Belair, MD, March, 2008 — The Flexographic Pre-Press Platemakers Association (FPPA)recently presented its annual awards during its February 24-26 meeting held in San Antonio, Texas.
The recipients of the 2008 Technological Innovator of the Year awards are NPP Packaging Graphics Specialists; Eastman Kodak and Flexographic Prepress Solutions.
NPP's Vacuum Adhesive Applicator is a machine that will apply adhesive (stickyback) to the back of a flexographic photopolymer printing plate without air entrapment. According to Bill Ruch, of NPP, "It is difficult to manually apply adhesive without trapping air. If you fail to remove the trapped air you can create a high spot in the printing plate that could cause the graphics to distort and/or lead to premature printing plate wear during the printing process." The equipment has been granted a US Patent. The Patent describes the use of a vacuum to eliminate the air at the nip between the adhesive and the back of the printing plate prior to lamination. By removing the air before the lamination, we can guarantee no air entrapment, no air bubbles. Vacuum Adhesive Applicators can be manufactured in any desired width. All of the applicators have a manual operation and they are able to accommodate any width roll of adhesive up to 54 inches wide by 72 yards. The applicator is able to apply the adhesive to a one piece printing plate or to several loose printing plates in the same pass and is able to apply the adhesive to varying thicknesses of printing plates in the same pass. The cycle time to apply adhesive to a 52 by 80 inch plate is less than 2 minutes. The applicator is available with or without the 5 foot by 8 foot table.
Eastman Kodak was recognized for its KODAK FLEXCEL NX Digital Flexographic System, a revolutionary new method to image flexo printing plates for higher levels of consistency and capabilities. The system utilizes the offset KODAK SQUAREspot Imaging Technology on a Thermal Imaging Layer (TIL), which is then laminated to the KODAK FLEXCEL NX Plate, ready for exposure without oxygen or vacuum present to produce superior dot structure and consistency, full tonal range, with no bump curve, raising flexo plate quality and print productivity.
Flexographic Prepress Solutions was recognized for its D-Pod (Digital Plate on Demand). The D-Pod family of imagers is designed to image directly to the surface of a photopolymer plate. The D-Pod is designed to replace the need for film negatives and provide a complete digital workflow.
The aim of the Technological Innovator of the Year award is to recognize achievement within any production or administrative area of the pre-press process. The word Innovation is defined as the introduction of something new, whether a method or a product. The concept of innovation includes enhancement of profitability, improved productivity, operating efficiency and product quality. Eligibility for this award is open to the full membership of FPPA.
The purpose of the Flexographic Pre-Press Platemakers Association is to foster, promote, improve and enhance high standards of efficiency and cooperation within the flexographic pre-press platemaking industry.
For more information, visit http://www.fppa.net.
Back to Flexo News |
