  "The time and money saving guide for the Flexographic printer." FlexoGuide is a free service of All Printing Resources, Inc. (APR). It is intended to keep our customers informed of new solution-oriented products, technical tips, saving opportunities, and APR services. Previous issues of FlexoGuide are available here.  Tech Tip 1 - Gray Balance, Part II Tech Tip 2 - Narrow Web Tech Tip Tech Tip 3 - Protecting Your Hearing Tech Tip 4 - Maintaining Your Mac Apex Anilox Rolls New Flexo Press Simulator "Lite" Entry Level Versions now available Flexo Prepress Training Pressman Training and Certification Bieffebi's Unica 333 gearless mounting (only) machine Flexo Concepts Introduces DuraPoint™ Plastic Doctor Blade Rogers Corporation's new SA Series of stickybacks PrintKlean Spray can help to keep plates cleaner and run longer. APR adds two new members to its team.  Tech Tip 1 Gray Balance - Part 2 The theory of color printing suggests that acceptable results can be achieved by using the three secondary colors or primary absorbers. This is often true, and the addition of a poor black printer often will hinder more than help. The black's purpose is twofold... Submitted by Catherine Haynes, Manager of Training Tech Tip 2 Narrow Web Tech Tip - Another source of gear marks Gear marks that are evenly spaced, over distances longer than the pitch of the press gears, may be generated at the die station. Often times butt-cut dies, sheeter dies and rectangle dies, with long lengths of blade running across the web, are required to... Submitted by Tom Symber, APR's Narrow Web Tech Service Specialist Tech Tip 3 Protecting Your Hearing Hearing loss is cumulative and once lost, can never be regained. The best way to protect your hearing is to create a habit of wearing comfortable hearing protection. Several types of earplugs, bands, or earmuffs are available with various levels of performance (measured as high Noise Reduction Ratings, or NRR) and most importantly... Information provided by Howard Leight Company. Tech Tip 4 Maintaining Your Mac A few simple maintenance ideas to keep your Mac at optimal performance... Submitted by John Richardson, APR's Director of Prepress Products  
Apex Anilox Rolls Apex Anilox Roll Company, the fastest growing anilox roll and sleeve manufacturer worldwide APR is very proud to announce they have been named the manufacturer representatives for Apex anilox rolls in the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest U.S. Apex has been a leader in Europe in the manufacturing of both anilox rolls and anilox sleeves with their UltraMelt laser engraving process, and have been supplying the North American market since 1999. Autumn 2001 saw the opening of their state-of-the-art U.S. manufacturing facility in Donora, Pennsylvania. Why is APEX's UltraCell anilox technology better? What makes the UltraQuick anilox sleeves better? APR offers our technical support, integrated problem solving capabilities, roll audit technology, and training solutions in support of the sales of APEX anilox rolls and sleeves in the geographies we cover. For more information, literature, pricing, or any other assistance, please call us at 1-800-445-4017 or e-mail at info@teamflexo.com.  New Flexo Press Simulator "Lite" Versions now available
Announcing...New dates for our Prepress Training Programs These new workshops are designed for anyone that wants to gain knowledge required to design and implement prepress for the flexographic printing process or just improve the ability of jobs to run faster, cleaner and more profitably on a Flexo press. 
Topics to be covered include:
In addition to learning Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator applications, we will also discuss importing and exporting flexographic flies, digital proofing devices and output of film for flexographic plates. The hands-on portion of these workshops will be ideal for guiding the participant through the prepress process. Prepress for Flexography 2-Day Training Program Basic Photoshop and Illustrator 2-Day Workshop Advanced Photoshop 2-Day Workshop Advanced Illustrator 2-Day Workshop Customized versions or the above programs or special dates for these programs are available for groups of four or more. 
