At Labelexpo Europe 2017, Asahi Photoproducts will be showcase its AWP of water-washable flexographic plate solutions featuring Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer. The company will be present on Stand 5A34 at the show.
Akihiro Kato, managing director of Asahi Photoproducts Europe, says, “At the show, our experts will be on hand to help visitors better understand how Asahi AWP plates can improve OEE and profitability without any compromise in quality. Visitors to our stand will also be able to see printed application examples and get advice from our experts about the best plates for their individual needs.”
Asahi experts will also be available to speak with visitors about fixed color palette printing, which uses a fixed palette of up to seven inks to virtually eliminate the need for spot color inks. Because it uses a fixed set of inks, there is no wash-up required between jobs, and combo jobs are made easier. Asahi plates with Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer deliver the precise plate-to-plate register required to implement this printing process successfully. “In our opinion,” adds Kato “this is the future of flexography, especially for flexible packaging, and favourably positions flexography to compete with digital printing for all but the very shortest runs.”
New at Labelexpo from Asahi Photoproducts is the AWP-DEW plate solution, incorporating the renowned quality properties of AWP-DEF plates with the addition of a faster plate processing speed, making this plate ideal for labels and packaging operations with higher plate throughput looking to achieve significant quality and OEE benefits.
Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer allows a kiss-touch printing pressure setting. It makes use of low plate surface tension, made possible by a specially engineered Asahi polymer chemistry, to inhibit liquid flow. The ink forms a globule, with a large contact angle and high pinning point. This results in a cleaner and more homogeneous ink transfer from plate to substrate, helping flexographic printers meet the ever-increasing quality demands of their customers.