Presented to you by Van Dam Machine and Apex

Van Dam Machine’s new FDoR® technology allows for Flexo printing Direct on to Rigid packaging.

This technology is designed by Van Dam Machine to compete with label and IML decoration techniques. The new FDoR® technology enables images and designs to be printed with photographic quality. This quality is achieved at a substantially lower cost price level and a much improved environmental footprint.

FDoR® is flexographic printing whereby the required process colors are collected wet in wet on the blanket first as a complete picture before transferring the ink to the rigid product.

Van Dam Machine partnered with Apex for reputation on innovation and its state of the art anilox technology. Van Dam manufactures two variants of Flexo presses for the cup market:

A – FDoR® machines based on cylindrical plate cylinders and aniloxes. This press has seen a quality and consistency improvement when printing with Apex’s GTT2.0® engraving technology which is now the approved engraving.

B – FlexoCon technology which is a Conical roller design.

Knowing that conical products are the most common rigid packaging products available, Van Dam Machine designed the FlexoCon, which is also making use of the FDoR® technology.  The FlexoCon allows for distortion-free printing on conical products. Printing conically and therefore distortion-free has two advantages. So, it will result in an absolute copy of a label print on conical shapes. Moreover, it allows for printing on paper and molded fiber products. Because the surface is printed without friction. For transferring the ink, the color heads need to be conical including the anilox rolls.

 

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GTT2.0® technology is an open cell structure anilox engraving for cylindrical aniloxes.

This newly designed engraving technology is called CRX^{patent pending}.

Now Apex and Van Dam developed together a new engraving structure that uses the technology GTT. It fuses with a unique algorithm to produce a technology breakthrough in anilox structure that enables the production of conical aniloxes.

A conical anilox can only hold an engraving pattern which is not based on axial barriers. Axial barriers will comprise the conical function of the roller. So, a fusion of engravings was required to create a structure in radial direction on the anilox surface. Apex and Van Dam developed this gravure to hold and transfer inks, to limit leakage and optimize the ink layer.

Utilizing the Patent laser engraving technology GTT.

To accommodate for the conical shape, the engraving design of the anilox rolls are compensated to ensure that the engraving pattern remains continuous. In addition, because the engraving pattern may not be isolated meaning the engraving technique requires to be a unique interlinked design. Utilizing the Patent laser engraving technology GTT, makes sure that any air to flow out of the channels prior to when they enter the doctor chamber for ink replenishment, and thus to reduce entrapment of air. Such defined control of the flow of liquid and air is essential to deliver a consistent ink transfer.

The challenge is to create an engraving that provided a consistent ink flow on :

1 – A conical shape.

2 –A  press that has each inking unit set at a different Angle to vertical.

The engraving has to compensate for the different unit angle and the conical shape.  So it allows the Ink to flow consistently across the anilox surface like in a maze. Too open a channel will result in ink leakage and inconsistent color from top to bottom of the cup. A closed engraving will result in other print issues including shade variation through speeds.

By using a fusion of GTT technology with a uniquely designed algorithm, the engraving pattern is laser engraved . Therefore, it ensures the repeatability and quality of ink transfer.

The new engraving Technology CRX is available in seven types XXS , XS , S , M , L , XL , XXL. Each size increasing in volume based on a fixed optimum geometry.