In the past week, Nilpeter hit a big milestone with their FP-4 flatbed unit for hot foil and embossing, completing production on its 100th unit. The first FP-4 was installed in January 2012, and the unit has proven to be a game changer—creating freedom of design with the possibility of separating embossing and foiling, using two units or more, while dramatically reducing tooling costs and providing a more sustainable and economic use of foil. A sign of its success, the 100th FP-4 unit has just rolled off the assembly line at Nilpeter headquarter, to be installed with a Panorama digital press line.
One of the first 99 units went to Auroflex in Italy, whose only regret to this point is having settled for one FP-4 unit instead of two, but as they say, that problem can be fixed. “Since July 2014, where we integrated the FP-4 unit in our Nilpeter FA-3 flexo press, we have improved the performance of our company’s productivity. Printing time is reduced for many jobs with as much as 50%; printing quality has improved due to the accuracy of the FP-4 unit and the inline process; and we have reduced the use of offline finishing to one shift,” says Auroflex chairman, Fabio Butera.
A bright future
Going forward, Nilpeter predicts continued success with the hot foil and embossing unit, seeing a steady rise in demand for labels and flexible packaging with embellishment features, especially from a growing wine and spirits sector. Intrigued customers can test the FP-4 unit at the Nilpeter Technology Centers—at Nilpeter headquarters in Slagelse, Denmark, and Nilpeter USA in Cincinnati, OH. Visitors can experience the FP-4 unit in action on a print job of their own, or choose from Nilpeter’s wide range of ready-to-print jobs. In addition to offering printing demonstrations, Nilpeter’s Technology Centers serve as a showcase for modern, lean production environments with optimized prepress, testing and proofing areas.
Features and benefits
The FP-4 enables inline foiling and embossing in combination with all Nilpeter presses, and is specially suitable for markets where embellishment features are key, such as wine, spirits, health and beauty. The FP-4 unit features simultaneous embossing and foil opportunities and can be integrated in any desired position in the printing process.
