XSYS has announced the market launch of the ThermoFlexX Catena-E 80 T exposure unit in the United States. “The arrival of Catena-E is extremely timely because the flexo industry is facing pressing needs for higher definition imaging, increased speeds, and more sustainable ways of making photopolymer printing plates,” said Dan Rosen, sales director national accounts for North America. “On the back of having thoroughly tested this innovative technology throughout Europe, Asia, and Canada, where we have seen tremendous success, I’m very pleased to say that XSYS is now bringing Catena-E to the US.”

LED technology offers consistent output for higher quality and lower operating costs with LEDs that are instantaneously stable, which also means that no time is wasted waiting for the machine to warm up. “With increasingly automated production, the flexo pre-press industry is looking to LED as the next evolution in platemaking. Unfortunately, the options available have been extremely limited until now,” Dan continued. “What XSYS is bringing to the market is a completely open and much more efficient Hybrid exposing system with higher processing speeds and significant sustainability benefits in terms of less plate waste and lower energy usage.”

The ThermoFlexX Catena-E 80 T unit uses high-intensity precision LED’s for the Main Exposure process offering exceptional reproduction of even the finest relief elements and the highest possible print quality. Suitable for nearly all types of plates on the market, the system eliminates oxygen effects, which allows customers to transition into flat-top dot exposure with standard plates or to process plates with inherent flat-top dot technology. This includes the nyloflex® FTV Digital, a new LED-optimized plate from XSYS, which is aimed specifically at the high-end flexible packaging segment.

Visitors to the recently expanded XSYS technical center and demo facility in Charlotte, NC, will soon be able to experience the ThermoFlexX Catena-E 80 T live in action. The new unit will be set up in the technical lab to run in line with a ThermoFlexX TFxX 80 imager to demonstrate fully automated plate imaging and exposure in one simple process. This is enabled by a unique interface with a rover plate moving system and bridge combined with intelligent plate transport and smart run-off, eliminating all the risks associated with manual handling.

“Having the Catena-E 80 T unit in our demo center will allow people to test their own files and evaluate the operation of the equipment and the high-speed benefits in real-time. When they can see the operation up close, they will better understand the fail-safes, the design quality, and the engineering that went into the development,” said Eric Gibbs, managing director for plates. “We are excited for customers to bring their own production staff, so they can experience the big operational efficiency gains that are available to them with our very competitive solution.”

Across the border in Canada, two early adopters are harvesting the benefits of ThermoFlexX Catena-E technology. Tempo Flexible Packaging in Innisfil, north of Toronto, Ontario, installed a Catena-E 48 unit and quickly witnessed a big difference in the productivity of the plate room. The company needed to replace an older conventional bank exposure unit that was causing some quality issues. “Right away, the Catena-E solved our problems and there was a dramatic improvement in the print quality,” said Craig Labossier, print technical services manager at Tempo.

Flexoleed in Montreal, which serves customers in all of the Quebec province, has also recently moved from bank exposure to LED technology. Dominic Desgagnés, technical director, expressed the company’s great satisfaction with the new equipment, saying, “We are very happy with the stability of the new ThermoFlexX Catena-E 80; the details are sharp, and the plate floors are even. The transition from our old exposure unit was also well executed and we found the whole process to be quick and efficient.”

For XSYS North America, the arrival of the Catena-E 80 T in the US represents a crucial step in the plan to install a fully automated ThermoFlexX Catena+ end-to-end platemaking line, which is due to be available for live demonstrations at the Charlotte facility later this year. Dan concluded, “As XSYS, we are investing heavily in operations across the globe to allow customers full access to our wide portfolio of solutions and to give them the opportunity to speak face-to-face with our experts. Now that pandemic restrictions are a thing of the past, it is full steam ahead for XSYS North America.”