Flint Group to showcase latest flexo technology at Drupa

Flint Group will demonstrate its latest flexo CTP equipment and water-based inks for the flexible packaging market at next month's Drupa (Hall 10, stand C62).

The manufacturer will be running live print runs on a Comexi Flexo F2 press, using its Nyloflex Next UV CTP and PremoFilm SXS water-based flexo inks, daily from 6-10 May.

Nyloflex Next uses Esko's recently announced Pixel+ flexo screening technology to support flat-top dot creation, and is compatible with all digital plates regardless of type, thickness and format.

It is available in two sizes, 920x1,200mm and 1,320x2,032mm, and does not require any additional consumables.

Flint Group's PrimoFilm SXS ink series is designed for surface printing on a variety of film substrates and features a "unique self cross-linking technology" that is said to give very good adhesion to non-absorbent substrates, including OPP and PE, while offering "excellent re-solubility and printability".

PrimoFilm SXS can be used for printing on biodegradable film up to 500m/min and is compostable.

Flint Group's FlexiStar MV and FlexiPrint MV Nitrocellulose-based, high-quality flexo inks will also be shown in a live printing environment at Drupa, on the Fischer & Krecke stand (Hall 10, A04-1).

Both inks are said to offer "superb printability with clean shades, full dots (reduced doughnut shape) and high colour strength". They are also suitable for very fine aniloxes (400l/cm and more) and are free of migratable monomeric plasticizers.

Flint Group said that printers would benefit from a new automatic wash system, which enables quick job changeover, as additional manual cleaning of aniloxes during job change is no longer required to avoid ghosting.

Meanwhile, the pre-media and consumables manufacturer has announced European price increases of between €0.22 and €0.40/kg (£0.18 and £0.33/kg) for all of its UV, solvent- and water-based white inks for packaging and label printing from 1 April 2012.

Flint Group blamed rising raw material costs, particularly Titanium dioxide, which has been on an upward price trend for six consecutive quarters and is expected to continue in this vein through the balance of 2012.

"The ongoing cost increases are particularly impacting on white inks," said Flint Group president of Packaging and Narrow Web Doug Aldred. "While we continue to reformulate to the most economical choices available, these increases cannot be absorbed further."