PFFC - March 2009 - (Page 57) SEMI-ROTARY PRESSES Repeating the theme of short run, low waste, and quick to makeready, the semi-rotary press uses magnetic cylinders for the converting stations, so the combination of low plate costs and quick mounting continue to remove costs from the traditional flexo process of printing short-run labels. Digital web presses have been tackling the ultra-short-run sector (less than 1,000 ft) very successfully. They have simplified the process considerably and are very flexible to the converter. The quality produced is very high, and a multitude of substrates can be run, but depending on how the label needs to be converted and its application, there are restrictions or further processes that need to be considered in the cost. Maintenance and “per click” charges can make the monthly overhead on this platform considerable, and that makes runs of more than 1,000 ft uneconomical. The up-and-coming inkjet technology is showing great promise for short-run labels. The general consensus seems to be that the quality is not quite there yet, but it will be in the short term. The concern with inkjet is the cost of ink, and early indications show it is comparable with digital regarding economical run lengths. Gravure generally is not considered in this market sector due to the considerable costs of the image carrier. In a price competitive situation, even for noncommodity items, it is a tough sale. In recognizing that each process has strengths, a number of manufacturers allow processes to be ‘mixed’ to open the real potential of the semirotary press for a variety of substrates with different characteristics—from metallized paper to clear pressuresensitive stock. Offset, letterpress, silkscreen, and flexo are offered in the same press to allow the other processes to add embellishment to the strengths of offset. One example would be laying down a white footprint on a clear stock or a strong hit of a PMS color, which is then varnished and/or laminated. Combination printing is nothing new, but in the short-run sector, it reinforces the commercial advantages of a semi-rotary machine. It is widely known that the majority of run lengths are now less than 35,000 ft in North America. This WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM means that converters are considering all technologies to tackle this market sector, and semi-rotary has generated a lot of interest, resulting in machine sales. uSupplier Infot uMatik North America | www.matik.com PFFC-ASAP 344 Chris Davis is sales manager of offset technologies at Matik North America, West Hartford, CT. Formerly an aero engineer at Rolls Royce, Davis joined the printing industry 14 years ago, initially selling Edelmann web offset presses in the UK. Now a US resident, he promotes the offset range at Matik (Edelmann and Codimag semi-rotary presses) in harmony with his flexo colleagues. Contact him at cd@matik.com. PFFC-ASAP 142 MARCH 2009 | 57 http://www.matik.com http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM
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