Page 35 - Packaging News Mar-Apr 2020

March-April 2020 | www.packagingnews.com.au | SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
35
Clean plate club
When Integrated Packaging needed an efficient plate cleaner for its flexible packaging printing operations, it set out searching for the ideal solution, and settled on
a Flexo Wash Plate Wash system, distributed in Australia by Jet Technologies.
AS part of the production pro- cess, Integrated Packaging [IPG] prints onto its flexible packag- ing for its customers. Increased demand for high-quality, eight- colour printed graphics on fresh food packaging has led
IPG to install an additional new wide web flexographic press to expand printing capacity at its Recency Park plant in Adelaide.
IPG uses flat top photo-polymer plates in the printing process. However, to guarantee consistent quality of the flexible film printing, the company needed to invest in the right plate-cleaning equipment.
Cleaning plates is an important part of the printing process. It helps maintain consistency in printing quality. When plates aren’t cleaned properly, it results in lower quality printing, and, potentially, reprinting. Using older equipment and processes, cleaning could take an average of half an hour per plate. With 250-300 plates to clean per month, this was a size- able time investment.
THE SOLUTION
IPG chose the Flexo Wash Plate Wash PW82WR. This piece of equip- ment is manufactured in stainless steel and designed with the follow- ing features and benefits in mind:
• easy loading of the plates by a speed adjustable conveyer belt;
• gentle cleaning process for all types of ink;
• user-friendly technology;
• minimum maintenance;
• sturdy construction with long life-
time of the equipment; and
• environmentally friendly clean-
ing liquids.
Importantly, the plate wash sys- tem also cleans all types of ink with- out wear and tear of the plates.
IPG had previous experience with Jet Technologies’ equipment. It installed the Flexo Wash Anilox Cleaner three years ago. IPG’s expe- rience was a key consideration in its search for a plate-cleaning system.
KEEPING UP WITH VOLUME
Another key factor for IPG when considering new cleaning equip- ment was that the machine would be used every day and would need to be able to handle a high volume of plates. IPG needed equipment that could keep up with the high usage and still perform well.
Darryl Wilson of Jet Technologies said the Flexo Wash can perform at
the same high level every day, and so is well suited to IPG’s needs.
“The average processing time of the Flexo Wash PW82WR is only three minutes per running plate metre, significantly reducing IPG’s cleaning times, which in turn improves the efficiency and produc- tivity of operations,” he said.
The quick and gentle cleaning process is fully automatic and leaves the clean and dry.
WASHING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
The Flexo Wash was integrated with IPG’s existing daily operations, with no disruptions to IPG’s printing operations and productivity.
Jet Technologies provided training to integrate the new equipment seam- lessly into IPG’s existing operations.
IPG plans to continue building the business into the future, with this investment demonstrating the long- term commitment the company has made to the flexible packaging industry.
IPG is part of Pro-Pac Packaging, which acquired the business in 2017. IPG makes agricultural and indus- trial packaging, specialising in films and plastics. IPG provides blown film, flexographic printing, slit/ rewinding, and converted bags for fresh produce applications. ■
Peter Marshall, IPG, with the Flexo Wash Plate Wash PW82WR.
The average processing time of the Flexo Wash PW82WR is only three minutes per running plate metre.” — Darryl Wilson, Jet Technologies