parameters
Harder plate cushion, more ink, substrate treatment, etc.
Problem is that an improvement HERE may take away from THERE...
1.2
1.4

24. Minimize or control mottle
Better method: Surface Screening
In use for a long time
Many versions throughout the years, but idea remains the same – textured plate surface reduces mottle through better ink distribution and coverage
Screenings historically 300 – 600 LPI
Use 90-97% Tint in Solids
Plate Cell Patterning
Digicap
Groovy Screening

25. Reasons for Dot Shapes
The oxygen effect during exposure of digital flexo plates
Conventional exposure
with film negative and UV-A tubes
Digital exposure
with LAMS-layer and UV-A tubes UV UV UV UV UV O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2
Dot gain
Dot reduction
Dot reduction
due to the
oxygen effect

26. Reasons for Dot Shapes
The oxygen effect during exposure of digital flexo plates
Conventional exposure
with film negative and UV-A tubes
Digital exposure
with LAMS-layer and UV-A tubes UV UV UV UV UV O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2 O2
Tonwertreduktion
Dot reduction
due to the
oxygen effect

27. Plate with different surface screens
Ablated Mask
Digital w/ O2
Flat Top
MicroCell
MC8
800 LPI @ 4000
2X2 Pixel
Checkerboard

28. Print results Plate= Solid Low Screens (<800 LPI) Mid Screens
High Screens
(>1000 LPI)
Digital with O2
1.32
+/- 0.09
1.43
+/- 0.15
1.30
+/- 0.13
+/- 0.12
Flat Top
1.35
+/- 0.11
1.54
1.64
Based on 22 Print Trials

29. Crosslinking w/o oxygen effect
The Potential
Crosslinking w/o oxygen effect
Solid screening with oxygen effect
Solid screening without oxygen effect

30. What About White Opacity?
Can Surface Screens Using Flat Top Dot Technology Improve Opacity With Solid Whites?

31. Purpose
Gain an understanding of the optimum plate durometer, cushion tape and surface screening parameters to maximize white opacity readings at high press speeds.

32. Plates (High Speed Test)
Plates – Digital (0.067”)
FAM D and ACE D (Flat Top Dot)
Cushion Tape – (0.020”)
3M 1920, 3M 1020 and 3M 1820
Surface Screening
Microcell DPI
17 Patterns One Smooth Solid

33. Press Conditions Press – Wide Web Flexible Packaging
Anilox – 220 lpi/9.0 bcm
Ink – Flint High Speed Surface White
Viscosity – 28 seconds
Press Speed – 1200 ft/min.
Substrate – Polyester

34. Test Target

35. High Values Of Plate And Tape
Contrast Ratio Function

36. Values Ranked By Surface Screening Value
These are the highest opacity readings found for each of the SS parameters. As you can see there is a high range of aprox 2%. The dark blue bar is the non SS patch
Contrast Ratio Function

37. Second Test
Evaluate opacity using lower anilox volume and Flat Top Dot surface screening parameters.
Will there be a greater differences in opacity using lower anilox volumes?
Will this reduce ink consumption while delivering acceptable opacity?

38. Press Conditions Press – Wide Web Flexible Packaging
Anilox – 440 lpi/5.5 bcm
Ink – High Speed Surface White
Viscosity – 28 seconds
Press Speed – 1200 ft/min.
Substrate – Polyester

39. Opacity – FAM D & 3M 1820 Cushion Tape
MC 2X3N
FAM D 3M 1820
Opacity 64.6%
No Surface Screening
FAM D 3M 1820
Opacity % 61.8
(440 lpi/5.5 bcm)
Contrast Ratio Function

40. Opacity – ACE D & 3M 1820 Cushion Tape
MC 3X3C
ACE D 3M 1820
Opacity 64.1%
No Surface Screening
ACE D 3M 1820
Opacity 60.8%
(440 lpi/5.5 bcm)
Contrast Ratio Function

41. Coating Weight and Opacity
Contrast Ratio Function

42. Conclusions
Flat Top Dot technology allows for a greater level of detail at the surface.
Surface screening reduced pinholes and increased the opacity.
Increasing the modulus of the cushion tape increased opacity.

