UFlex‘ Cylinder Division showcased its capabilities in laser engraving, embossing, and printing on substrates such as leather and leatherette at the India International Footwear Fair (IIFF) held in August 2025 at Delhi’s Pragati Maidan.
“Our precision cylinders deliver unmatched depth, finish, and custom designs, serving diverse industries, including footwear, fashion, home décor, textiles, metal, and construction. We are among the few Indian manufacturers with capabilities on a par with global players,” Parwez Izhar, executive vice-president, printing cylinders business, UFlex told Packaging South Asia.
UFlex also manufactures and supplies specialized cylinders for glitter printing, widely used in gift wraps and serves high-demand markets in the US, Europe, and beyond. “Our embossing cylinders are another key differentiator, as only a few competitors possess the technology and expertise required to meet customers’ expectations,” he said.
The company operates a robotic laser engraving line and produces around 9,500 cylinders per month, on average, across its Noida and Jammu facilities. Its robotic laser engraving lines for gravure cylinder manufacturing serve the FMCG, pharmaceuticals and other industries. Izhar said the cylinders have a long service life and can be designed for use with both solvent-based and water-based inks. “Our solutions meet the requirements of leading FMCG companies, ensuring nationwide reach and service support,” Izhar shared.
The robotic laser engraving line is a niche technology delivering high-definition, vibrant images, ensuring that what one sees on screen is exactly what appears on the cylinder and in print, Izhar said, adding the engraving process is contactless, which enhances sharpness and eliminates stylus-related distortion.
The company integrates hidden text, nano text, and concealed graphics into the engraving, which are invisible to the naked eye but become visible in specific viewing conditions. Izhar said these features are extremely difficult to replicate, thereby ensuring product authenticity.
The robotic laser engraving line supports advanced anti-counterfeiting features such as holo lens effect —difficult to reproduce with conventional electromechanical systems—and hidden text or graphics that are visible only at certain angles through lenticular films. The cell structure produced enables high-speed printing, while the system’s low VOC emissions, compact footprint, reduced manpower requirements, and low power consumption make it highly sustainable, Izhar added.
On ensuring quality control of gravure cylinders manufactured, Izhar said the company follows a rigorous inspection system in its manufacturing setup. At each step—base manufacturing, plating, polishing, engraving, and proofing—quality checks are conducted before the cylinder moves to the next stage, he said, adding the final QC ensures any issues are addressed before dispatch, preventing defective products from reaching customers.
According to Izhar, fingerprinting processes ensure colors remain consistent with customer expectations across all print runs. The engraving division uses ColourCert QA Software, a quality assurance solution widely employed in pressrooms and ink rooms to manage color standards and enhance color performance in printing and packaging workflows.
On incorporating sustainability in gravure cylinder production and gravure printing, Izhar added, “We design cell structures to minimize ink gsm, thereby reducing ink consumption, VOC emissions, and chemical usage. For water-based inks, we optimize cell depth to ensure lower ink transfer while maintaining shade accuracy, reducing moisture content for faster drying, and preventing print defects.”
