Flexo Print Quality Challenges Top the List of 2021 How-to Webinars

HAPERT, the Netherlands — FlexoKITE, a collaboration of leading flexo industry manufacturers, eagerly announces a series of technical problem-solving webinars in 2021, beginning with a February 3 deep-dive into White Ink Opacity Challenges. FlexoKITE’s mission is to empower its global webinar audience to examine and solve real-world print problems converters are facing today. FlexoKITE’s mission is the promotion of flexo methods that reduce product waste and press downtime. 

Topics for FlexoKITE’s 2021 webinar series come directly from participant feedback during FlexoKITE’s inaugural November webinar. This year’s webinar series is focused on mastering challenges facing specific segments in the label, flexible packaging, and corrugated printing spaces. The webinar series will be hosted by Apex & Esko, featuring speakers from our FlexoKITE partners, industry experts, and also converters who have already overcome these challenges.

FlexoKITE’s 2021 webinar series includes these relevant topics:

• Fiber Suppression and Washboarding Reduction in Corrugated 
• UV Ink Spitting
• Screening Principles & Yellow Moiré
• Color Impact of White Ink Opacity with UV Inks
• Plate life, plate wear & overpressure
• Print production synchronization 

Each webinar addresses a specific print problem and follows a structured step-by-step approach to reveal solutions: 

• Problem definition
• Highlight the consequences of the issue in production 
• Identify the root cause of Fault
• Understand the costs associated with the Fault
• Demonstrate the possible solutions to eliminate the problem
• Highlight any implications the solutions may have in press performance / efficiency
• Advise the required steps and contacts to solve the problem 
• Indicate the costs associated to the solutions suggested 

FlexoKITE’s webinar presenters employ a “teamwork” approach to resolving these everyday challenges wherein a combination of technologies, procedures, knowledge & experience combine to offer a “creative” and holistic solution.

On February 3, FlexoKITE’s webinar takes a closer look at the Color Impact of White Ink Opacity with Solvent Inks. Print quality in flexible packaging is heavily impacted by white ink. When white ink is not sufficiently opaque or homogenous, printed graphics appear dull or grey. Increasing the printed ink weight by increasing anilox volume can improve opacity. But there are obvious trade-offs concerning bond strengths for lamination — not to mention ink usage. White ink typically represents 30% of converters’ ink costs.

You can sign up here for the free February 3 webinar:  

In this February 3 webinar we explore the advantages of a synchronized, holistic approach combining the latest plate technologies, advanced screening patterns, and anilox technologies. We look in detail how to select optimal plate-screening, anilox, and ink to deliver improvements in quality, efficiency, and cost reduction.

Key Webinar Take-Aways:

• SOP to simplify evaluating the print quality of white ink
• New technologies to improve print quality of white ink
• Cost/Benefit/Improvement analysis

About FlexoKITE: FlexoKITE is a workshop, press floor, seminar series, and tradeshow rolled into one robust flexo user experience. Broadcasting from two brand-new Experience Centers in the Netherlands and India, FlexoKITE runs a fully-equipped integrated workflow of the latest equipment from Apex International (anilox), BOBST (inline flexo press), DuPont (plates), Esko (prepress and flexo imaging), and MacDermid (plates).

“Knowledge, Innovation, Technology, and Exploration” (KITE) are the driving forces that unify these industry leaders to deliver real-world technical content not limited to a single product area. FlexoKITE provides print converters and brands a comprehensive view of the entire plate-to-print process, focusing on the finished printed product while synchronizing the plate-screening, plate-processing, anilox and press steps.

About Apex International: Apex is a global leader of anilox, glue set and metering products, and print maintenance solutions. With five production facilities on four continents, a strong portfolio of clients in over 80 countries and a high-performance continuous improvement culture, Apex’s value proposition is founded on developing solutions to satisfy the complex challenges our customers face every day. Our vision is to be the global leader in ink and metering solutions by addressing the needs of our customers with high quality products in the corrugated, flexographic printing, offset, and coating markets as well as the OEMs that serve them. This helps our customers operate their businesses more efficiently and profitability.

About Esko: Esko, a Danaher company, is a global provider of integrated software and hardware solutions that digitize, automate and connect the go-to-market process of consumer goods.  Esko connects people, processes and tools to meet the needs of global brands and the people who trust them.  Esko customers bring consumer products to life with accuracy, efficiency and speed. Packaging for 9 out of 10 major brands is produced by Esko customers today. Headquartered in Gent, Belgium, Esko employs 1800 people worldwide with a unique focus on the packaging sector. To find out more, please visit www.esko.com 

FlexoKITE Experience Center locations in Hapert, the Netherlands and Nashik, India

CONTACT:

• FlexoKITE Project — Dan Pulling, FlexoKITE Experience Center Manager, dpulling@apex-goc.com
• Apex International — Nick Harvey nharvey@apex-goc.com
• BOBST — Daragh Whelan Daragh.Whelan@bobst.com
• DuPont — Swati Chaudhary Swati.Chaudhary@dupont.com
• ESKO — Pascal Thomas Pascal.Thomas@esko.com
• MacDermid — Leigh Carpenter, Marketing Manager Leigh.Carpenter@macdermid.com