Think Lab provides online real time service support

August 10, 2016

The robotic laser engraving line has reduced the cumbersome process of manufacturing rotogravure printing cylinders to a single operator job. According to Uflex, this automation, however, poses no threat to the current manpower as there exists a separate well contoured market segment for conventional electro-mechanically engraved, embossed, coated rotogravure printing cylinders much like the laser robotic plant engraved rotogravure cylinders. While over 200 cylinders are manufactured daily using the conventional process at Uflex, through the robotic laser engraving line spread in approximately 1/10th of the entire cylinder manufacturing shop floor area at Noida, a single operator can produce additional 60 cylinders a day.

Major advantages associated with the rotogravure cylinders manufactured on the fully automatic robotic laser engraving line are consistency in printing for flexible packaging; more mileage from the cylinder; less ink consumption during printing operation as compared to conventional electromechanical engraving. With the automatic line, the production volumes have gone up from the erstwhile 180 cylinders per day to produce 240-250 cylinders and the cylinders produced are dynamically balanced and can run up to a speed of 500 metre a minute. Compared to the conventional process with similar production capacity, the automatic process require very less production space.

Owing to the whole gamut of benefits that they bring, the rotogravure cylinders manufactured on the robotic laser engraving line are in great demand by converters and packaging companies catering to niche multinational brands. Ashok Chaturvedi, chairman and managing director, Uflex said, “For this ambitious project we decided to partner with Think Lab, Japan because of their unmatched technological finesse in gravure printing technology which is globally acclaimed. It is a name that instils trust and confidence and thus serves to be a perfect strategic partner for Uflex for our cylinder manufacturing business. We are getting online real time service support and assistance from Think Lab which is now completely dovetailed with our operations and ensures practically zero downtime. Our precision has improved manifold so has the production efficiency.”

Packaging South Asia is a cooperating media partner for drupa 2016 which was held from 31 May to 10 June at Dusseldorf, Germany

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