The drastic increase in the cost of electricity, heating, water and many of the raw materials used in flexographic printing is causing a radical change in thinking about our business. Every flexo printer is now focusing on finding solutions to reduce production costs. It is becoming a major challenge to maintain a high level of print quality, increase productivity while reducing costs to maintain production profitability. Where are the huge costs hiding in the pre-press and postpress departments? How can they be reduced?
Polymer processing - where are the huge costs hidden?
- Solvent-washed flexographic plates - NYLOSOLV or SOLVIT use about 6 liters per m² during processing. The increase in solvent prices today is significant.
- During processing, the polymer absorbs a large portion of solvents, which causes it to swell, and the plates must then undergo a drying process that takes 2 to 3 hours. Printers most often use electric blowers for this, which run non-stop to dry the polymer and ensure continuous production. With current electricity rates, the cost of drying solvent plates is enormous.
- The time spent processing the solvent plate is a labor cost that could be better used to produce the finished product;
- The cost of disposing of liquid production waste including solvents is rising all the time;
- Costs of impact on work environment, operators not to mention....
- in tandem with solvent processors are often powered advanced ventilation systems, vapor boosters, etc;
- for companies that distill solvents thanks to the fact that they have the right technology, their electricity consumption is significant. CO2 emissions are also not insignificant. It is also obvious that such an investment involves significant costs associated with ventilation systems.
- if the printing house uses an external pre-press, then the waiting time for a ready printing plate is calculated not in hours, but in days. The cost of the service is getting higher considering the above, and the lost time causes unplanned downtime and generates losses. A separate issue is the increasing cost of logistics between the printing house and the external pre-press.
Show me the money!!!
Water-washed plate
Water plate is the shortest processing time for the plate, which is 45 minutes. The process does not use aggressive solvents. The water-washed plate does not swell, thus requiring only 10 minutes of drying. Elimination of solvent means big savings in cost, time and energy. The water-washed plate meets high quality properties. Fine flat top points, durable even at very long print runs and high printing speeds, without the effect of uncontrolled ink pick-up, is what printers value water-washed polymers for. Even the smallest rasters on the printing plate get a base and shape that allows for stable and repeatable printing.
In-house CTP pre-press
In-house water pre-press, in-house plate preparation means the ability to produce reproducible and boothardized prints, and the durability of plates in archiving allows for trouble-free renewals. Even with large print runs, this means that the end customer can be confident in their quality, and the print result is 100% predictable. The printer has full control over the process and costs, allowing it to flexibly adapt the operation of the equipment to its own needs.
An investment in a platern water pre-press means a reduction in print mold preparation time to 45 minutes. Those working on water-based pre-press plates emphasize that each plate comes out error-free the first time, which definitely reduces waste, and operators appreciate the higher comfort of processing printing plates.
When does switching from solvent to water and starting your own pre-press pay off? Contact our technical advisor, who will help you calculate the benefits.
Cleaning procedures for anilox and polymers - where do high costs hide?
- Manual washing of aniloxes and plates means heavy use of detergent and water ;
- The long and tedious process of washing, rinsing, drying are high personnel costs;
- Hand washing does not guarantee perfect and identical cleaning accuracy over the entire surface of the item being washed;
- Lack of proper washing procedures results in frequent damage to the expensive polymer or anilox surface, which has to be regenerated;
- The lack of boothardization of anilox washing results in wasted printing inks, increases the time for color change and increases the wear of rake knives;
- The lack of boothardization of polymer washing is a threat to reproducible print quality and rising downtime costs resulting from the reuse of unwashed or damaged plates;
- Improper storage of polymers and aniloxes can cause damage to them and therefore additional costs;
- Poorly selected detergent does not guarantee effectiveness and increases the cost of cleaning.
Show me the money!!!
Washing aniloxes - using the ultrasonic cleaning method you gain:
- savings associated with eliminating unnecessary regeneration;
- Reducing the loss of raw materials;
- reducing personnel costs;
- Fast, several minutes washing process of even several aniloxes at the same time;
- lower cost of energy consumption;
- Ultrasonic cleaning with effective detergents adapted to the type of inks used in the printing house guarantees high cleaning efficiency;
- The platern ultrasonic cleaner works in a closed circuit, has a filtration system to ensure long machine operation using a single solution of detergent and water.
Washing polymer plates - full automation of the washing process is:
- Up to 90% savings in operator time allows better use of human resources;
- The cost of automatic polymer cleaning is 1/3 of the cost of manual cleaning;
- The automatic washer works in a closed circuit using significantly less detergent;
- less power consumption - in the process, liquids are not heated, and the process length/time of the machine adjusts to the degree of polymer soiling;
- No fumes, no costly installations and safe for the operator
- The sequential operation of the device reduces energy consumption;
- Reduced to a minimum the possibility of damage to the plate during washing;
- Less production downtime due to the high efficiency and quality of cleaning;
- In the washing process, it is important to use properly selected and tested detergents;
- The use of regular automatic cleaning procedures extends the life of polymers.
Any automation of processes using innovative machines and equipment translates into big savings. When considering the purchase of a washer, it is worth analyzing the cost of investment vs. renting a machine. You don't have to buy a machine to use it. A subscription machine means simple rules and many benefits without any hidden costs. In addition, consider the available forms of investment financing with EU grants and professional support in obtaining them.
