Shaping the Future of
Print and Packaging in
Asia
Bangkok May 2018
Digital presses for flexible packaging:
New emerging trends
Jörg Kullwitz, UTECO CONVERTING, Singapore
The goal
Find a solution for
digital printing for
flexible packaging
that makes sense in
terms of printing
quality, printing
speed and cost per
unit……
Business Model: Freedom
Produce as
many Don’t
Choose
different worry
your raw packages about
materials as you like migration
Contribute to
Keep a an
safe environmental
friendly
workplace
production
What is the benefit for the user?
• Fastest TTM (time to market)
• Making short runs profitable
• Born for variable data (one to one
printing, customized advertising,
customer profiling,… )
• Cost effective technology for “out of
the box” marketing campaigns
• Safer work environment: no
explosion-proof-precautions and
related costs
• Healthier work environment: No
solvents, no odor
• Significantly simpler and less
expensive prepress
Perfect users of this technology:
• Packaging printers
• Innovative brands owners
• Short run printers who
support large printers
focused on long runs
• Printers of pharma packaging
• Pharma industry
• Label printers
What are current limitations of Digital
Printing technology for flexible packaging?
• Printing speed
• Cost per unit
• Suitable substrates for
digital printing
• Suitable applications for
digital printing
Let’s focus on Inkjet Technology
Drop On Demand Continuous
Stream
Piezoelectric Thermal
Thermal Vibrated
Liquid Binary Air Multilevel Binary
Hot Melt Spark Bubble
Ink Deflected Deflected Deflected
Lower drop frequencies mean High drop frequencies and high jet
fewer drops per second from a velocity mean more drops and
nozzle more accuracy of drop placement
Introducing two new technologies
Two different approaches for digital
flexible packaging printing
Drop On Demand Continuous
Stream
Piezoelectric Thermal
Thermal Vibrated
Liquid Binary Air Multilevel Binary
Hot Melt Spark Bubble
Ink Deflected Deflected Deflected
Inkjet DOD piezo Continuous thermal inkjet
EB curable ink waterbased ink
Approach No 1:
High Speed Digital Printing
with continuous thermal ink jet
technology and waterbased
ink
Parameters of the solution: Parameters
Printing width Up to 650 mm
Max Speed 150-300 m/min
Resolution 600 x 900 dpi (600-1800 dpi)
Hybrid digital and Colours CMYK plus 1
conventional printing Availability 2018
for the packaging market Drying unit Hotair and IR
The substrates
Plastic Paper Aluminium
films
The inkjet technology
Continuous Inkjet Technology
thermal ‘pinch-off’ of continuously jetted fluid streams
apply a computer controlled pulse to heaters surrounding each nozzle
stimulate the ink into breaking into fine droplet
Ink drops not required are deflected away from the substrate and re-circulated to
the ink supply.
Drop size and pinch-off are regulated by the time between heat pulses, thereby
creating a variable drop size.
Sapphire EVO
4 colors (+1)
unwinder inkjet printing rewinder
Gravure unit with Onyx XS flexo
closed chamber printing unit
Tailored configuration
Sapphire EVO 041
Tailored configuration
Sapphire EVO 141
Approach No 2:
High speed Digital printing with
drop on demand ink jet
technology and EB curable Ink
Parameters of the solution:
Parameters
EB digital printing Printing width 400 mm
for the packaging market Max Speed 100 m/min
Resolution 1,200 x 1,200 dpi
Colours CMYK plus 3
Availability 2018
Drying unit EB
The substrates
Plastic Paper Aluminium Non woven Tissue
films
Curing: EB
• Manufacturer: ebeam Technologies
• Curing unit: ebeam Compact 80/400, the world
smallest ebeam system!
• Minimum footprint
• NO maintenance
• NO vacuum system
• Lifetime of the lamp 8000 h
• NO VOCs
• Minimal heat delivered onto the substrate
• Full curing within milliseconds
• NO degradation: constant performance in time
• Energy consumption minimal (2.7 kW)
• Award winner Label Industry Global Awards for
Sustainability
Ink
• EB curable ink
• NO photo initiators
• 7 colors CMYK, OGV
• Compliant for indirect food packaging
• Great adhesion
• Great glossiness
• NO primer or varnish required
• Open system: No exclusive supplier
• Manufacturers: INX (approved), Fujifilm, Kao Collins
Testimonial: Bauli
The partner:
• Family owned company, founded in
1922
• Main business in sweets and
bakery
• Italian leader in croissants
production
Giveaways:
• Secondary packaging containing 2
singularly wrapped croissants
• To be given to selected customers
• Example of digital printing and
ebeam curing
• Different languages and different
colors
FOOD/FMCG/PHARMA packaging, LABELS and others
Not only food packaging
Aluminium: EB guarantees adhesion and
scratch resistance without the need of a
primer or varnish
Non woven: most of the non woven
polymers are EB friendly
Paper for laminates: take advantages
from EB excellent gloss and scratch
resistance
Shaping the Future of
Print and Packaging in
Asia
Bangkok May 2018
Does it make sense to invest in Digital printing
presses for flexible packaging????
Examples of break even: flexo vs inkjet
Food packaging
m2 Flexo Inkjet
0 291 0
500 301 36
1000 311 72
1500 321 109
2000 331 145
2500 341 181
3000 351 217
3500 361 253
4000 371 290
4500 381 326
5000 391 362
5500 401 398
6000 411 434
6500 421 471
7000 431 507
7500 441 543
8000 451 579
8500 461 615
9000 471 652
9500 481 688
10000 491 724
Costs included: Inkjet ink cost:
➢ flexo: ink, printing plate, energy X THB / kg
➢ inkjet: ink, energy
Examples of break even: flexo vs inkjet
Food packaging
m2 Flexo Inkjet
0 291 0
500 301 27
1000 311 54
1500 321 81
2000 331 109
2500 341 136
3000 351 163
3500 361 190
4000 371 217
4500 381 244
5000 391 272
5500 401 299
6000 411 326
6500 421 353
7000 431 380
7500 441 407
8000 451 434
8500 461 462
9000 471 489
9500 481 516
10000 491 543
Costs included: Inkjet ink cost:
➢ flexo: ink, printing plate, energy Y THB / kg
➢ inkjet: ink, energy
Don’t forget …
… that in digital printing we do not have the following COST:
DIRECT
➢ time for the job change: Printing plate placement and removal on the sleeve and insertion
of printing cylinder/sleeve in the press
➢ time for press start-up: (register, pressures, ...)
➢ the stickyback
➢ consumption of anilox, blade and side sealing.
➢ waste materials (web, ink).
INDIRECT
➢ Thermal Oxidizer: purchase and feeding
➢ Printing plate cleaner and mounter
➢ Anilox/gravure cylinder cleaner and its chemicals
➢ Cost of solvent reclaimer and its energy consumption
➢ Solvent: cost of using, handling (insurance, safety equipment, fire-fighting system), and
disposal
➢ Cost, consumption and footprint of a solvent reclaimer
➢ Cost of sleeve, anilox and printing plate/cylinder storage equipment
➢ Cost of washing tanks
What’s next?
EB digital will be printing at PRINT4ALL
Individual printing trials available in June 2018
What’s next?
Water Based Higital High Speed Printing at UTECO open
house during PRINT4ALL
Individual printing trials available in June 2018
