At PlastIndia, Kirti Panchal, managing director of Echaar Equipments, presented the company’s latest advancements in the company’s CI flexo press. He spoke about a newly developed in-line coating and printing solution integrated with the Flexosmart HR 300 CI flexo press.
Echaar has been supplying its CI Flexo presses to customers across various domestic and export markets. Panchal said feedback from its customers has been positive as the company is increasingly gaining industry recognition with a demonstrable footprint of machines offering several rated speeds and automation options. At the exhibition, the company highlighted its 8-color CI flexo press equipped with a downstream coating unit designed to improve productivity and eliminate additional processing steps.
The centerpiece was the 9-color (8+1) CI flexo press, branded as the Flexosmart HR 300, configured with an in-line coating station. While the system allows for two downstream inline coating stations, the customer who has installed this press has opted for a single coating unit, with the provision for adding a second coater in the future, Panchal said.
Panchal explained that the key advantage of the in-line coating and printing station is its ability to deliver matte and gloss finishes in a single production cycle. Display samples at the stand showed pouches featuring selective matte and gloss effects, such as a matte design element set against a glossy background on thin films.
Traditionally, flexible packaging converters print the substrate and then apply matte or gloss varnish in a separate offline process. This adds an extra production stage and increases turnaround time. With Echaar’s in-line solution, coating is applied simultaneously with printing, eliminating the need for secondary operations, he added.
By integrating coating into the main print process, converters can significantly increase productivity and reduce lead times. For films and laminates that require both printing and surface finishing, the system offers clear operational and commercial advantages.
The in-line coating unit is optional and can be integrated not only with the HR 300 but also with other machines in Echaar’s portfolio, depending on customer requirements. The Flexosmart HR 300 can also be equipped with auto pressure control and auto register systems to enhance precision and reduce manual adjustments.
The technology has already been installed at a customer site in Sri Lanka, and a similar configuration has been supplied to a European customer. Panchal noted that interest has also come from other markets, including Russia, reflecting growing demand for integrated, efficiency-driven solutions.
He expects that converters involved in printing laminates, especially those serving premium packaging segments, will increasingly adopt in-line coating systems. As packaging designs continue to incorporate a mix of matte and gloss finishes, executing both effects in a single pass is becoming more attractive from both cost and time perspectives.
Panchal described PlastIndia as a productive and globally relevant exhibition that continues to attract international visitors, including buyers from Africa and other regions. He added that the Indian packaging market remains positive, with converters showing a strong willingness to invest in new technology and capacity upgrades.
Open house after PlastIndia
To further demonstrate the new in-line coating technology, Echaar organized an open house on 14, 15, and 16 February at its Ambernath plant near Mumbai to showcase the Flexosmart HR 300 press in live production conditions.
On 15 February, the press ran a job involving reverse printing of 10-micron PET with registered matte varnish. On 16 February, the machine demonstrated a 12-micron, 5-color reverse print job at a speed of 300 meters per minute, highlighting both surface finish precision and high-speed performance.
The open house got a strong response and a large number of converters attended the event both on site and the online stream.
