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Package Production Today: Each Printing Process Has Its Own Unique Strengths Editor’s note: the following was reprinted from drupa report no. 3 with the permission of the publisher, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. The complete edition of drupa report no. 3 is available online at http://www.messeduesseldorf.de/drupa/pdf/report_03_e.pdf
New workflow components for packaging prepress In ApogeeX, Agfa offers a new generation of workÔow management software. It can be integrated into virtually any production environment. For packaging, for example, it can process artwork delivered in JDF format and, using the step and repeat function, produce nested output. The implementation of Artcom Powerstepper and Powerlayout in ApogeeX adds many more functions for packaging print jobs to the workÔow.
With Networked Graphic Production, Creo rationalizes the workÔow in packaging print as well. WorkÔow solutions, imaging and output systems as well as management systems for graphic production data are linked with management information systems. Prinergy WorkÔow was designed speci cally for packaging print production. Networked production is claimed to provide rationalization effects by optimizing the exchange of information among print buyers, creative professionals, prepress rms, and printers by means of online cooperation and remote proo ng of print jobs. The difficulties involved in ratifying the Kyoto Protocol showed that although the effects of emissions have been widely investigated, achieving globally accepted solutions to reduce them is extremely difficult. The ecological bene ts of the UV printing process are beyond question. The inks are solvent-free, they do not dry in the inking unit, powder spraying is not necessary, and further processing can proceed immediately. In addition, UV inks offer high gloss levels. UV sheetfed offset printing has accepted the challenge of inline nishing.
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG has delivered its first sheetfed press with flexo units ahead of the offset printing units to the Thomas Group in Gelsenkirchen, Germany: a Speedmaster CD 102 Duo in LY-6-LYYL(X) configuration. It has a varnishing unit (L), drying unit (Y) ahead of six offset units plus double varnishing with double drying unit. Inline finishing with metallic effects or matte/gloss combinations or pearl gloss are possible in one pass. Gravure form production in the future MDC Max Daetwyler is backing laser engraving as the technology of the future. In addition to the visible advantages in the gravure, major savings are expected in the pressroom. Cylinder manufacturers such as Janoschka and Saueressig will be supplying more and more laser-engraved cylinders to the gravure market down the line. Both companies are already successfully using their second Laserstar system. With its new gravure printing cassettes, Nilpeter is focusing primarily on the use of gold and silver printing inks. The integration of gravure opens up further market segments for narrow-web label production: offset combined with other packaging print methods; UV flexo combined with gravure for flexible packaging; inline precoating of packaging materials; inline silicone coating; very fine screens in gravure printing in one form with solid areas; and glue application to heat-sensitive substrates in gravure. Inkjet in the packaging market UV inkjet technology is advancing rapidly through such partnerships as Xaar/Sericol. UV-curing inkjet inks already being used successfully with the popular Xaarjet-500 print head on cardboard and non-absorbent materials such as plastics, metal, or glass. Machines like the Inca Digital 44, Sheet-Master from Perfecta Print or Zünd 215R are just a few examples. In developing its printing inks, Sericol Uvijet paid particular attention to gloss levels, using pigments similar to those in automotive paints. These inks display high physical and chemical resistance. Digital packaging printing and future digital processes Alongside the established digital print processes, there are also some new developments, such as electrocoagulation (elcography). This process has great speed potential but is relatively complicated and subject to many imponderables Another process very much still in its infancy is digital gravure. In this, the depressions in a hollow gravure cylinder are heated from the inside by a laser beam, causing a gas bubble to form which “shoots” the ink out of the depressions and onto the material to be printed. A prototype system is being built by the Mainz-based company Auretum. According to the developer, it will be capable of using normal gravure inks. So this drupa year, it’s full steam ahead for the packaging print market. drupa 2004 Print Media Expo To Be A Packaging Showcase With Hundreds in Category Package manufacturing technology will be well represented at drupa 2004, the upcoming international trade fair for print media in Düsseldorf, Germany (see story on page 62). Its category, paper converting including package production, is the second-largest product group among the more than 1,800 companies that will display their products to an expected 370,000 visitors at the drupa fairgrounds from May 6-19.
