Asahi Photoproducts, a pioneer in flexographic photopolymer plate development, today announced it will be co-hosting an important event for the flexible packaging industry with Comexi at the Comexi CTec customer conference center in Girona, Spain. The event, scheduled for 8 November 2023, will also feature technologies, presentations, and demonstrations from a variety of other partners, including ESKO, Hamillroad, tesa, hubergroup, FGS Flexographic Solutions and Oxea Chemicals.

During the event, visitors will view real-time plate creation for two different jobs using Asahi AWP™ water-washable Carbon Neutral plates, as well as live printing of those jobs on a Comexi F2 Origin flexographic press configured with hubergroup Propyl solvent inks in a 7-color expanded color gamut (ECG) configuration. The two jobs will be run back-to-back, demonstrating the ease of changing jobs with one printing sleeve change. Attendees are also invited to a dinner to be held the evening of 7 November and will also be able to take sample plates and printed output home with them.

“We are excited to be co-hosting this important event with Comexi and our other partners,” said Dieter Niederstadt, Asahi’s Technical Marketing Manager. “This is a continuation of the work we have been doing over the past years with Comexi, and now it is the time to turn the key and show how easy it can be to make plates directly next to the printing press.

During this event, we will explain every step of the process so visitors can see how fast, easy and sustainable it is to produce flexo plates in-house while receiving repro data via the internet from repro house partners who can deliver file preparation for the highest possible quality outcome. We are looking forward to welcoming our guests at this important industry event.”

Event highlights include: Easy platemaking: Witness the simplicity and speed of in-house plate production. Cost-effective solutions: Learn how to achieve cost efficiency with ECG 7C printing and more. Automated and easy printing: Get to know the new F2 Origin automation and ergonomy. High-quality output: See the remarkable print quality achievable without the use of spot colors. Effortless converting possibilities: laminating, slitting and handling to get the product ready to ship to your customer. Sustainability focus: Explore sustainable solutions like hubergroup’s 7-color ECG ink series, Hamillroad Bellissima high-definition screening technology, Asahi’s water-wash Carbon Neutral plates, ESKO’s XPS UV LED plate imaging systems, Comexi´s innovative press solutions and tesa® Twinlock, the reusable self-adhesive sleeve from tesa that let you save the use of tape in printing.

“It is worth noting that, although alternatives are becoming increasingly available, solvent inks are still the primary ink type used in production of flexible packaging and largely used by rotogravure and flexo printers around the globe,” Niederstadt added. “We have partnered with hubergroup with their 7-color ECG series inks. The selected inks use propyls rather than ethyls as a solvent base, which have a reduced drying speed and work well with ultra-fine printable dots such as those delivered by Hamillroad Bellissima screening supported by the repro house Flexographic Solutions. We also use the self-adhesive sleeves tesa® Twinlock which save tape material and at the same time help deliver high-quality printing. All our partners will be on-site at the event, giving visitors an opportunity to benefit from the latest information and have all their questions answered by experts in their respective fields. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone to this exclusive event, highlighting the quality and sustainability leadership of flexo in flexible packaging printing, bringing flexo platemaking production where it is needed – in-house, right next to the printing press!” Registration for the event is open and the agenda can be viewed and downloaded.