PFFC - August 2008 - (Page 42)

GRAVURE PRINTING Gravure uConverter Infot uApple Converting Inc. | 176 Corporate Dr., Oneonta, NY 13820 | 607-432-6500 | www.appleconverting.com Running water-based inks on a Cerutti gravure press gives Apple Converting an expanded market reach, high print quality, and solvent reduction. By Edward Boyle, Contributing Editor t a time when many flexographic printers and converters are focused on “growing green,” one New York-based converter of flexible packaging and labels is going one better: by going green—and gravure. Apple Converting installed a 47-in., nine-color Cerutti R960/2 gravure press nearly two years ago that runs at speeds to 1,000 fpm—and does so using water-based inks on as many runs as possible. The press offers Apple’s customers a marked improvement in quality for those in the food and beverage, cosmetic, confectionary, consumer products, pharmaceutical, and medical device markets, while minimizing the use of solvent-based inks. “Solvent inks and gravure typically go together,” explains Fred DiLorenzo, president. “But we’ve already had proven success with water42 | AUGUST 2008 A based inks. It’s certainly not going to fit every gravure application, but we’re looking to go in that direction.” was never an issue during Apple’s first 25 years in business, since the company used ten flexographic presses that printed up to eight colors. Seizing Opportunity When the company decided DiLorenzo notes that ink type to add its eleventh press two Guiding the Press In addition to providing Apple Converting with superior quality, the Cerutti gravure press is equipped with an Autotron Packaging 2600 register guidance system from Quadtech. The Autotron 2600 is designed for maximum quality, flexibility, and waste reduction. It incorporates an expanded selection of miniature scanning heads and a “low-contrast lock-on” feature that enables the heads to work with very low-contrast marks encountered in the printing of packaging and decorative materials. By installing the Autotron 2600 on the Cerutti press, Apple Converting VP Fred DiLorenzo says the company was able to make short work of once-difficult jobs such as printing pale colors and low-contrast varnishes on a challenging substrate. The company was able to further ensure accurate, singlemark register throughout the printing process. uSupplier Infot uQuadtech | www.quadtechworld.com PFFC-ASAP 306 years ago, it was faced with a decision: Install yet another familiar flexo press or enhance its technologies by going gravure. DiLorenzo says the choice was an easy one. “New flexo presses are certainly getting much better in their technologies; they’re faster and more efficient,” explains DiLorenzo. “But we said, ‘If we get another flexo press, we’d still have limitations. We may have more efficient runs and maybe faster speeds, but we still couldn’t capture the gravure market.’ And there’s a lot of business out there. When we looked at the numbers, we felt there was a lot more opportunity on the gravure side. “Printing is printing,” DiLorenzo notes of the ease of implementing the new technology in what was previously an all-flexo house. “There are different methods WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM http://www.appleconverting.com http://www.quadtechworld.com http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PFFC - August 2008

PFFC - August 2008 Table of Contents First Glance Calendar of Events From the Editor Web Lines Process Management News Clips Carton & Box Reporter Carton & Box What’s New Products Narrow Web & Label Reporter Narrow Web & Label What’s New Products Cover - Show Preview - Labelexpo Labelexpo Floor Plan Conference Program Digital Printing Gravure Printing Bagmaking What’s New Products Services Directory Classified Marketplace Equipment Buyers & Sellers Advertisers Index Experience Speaks

PFFC - August 2008

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