To date, 60 percent of the exhibitors are from countries other than Germany, with the largest representation coming from Italy (168 companies). Following Italy is Great Britain with 131 exhibitors, the U.S. with 119 companies as well as Switzerland with 80 companies, and France with 69 exhibitors. The U.S. figure includes 34 companies exhibiting within the North American Pavilion, organized by Messe Düsseldorf North America (MDNA) and co-sponsored by NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies. According to MDNA, the event’s top-level product categories by number of exhibitors are as follows: • printing: machinery, appliances, accessories (614) • paper converting including package production (415) • bookbinding and print finishing (410) • materials and consumables (379) • prepress and premedia (261) • services (178) Printing machinery, appliances, and accessories will be housed in halls 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 13, 15, and 17, while halls 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, and 16 will feature prepress and premedia systems, appliances, and software. Exhibitors in the paper converting and package production section can be found in halls 6, 10, 11, 12, and 16. Bookbinding and print finishing machinery and accessories will be placed in halls 1, 6, 12, 13, 14, and 16, while materials and services will be located in halls 3, 6, 8, 13, 15, and 16.
“The JDF drupa” The International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press, and Postpress (CIP4) and event organizer Messe Düsseldorf say that they have entered a partnership that will make drupa 2004 “the JDF drupa”: the global event heralding the advent of JDF and process automation in the graphic arts industry. The two organizations are cooperating to spread the word about JDF-enabled products at drupa.
JDF is being promoted by CIP4 as a standard to simplify information exchange among applications and systems. JDF builds on existing solutions such as CIP3’s Print Production Format (PPF) and Adobe Systems’ Portable Job Ticket Format (PJTF). It also enables the integration of commercial and planning applications into the technical workflow. JDF is based on XML (the extensible markup language protocol) for portability of data among different platforms and ready interaction with Internet-based systems. Ancillary activities; visiting virtually MDNA says that for the first time, an ancillary program will be organized during a drupa show, with exhibits complemented by numerous special events and presentations. The ancillary program will consist of “edutainment” events such as the Innovations Arena (described as “a mixture of show and know-how”); special exhibits for software and hardware solutions for printing and media; special presentations about industry issues; and “highlight tours” through various specialized exhibition categories. A continuously updated Internet portal, www.drupa.com, provides all relevant information about drupa 2004. The portal includes exhibitors and their products, a listing of international manufacturing and user associations, an international trade press directory, and news articles from worldwide trade publications. The site also offers information about ticket prices, online ordering of tickets, show directories, product categories, a map of the fairgrounds, and accommodation and travel. Visitors can find information about the city of Düsseldorf; an overview of all the hotels, B&Bs, and private accommodation within the Düsseldorf area; a listing of available rooms; and hotel and travel services offered by Messe Düsseldorf’s foreign representative offices and their travel agencies around the world. For additional information on visiting drupa 2004, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, 150 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2920, Chicago, IL 60601; telephone: (312) 781-5180; fax: (312) 781-5188; e-mail: info@mdna.com. | |||||||||
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© 2004-2008 ST Media Group International. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without consent from publisher.
DECEMBER 4, 2008
1:00 PM EASTERN
This special 90-minute webinar will feature up-to-date insights into the market forces affecting package design and sustainability. Registration for this program is $89.99. Attendees will receive a copy of Packaging Sustainability: Tools, Systems and Strategies for Innovative Package Design (a $49.95 value) by Wendy Jedlicka.
Keynote Address by:
MINAL MISTRY
Project Manager, Sustainable
Packaging Coalition/GreenBlue
COMPASS is an online software tool for packaging designers and engineers to compare the environmental impacts of their package designs.
