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New Facility Highlights WetFlex ECTM System
Ko-Pack and ESI Join Sun Chemical To Outfit Demonstration Center
Carlstadt, NJ
- September 29, 2003 -- Sun Chemical will open a demonstration site at its Daniel J. Carlick Technical Center here to showcase the unique capabilities of its patented WetFlex ECTM printing process and its UniQureTM inks. This revolutionary liquid ink system, introduced in the last year, allows the use of wet-trapping, Energy Curable inks on a Central Impression Drum (CID) flexographic press, without the use of drying.
The center features a Ko-Pack® 400-F CID press and Energy Science Inc.’s EZCure® electron beam curing unit, configured to demonstrate how these technologies can be combined to produce cutting-edge flexible packaging products. The WetFlex process uses the UniQure ink system of energy curable inks, which cure instantaneously after the printed image is exposed to an electron beam installed in-line after the central impression cylinder. Until this technology was introduced, both dryers and overhead ovens had been required in order to dry flexo inks adequately.
"The integrated press set-up in Carlstadt represents a collaborative effort between Sun Chemical, ESI and Ko-Pack to roll out a totally new technology that is revolutionary, not evolutionary," said Mike McGovern, Director, Energy Curable Inks and Coatings Sales and Marketing, Sun Chemical. "Our aim is to use this demonstration site to show interested packaging converters that this new technology exists, is real and it works."
Sun Chemical expects to complete installation of the press and EB unit in early October. When installation is complete, the three companies will invite interested parties to view the new ink technology in action. It is the ability of the inks to trap over printed inks while wet that makes the system unique. This can be done independently of color laydown sequence and without interstation drying or curing during production of multicolor printing jobs on non-absorbent substrates.
Prior to development of the WetFlex technology, EB flexo inks did not exist. By utilizing this optimized arrangement in Carlstadt, McGovern said, Sun Chemical, Ko-Pack and ESI will show that the innovative WetFlex system is commercially viable and that its use on CID presses equipped with EB curing offers an attractive alternative to current drying methods.
"This is a very exciting endeavor with a lot of upside potential," said Ed Maguire, ESI Vice President of Marketing and Sales. "This combination of technologies will give printers the ability to print wet-trap inks and either coat or laminate in-line using EB coatings or adhesives - all with a single curing unit." He also pointed out that ESI’s EB unit is capable of curing UniQure inks at speeds up to 1,200 feet per minute on webs up to 66 inches wide.
The Ko-Pack 400-F press at Sun Chemical’s facility has a 15-inch web and six color stations. The press is available in web widths of 400mm and 600mm and is designed for non-pressure sensitive applications - wrap-round labels, shrinkable sleeves and stretch labels for beverage bottling. This versatile CID flexo press ensures precise register and many optional processing variables.
Jim Anzai, President, Ko-Pack America, said: "The WetFlex process on a CID press with either EB or UV curing answers market demands for an operation with high quality, faster make-ready and shorter, but profitable, runs for flexible packaging."
McGovern said the WetFlex system offers many advantages. "This unique liquid ink system is designed to perform on a variety of substrates used in flexible packaging. UniQure inks will enhance productivity by requiring thinner ink films to achieve required densities and opacities. These inks also offer excellent printability in process printing and very fine highlight dots. In Carlstadt, we can demonstrate how WetFlex will produce sophisticated process print that would allow converters to make full use of extended gamut systems."
With no solvents and no VOCs, UniQure inks are ideal for use in food packaging applications, he said, adding that these special formulations print with very little dot gain. They eliminate the capital and operating costs of drying, and the CID can be beneficial in registration control.
Maguire said in recent years flexible packaging converters have invested heavily in flexo because of its cost benefits. The WetFlex process represents the next huge step in flexo quality and efficiency, he said.
"With the packaging market poised for annual growth of 4% to 5% over the next several years, we believe WetFlex could play a significant role in helping flexible packaging converters gain market share," McGovern said.
About Ko-Pack
Ko-Pack began in Japan in the 1930s, and established several pressure-sensitive label manufacturing facilities in Japan throughout the 1960s. Ko-Pack then responded to the overseas demand for quality and specialized printing in 1977 with the export of its presses to worldwide markets. In the 1990s, Ko-Pack introduced the widest central impression U.V. letterpress in the industry and also unveiled U.V. rotary screen and flexo cavity systems. Since then, Ko-Pack has established divisions in Japan, Singapore, England, and the United States, with representatives throughout South America, and has established its presence with its trademark All-In-One-Pass press designed to combine printing processes for production of prime and specialty labels, cartons, coupons, flexible packaging, and exclusive multi-layered labels. For further information visit our website at www.ko-pack.com.
About Energy Sciences Inc.
Located in Wilmington, Massachusetts just north of Boston, Energy Sciences, Inc. (ESI) is a subsidiary of the Tokyo based Iwasaki Electric Corporation. With over 1600 employees, sales in excess of US $800 million and a core competence in light sources, Iwasaki is one of the world's largest suppliers of light energy. Iwasaki is also one of the world's largest vertically integrated manufacturers of UV Curing systems, and their relationship with ESI gives them access to ESI's renowned expertise in EB technology, thereby providing both companies with a complete arsenal of EB and UV Curing solutions.
About Sun Chemical
Sun Chemical, the world's largest producer of printing inks and pigments, is a leading provider of materials to packaging, publication, coatings, plastics, cosmetics, and other industrial markets. With annual sales of more than $3 billion, Sun Chemical has over 12,500 employees supporting customers around the world. The Sun Chemical Group of companies includes such well-known names as Vivitek, Coates Lorilleux, Gibbon, Hartmann, Kohl & Madden, Swale, Usher-Walker and US Ink. In addition, Sun Chemical has many joint ventures, with the largest being its $1.5 billion Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG) joint venture with Eastman Kodak. KPG is a world leader in prepress products, services and equipment.
Sun Chemical Corporation in the United States of America and Sun Chemical Limited in England are subsidiaries of Sun Chemical Group B.V., the Netherlands. Sun Chemical has headquarters in Fort Lee, New Jersey, U.S.A.; Watford, England; and Weesp, the Netherlands. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.sunchemical.com.
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