On 29 March 2015, Techno Graphic Services of Hyderabad started its new prepress service bureau for flexo plates called Digiflex in Cherlapally. The new service bureau featuring a Kodak Flexcel NX system was inaugurated by P Narendra of Pragati.
The Kodak Flexcel NX system has a good track record for print quality in the label, flexible, carton, shrink sleeve and bag segments. It will help Digiflex get an edge in India’s fast growing packaging market with its 10,000 dpi resolution Kodak SquareSpot imaging technology enable printing dots as small as 10 microns, and surface patterning at 5 microns. Due to the unique nature of the imaging and reproduction process, files are ripped at just 2400 dpi, for rapid file processing.
N Muralidhar, managing partner, Digiflex said, “After a comprehensive market assessment for a year, we supplied Kodak NX plates to some clients on a trial basis. We received an encouraging response from these clients, and decided to establish a fully automated and state-of-the-art unit at Hyderabad to meet the demands of the Indian packaging market. This is the only unit of its kind in the Andhra Pradesh and Telengana region and we expect a phenomenal growth in the next couple of years.”
Bhalchandra Nikumb, managing director of Kodak India and West Asia, Debasish Banerjee, director, Sigma Scan Systems, Sista Badrinath, AGM, State Bank of Hyderabad and Abraham Prabhakar, vice president of Kodak’s packaging segment in the India also attended the inauguration. Over 300 packaging and printing professionals from the industry in Hyderabad along with a team of experienced faculty from the Government Institute of Printing Technology in Secundrabad attended the Open House that followed.
“The Kodak Flexcel NX is a solution that matches the strengths of gravure printing for flexible packaging — the Flexcel NX system enables flexo printing with high line screens (175 lpi+), high print densities and reliable, consistent quality. Furthermore, mid- and wide-web flexible packaging printers can benefit from switching existing flexo jobs to Kodak Flexcel NXH plates and enjoy improved quality at current print conditions, as well as cost benefits from faster set up times, plates that last longer and the ability to print outstanding quality with fewer colors. It can give impressions equivalent to gravure printing. Kodak’s portfolio of Flexcel NX System solutions is ideal for virtually every flexo application including corrugated, flexibles and labels,” said Shyam Sunder, partner, Digiflex.
processor with double washout area. Photo PSA
Shyam Sunder discussed the technical issues with many flexo printers and simultaneously held discussions with Kodak’s technical team over the past year in order to configure the new prepress facility at Cherapally. Sunder added, “With the use of the Flexcel NX System, the makeready time is reduced and the quality is on par with gravure printing.” For its prepress workflow and accuracy in the print production cycle, DigiFlex is integrating Kodak’s Prinergy solution for increased quality control with minimal manual intervention.
The Digiflex plant also has a Glunz & Jensen Degraf 302 ECDLF exposure unit, dryer and finishing unit for flexo plates and a Concept 305 DW processor with double washout area. The exposed plates are automatically fed into the processor and are washed and cleaned with oscillating and rotating brush movements. Solvent replenishment is automatic and an integrated heating and cooling system allows the operator to control the solvent temperature. In addition there is an integrated solvent fume extraction system.