43. Conclusions
Higher opacity levels were achieved using surface screening allowing for the use of lower anilox volumes and potentially eliminating the need for a double bump.

44. FTD Approaches

45. “Flat Top Dot” Technology
Kodax NX
Film lamination on special CTP device similar to offset Trendsetter laser
Requires special laser, special film consumable, requires use of special Kodak plate material
Format up to 42x60” size

46. “Flat Top Dot” Technology
MacDermid LUX
Lamination of film material to plate with some heat and pressure
Requires laminator and special film

47. “Flat Top Dot” Technology
DuPont Digiflow® (aka Digicorr)
Retrofit to older top lift exposure units or equipped on new exposure units.
Pumps nitrogen & oxygen gas mixture onto the plate

48. “Flat Top Dot” Technology
Esko Inline UV
Retrofit or new machine with LED diode parts
Used for both flexo and letterpress plates

49. Flint Group‘s Solution for Flat Top Dots and Surface Screening
nyloflex® NExT?
Flint Group‘s Solution for Flat Top Dots and Surface Screening

50. reduction of oxygen inhibition effect
NExT exposure process
reduction of oxygen inhibition effect
oxygen exclusion
inertisation
oxygen barrier
use of auxiliaries: inert gas (nitrogen)
use of auxiliaries: film consumption
additional processing step (risk, costs)
inert gas consumption and risk
acceleration of polymerization speed
New high intensity UV exposure
high intensity UV irradiation for strong surface cure + conventional UV tubes exposure for through-cure

51. New approach of Flint Group
Two step exposure
Combination of UV-A LEDs with UV-A tubes
Step 1 – High intensity UV LED surface crosslinking
Step 2 – Through-cure with conventional UV tubes

52. nyloflex® NExT Operation

53. Precise reproduction nyloflex® NExT
Digitally imaged LAMS layer and nyloflex® NExT technology O2 UV
Almost 1:1 copy

54. NExT Plate Image Samples
3 pt font (2540 dpi) (transmitted light)
3 pt font (2540 dpi) (reflected light)

55. NExT Plate Image Samples
5% (2540 dpi) (transmitted light)
5% (2540 dpi) (reflected light)

56. NExT Plate Image Samples
2% (2540 dpi) (transmitted light)
2% (2540 dpi) (reflected light)

57. 3% data @146lpi (2540 dpi) (transmitted light)
NExT Plate Image Samples
3% (2540 dpi) (transmitted light)

58. nyloflex® NExT – Processing Equipment
nyloflex® NExT Exposure FIII
Mid size exposure unit
Format 920 x 1200 mm (47.2 x 36.2“)
nyloflex® NExT Exposure FV
Large size exposure unit
Format 1320 x 2032 mm (52 x 80“)

59. UV LED module Electrical connectors water connection for cooling
Housing with cooling profile
LEDs with optics and quatrz glass 59

60. NExT UV LED Bar 49.4” radiation width even with one module out
Modular system → 12 x 4.5“
Radiation length = 53.9“
49.4” radiation width even with one module out
Ethernet port for each module for remote diagnosis / recovery at manufacturer

61. The Benefits of nyloflex® NExT
High-intensity LEDs (> 800 mW/cm2) for highest productivity
Consistent UV emission guarantees long-term repeatability  Production consistency, especially for repeat orders
Easy-to-use – requires no additional processing steps or consumables (such as lamination, inert gas etc.)
Suitable for all digital flexo plates – any plate type, thickness & format  High flexibility
Compatible with all standard prepress software & HD Flexo
Easy implementation into existing digital workflow

62. nyloflex® NExT

63. nyloflex® NExT

64. Do Not Forget The Tooling
New plate and FTD exposure technologies assist in moving the quality target upward.
However, are your sleeve and bridges up to this task?
When was the last sleeve audit performed?
An upgrade in this area may also be necessary.

65. Thanks for your attention! Questions?
Flint Group Flexographic Products
Extensive product range
Customer oriented service
Excellent technical knowledge
Global presence
Innovative solutions
Thanks for your attention! Questions?
Rich Emmerling
Technical Manager