The new Xsys nyloflex FTM Digital plate with inherent flat-top dots has been specifically developed for flexographic printing with water-based inks on different grades of paper substrates. The trigger for the development of this new plate solution is the acceleration in demand for more environmentally friendly packaging production. As the market moves towards more sustainable substrates in response to those demands, Xsys is introducing the nyloflex FTM Digital plate, enabling printers to use water-based inks on coated and uncoated paper for aseptic food packaging and corrugated preprint liner.
“This latest addition to the nyloflex plate portfolio will have a broad appeal for printers serving different packaging segments. Segments wishing to move to a more sustainable operation can still retain the ability to produce the highest quality products,” said Simon Top, Product manager at Xsys. “The nyloflex FTM Digital will help to fulfill the brand owners’ sustainability requirements by allowing printers to switch from printing on plastic film materials to printing on paper substrates with water-based inks.”
The nyloflex FTM Digital is a medium-hard plate with a smooth surface, bringing a good ink transfer and ink laydown out of the box and capable of reproducing sophisticated surface screenings in case this is required. With no need for additional equipment or auxiliaries, the plate can be exposed in existing systems with standard tube lights or LED UV-A light exposure before solvent processing.
Xsys innovative inherent flat-top dot technology ensures minimum dot wear and significantly less dot gain than round top dot plates, thereby improving press uptimes to reduce costs and start-up waste in the press room. Featuring advanced dot sharpening, the nyloflex FTM Digital presents fine highlights and a high solid ink density in print, increasing the shelf appeal of the final product.
Simplified for coated and uncoated stock
“The nyloflex FTM Digital can be considered as the flat top dot counterpart of our well-known nyloflex ACT Digital plate,” explained Top. “The plate enables printers to easily tackle both coated and uncoated papers without the need to use two different plate types. In the past, a hard plate, like the nyloflex ACE UP and a medium-hard plate, like the nyloflex ACT, were often combined to achieve the optimum result. At one customer case, we were able to reduce this complexity for up to 60% of the print jobs by using the nyloflex FTM Digital.” An additional benefit is the better plate filling that could be achieved, reducing the plate waste and total plate cost in the plate-making process.
- Suitable for printing on paper substrates to meet sustainability demands
- Enables printers to switch from solvent to water-based inks
- Offers superior ink laydown and reduced costs
The nyloflex FTM Digital plates are commercially available in 1.14 mm (0.045 in) to 2.84 mm (0.112 in) thicknesses and in varying plate sizes. The nyloflex FTM Digital plate material will be available for shipment as of May 31, 2021.
“As the optimum choice for long, high-quality print runs on more sustainable substrates, the nyloflex FTM Digital is the perfect response to the pressure from the market to find solutions that are better for the environment, but also cost-efficient,” Simon Top concluded.
