Flexographic Printing Support and Major Issues

With regard to the die-cutting cylinders used in flexo printing, Shanghai used to be blank in the past, and all of them depended on processing from the United States to solve them. Not only was the processing time long, but also the price was relatively high. Shanghai Yahua Printing Machinery Co., Ltd. and Bernel (Bernal) jointly formed Shanghai Bernell Yahua Printing and Packaging Machinery Co., Ltd., mainly engaged in the production of die-cutting cylinders and other products. The U.S. dollar can meet the needs of the existing die-cutting drums that are currently used in domestic flexo presses, and solves the biggest problem of the flexo printing accessory.

Tianjin Toyo Ink Co., Ltd., Shaanxi New Century Printing Materials Co., Ltd. and Jinan Luyang Ink Chemical Co., Ltd. have developed a large number of production of flexo-printable aqueous ink products and flexible version of UV coating ink and auxiliary material series. The quality is basically stable, and it can be used for high-grade color screen flexo printing.

As for the flexographic plate, at present, Jiangsu Taiyi Group Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Printing Technology Research Institute have been able to produce flexographic plates with various specifications. However, since the quality of domestically produced flexographic plates is not as good as that of imported products, about 60% of plates are imported. From the point of view of the production and operation of the more than 120 flexo production lines that have been introduced, the development is unbalanced and can be roughly divided into three types:

The first category is that the selection of equipment is accurate and the solutions are well-solved. Basically, they have mastered the flexo printing process and technology and are able to operate proficiently. The manufacturers who own such equipment are even more important in that they have sufficient sources of livelihood, full production tasks, stable product quality, high equipment utilization, and good economic returns. This kind of business accounts for about 3/5.

The second category: Some companies are not full of production tasks, equipment is not adequately resolved, and there are still some problems in process and operation. As a result, the capacity of the equipment has not been fully utilized and the economic benefits are general. Such enterprises account for about one-fifth of the total.

The third category: There is a serious shortage of live sources or no production tasks at all, and there are many problems associated with equipment and process operations. Therefore, there is a serious shortage of start-ups and the economic efficiency is very poor. About one-fifth of such companies.

First, although China currently has a group-type, satellite flexographic printing press that has been trial-produced and produced by Shaanxi Printing Machinery Factory, there are still many gaps compared to foreign high-grade flexographic printing presses. High-end wide-format flexographic printing presses Is still blank.

Second, the problem of the anilox roller has basically been solved in China. Such as the Shanghai Laser Group Co., Ltd. and the Shanghai Branch of the company engraving Co., Ltd., Australia and Australia, they imported equipment can produce laser engraved ceramic anilox roller (with wear-resistant, corrosion-resistant, high temperature, long life and other characteristics). Anilox rollers are a key component in flexo printing production and their quality and service life still need to be improved.

Third, great progress has been made in the development and production of flexographic printing plates. For example, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Photographic Science, Shanghai Institute of Printing Technology, Jiangsu Taiyi Group, Henan Film Factory, and other units, has been developed for many years, the middle and low-grade flexible plate can already supply the market. However, the quality of the flexographic printing plate has a direct impact on the quality of printed products. Therefore, at present domestic flexographic printing enterprises still use 60% of the medium and high-grade flexible versions of the products of DuPont, Polytechnic, and Germany's Masf.

Fourth, flexo platemaking equipment. Platemaking equipment is the necessary supporting equipment for flexo printing. The products of Jiangsu Taiyi Group and Shanghai Printing Technology Research Institute have already been supplied to the market, but performance still needs to be improved.

Fifth, the development of ink has also made progress. At present, Tianjin Dongyang Ink Co., Ltd., Shaanxi New Century Printing Materials Co., Ltd., Shanghai Printing Technology Institute and other units have been able to produce flexo printing inks. However, there is still a big gap compared with similar foreign products. Mainly: (1) Ink hue is unstable; (2) Drying is not good; (3) Covering power is not strong; (4) Ink particles are coarse. Therefore, imported inks are still used for products with high quality requirements for printed products.

Although China’s relevant manufacturers and departments have done a great deal of work on the equipment and equipment for flexographic printing, and have made great progress, it cannot be said that they have completely passed. Some products still require great efforts in research and development in terms of quality. Production can only be fully adapted to the needs of flexo printing.

Source: Guangdong Printing Network