The NCSS Expert Flexo Press Operator CertificationTraining and Exam Show customers and employees your commitment to achieving the highest skill standards recognized in our industry by becoming certified as a "Press Operator Expert" as established by the FTA and National Council for Skill Standards. APR will be hosting a pre-exam training program and proctoring the exam in June, July, and August. Certified instructors will provide a 1-1/2 day review of the content prior to the presenting of the exam. Normal price of this program is $900.00 but APR is offering a special price of $500.00 for all FlexoGuide recipients. APR is also offering special training classes, either at our training facility or at customer locations on new FTA certification levels for beginner and intermediate flexo operators. These programs have been developed to define a For more information on the program, please click on the link below. http://www.teamflexo.com/training/ncsscert.asp  Bieffebi's Unica 333 gearless mounting (only) machine 
The Unica 333 allows you to mount plates on sleeves from the any gearless printing press in register using either (or both) microdots or crosshairs. The camera mounting system consists of two (2) Sony cameras with 60x magnification. The two cameras, each of them incorporating a small mirror segment, capture images of the microdots or crosshairs from the plates and the references from the register units on the crossbar at the same time. The register units slide into a slot, which ensures their perfect alignment. This combination with the cameras guarantees the highest mounting accuracy. The Unica 333 is available with the new plate mounting table for easier handling of polymer plates while mounting. Each camera is provided with two LED's which feature an adjustable luminous intensity for constant operation quality. Numeric controls can be provided with a display and keyboard and control the vertical axis of the plate mandrel, stopping it automatically in the mounting position. This control system positions the plate mandrel on rotation (W axis), divides it - and stores - automatically the print repeat in parts of equal or different extent. It displays the positions of the register units on the cross bar (X axis). The machine is equipped with a basic shaft to cantilever the air mandrel during the sleeve exchange. On this shaft, which remains always fitted to the machine, the sleeve, as well as the intermediate mandrels (carriers), plus the relevant sleeves are mounted through a quick change system. Unsurpassed versatility - This latest gearless mounting technology allows you to continue to supply the demand for mounted print cylinders for orders produced on traditional geared presses or new gearless presses all from the same mounter - saving time, money, and floor space. The gearless press and/or mounter has the ability to obtain any print repeats desired. You are not locked into 10dp, 1/4cp, 1/8cp, 5mm, etc. repeats. Simple, fast and user friendly - allowing for maximum machine utilization. Programming the machine for any print repeat is simple. You press the cylinder repeat button, enter in any repeat required and press enter. That is truly the extent of it. Sleeve replacement times are approximately 60 seconds with no need of mechanical adjustments. The operator will only slip the sleeve on the mandrel (supplied by Bieffebi) and input the print repeat on the control panel. By entering the code of a job previously memorized the machine will be already set for the correct print repeat for the correct mounting and proofing positions related to the chosen thickness of sticky back and plates. More efficient - there are no wear factors when going gearless. Correct pressure angles of the gear, cleanliness, and runout are no longer issues. This is not only for the print cylinder gears, but also the mounter bull gear, which can be even more susceptible to damage from print cylinders being placed in and out of the mounter. No need of "format" gears - means lower cost because no additional format gears are necessary. Because the system is gearless there is no longer any need to own gears dedicated to the mounting department for mounting use only. Reliability - Bieffebi is the world leader in manufacturing the most consistent and dependable mounter proofers. Their proven world-class quality levels have allowed them to set the standard for durability and accuracy. APR's Service Technicians are factory approved by Bieffebi. Technicians are also certified Expert operators by the NCSS. Flexo Concepts Introduces DuraPoint™ Plastic Doctor Blade 
Flexo Concepts, a manufacturer of plastic doctor blades recently introduced DuraPoint™ the newest addition to the company's TruPoint™ brand of plastic doctor blades. "DuraPoint is engineered specifically as a replacement for UHMW plastic doctor blades," said Kevin McLaughlin, President of Flexo Concepts. "For years UHMW has been the standard in many printing segments. Our testing has shown that DuraPoint will significantly outperform UHMW in terms of both blade life and graphic reproduction capabilities." The molecular density of DuraPoint is significantly greater than standard UHMW plastics. This improves the product's resistance to wear and increases blade life by more than 25% over standard UHMW. The product is also manufactured with a 30 degree beveled edge, which produces a more effective wipe of the anilox roll and provides the ability to produce higher quality graphics. 
Rogers Corporation's new SA Series of stickybacks Rogers Corporation's new SA Series of stickybacks is now available in 15 mil thicknesses and three levels of compressibility, Firm (solid and line), General Purpose (combination), and Soft (fine line, process, screens). R/bak¨ Cushion Mounting Materials are advanced microcellular urethanes with an open cell construction that offer exceptional energy absorption and resiliency. With an open cell construction and high strength, these products provide consistent performance with virtually no cell breakdown and eliminate cushion fatigue. The result can be longer plate and cushion life, and higher print quality. PrintKlean Spray 
PrintKlean is an application spray intended for use on photopolymer and rubber plates. The spray forms a film that decreases ink build-up allowing for faster plate cleaning. The film also works to improve print densities and provide for faster running speeds and prolonged plate life.
APR adds two new members to its team! APR is very proud to announce the addition of two experienced flexo industry specialists, Wes Johnson and Tom Symber, to its team in the following positions: Wes Johnson - Technical Representative & Corporate Accounts Manager Tom Symber - Customer & Technical Support - Narrow Web For more information or a quotation on any of the items mentioned in this issue of FlexoGuide, please call 1-800-445-4017 or e-mail us at info@teamflexo.com. Privacy Policy We want to let you know that to protect your privacy, we will never release your e-mail address to a third party. In all cases, every message we send will be clearly identified as coming to you from All Printing Resources, Inc.. And with every message, you will be given an opportunity to opt out from receiving future messages. Even if you have previously submitted e-mail preferences, you may use the link below to check or add to your profile. This will allow us in the future to better select specials, tech tips, featured products, and training updates products and services targeted to your more specific business needs. Thank you for being a FlexoGuide subscriber and for aiding us in the process of making this a continually improving time and money saving guide for the Flexographic printing industry.  |
