Page 37 - Packaging News Magazine Sep-Oct 2021
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                   September-October 2021 | www.packagingnews.com.au | COVER STORY
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foil and emboss for short run
  It offers dieless operation, and produces really high quality, with everything from fine detail to solids looking great.”
foiling and embossing is now avail- able quickly and efficiently at a rea- sonable cost whatever the run length.
Embossing without denting out the reverse side of the substrate will also be welcomed, as it frees up valuable real estate, for instance on the reverse side of a chocolate or cosmetic box lid. Hone says, “Because the foil is raised but not embossed the reverse side is still perfectly flat, so that space no longer needs to be sacrificed.”
The system works with the machine laying down a transparent film with the layout to be foiled and raised on the printed sheet, with the hot foil then applied on top. The chemical make-up of the transparent film that the foil adheres to has been one of the key developments in the whole process. The application unit is enclosed, which prevents any dust entering into the process. Hone says, “It has been through extensive test- ing – we have printed reams of solids, there is no dust in there.”
“We can lay it down to any level,” he says. “We can build up with dif- ferent colours or the same colour, and we can build it to be quite thick.”
It is a mechanical engineering pro- cess – there are no electro piezo print heads involved. Hone says being a pure mechanical process means the reliability is easier to achieve. It can lay down gold, silver and many dif- ferent colours at once. Avon is soon to release swatch books for what will be available through Alumma.
Hone says, “We feel it is a huge step in the Australian market. Especially
at a time when we are seeing a lot of manufacturing coming back from China, as companies deal with the uncertain trade relationship and the current difficulties in shipping with supply and surging costs.
“Supply is key – you can’t sell it if you don’t have it. We are seeing a big increase in businesses looking to move manufacturing of all kinds back onshore. Alumma is here at just the right time.
“The process is cost-effective, it is fast, and it produces quality of the highest level,” he adds.
“We looked at other ways of doing it but came to the conclusion that the system we have developed has the combination of speed, quality, cost of equipment and consumables that will enable print businesses of all sizes to be able to go to the market with confidence.”
Alumma is not limited to paper or board, it can be applied to a wide range of substrates including wrap- ping papers, plastics and laminates. Avon Graphics is also releasing a holographic Alumma range which Hone says will be “special”.
“In this digital age speed is impor- tant, especially for printers,” he says. “Alumma will enable those printers to give their customers the benefits of foil and emboss but without the drawbacks of too much added time – it will dramatically improve turn- around times. It is an exciting step. It will really knock peoples’ socks off – no one will have seen anything like it before.”
Hone says the release of Alumma will be “a positive” for the whole industry. “At Avon, we feel we have a responsibility for the whole indus- try as the leading trade embellishing house in the country. We are commit- ted to giving our customers more – we are not standing still. Print has unri- valled benefits, but we need to keep building on those benefits, and that is what Avon is doing with the new Alumma solution.” ■
ABOVE: Wise choice: Images showing the foil and emboss effects of Avon’s Alumma. Alumma is not limited to paper and board – it can be applied to a wide range of substrates including wrapping papers, plastics and laminates.
LEFT: Avon is also releasing a holographic Alumma range. CEO Tate Hone believes this new technology will bring a dramatic reduction in turnaround times for trade embellishing.
  















































































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