Shilp Gravures, one of Asia’s largest gravure cylinder makers, has installed Esko CDI Crystal 5080 imager with XPS Crystal 5080 exposure unit in a bid to deliver the best possible plate quality with high level of consistency and repeatability. “We were using the Esko CDI Spark 4260 for last 10 years. So, to increase our plate making production levels, we decided to go for the CDI Crystal 5080. The high level of automation makes the CDI Crystal XPS configuration the ultimate push-button plate production solution,” said Gajanan Bhavsar, marketing director at Shilp Gravures.
According to Bhavsar, by combining the CDI Crystal 5080 with the XPS Crystal 5080, flexo platemaking will consolidate into a far more efficient workflow. The CDI Crystal 5080 XPS offers distinct benefits such as: reduced manual steps; reduced errors – less plate waste; and reduced operator time. “Instead of sending a flexo plate through up to seven manual steps, it now becomes a coordinated, linear process,” explains Bhavsar.
“With the CDI Crystal 5080 we can expose 6 to 8 wide-web flexible packaging plates at a time. The laser of the machine is also fast and so it takes comparatively lesser exposing time. In addition, the patented LED UV light technology in the innovative XPS Crystal allows precise and simultaneous back and main exposure,” he added.
Bhavsar is quite optimistic about the flexo market in India. He said, “Because of the ban in single-use plastics, the use of wide-web CI flexo presses will increase for printing on polyethylene (PE) materials which can be only printed on CI presses. So to enjoy benefits of PE which is 100% recylable, most of the big gravure printers are going for wide-web CI flexo presses. Today, in Gujarat there are 7 to 8 wide-web CI flexo presses. With our new Esko kit, we are able to supply them flexo plates even faster with unmatched relief, image consistency and perfectly formed flat-top dots.”
He added, “The corrugated industry in India is also doing quite well. New corrugated companies are coming up and these companies are investing in machines that require bigger flexo plate size of 2.2 meters. With the Esko CDI Crystal 5080, we are able cater to these kinds of jobs as well. In addition, the white goods market is also growing. So we believe, with the new investment, we can achieve 40 to 50% boost in our flexo business.”
The flexo business of Shilp Gravures is also powered by a Kodak Flexcel NX Wide 50×80 system, installed in 2018, making it the first company in India to install the Kodak Flexcel NX Wide 50×80 system. Many of Shilp Gravures’ customer for flexo plates are existing customers whom the company has been supplying gravure cylinders for last 25 years. Shilp makes more than 5000 gravure cylinders a month for these customers.
