Fast and efficient printing with a flexo press reduces overhead and increases profits. When printing on Valron the printer will want to keep waste to a minimum and get the job done with minimal down time. For the printer with a four color press the job of printing Valron labels with more colors can be accomplished using an easily attached servo add on.
By accurately re-registering the web from a first pass the Servo 3000 built by Rotary Technologies can run the material again to add additional colors. Because of the extremely precise web re-registration of which the Servo 3000 is capable the second pass can run at full press speed and will maintain 0.0025 inch resolution throughout. Because of the precise infeed and servo monitoring of which the system is capable the job will come into register in one length of the press and rarely require adjustments throughout the press run.
Valron Labels
Valron is the trade name for a flexible polyethylene film made in thicknesses of sixty to 265 micrometers. The film is made in three steps and has a cross pattern of molecular orientation throughout. This makes the film tear and puncture resistant.
Valron is popular because of the above characteristics and because it can be recycled. It is not a PVC film. Because of its unique mechanical characteristics it is often used in place of thicker and heavier substrates while keeping the strength properties of the film it is replacing. It is often used as a protective covering; however, in this instance we are more concerned about the fact that when used for labels it is durable in many environmental conditions.
Valron is popular in specialty packaging, labels and tags, and for medical product identification. Valron is also relatively expensive so that the printer who makes labels with this product will want to do so efficiently and with minimum material waste.
A recent price check for 4 mil white thermal transfer Valron TC shows that two 12 inch wide rolls, each 6,000 feet long, sell for $643.68 before shipping and handling. This is with an MSI of 0.745.
Using the Servo 3000 to Make the Job Faster and More Efficient with Less Waste
Because the Servo 3000 precisely registers the web, a print run will come into register in one press length. This is the best that can be expected from any press. The Servo 3000 servo and infeed system follows the press very precisely reducing the number of adjustment stops typically required with an older flexo press. Thus the printer will typically see less material waste on first run label printing on Valron and other materials. With production starts after set up, to remove die cutting waste, and to rewind to remove product a press fitted with the Servo 3000 will commonly see less than 10% material waste whereas a standard press will commonly run up to 30% with multiple starts, stops, and adjustments. Considering the price of the two rolls of Valron noted above the difference comes to 20% x $643.68 = $128.74.
However, the story gets better on the second pass. Because the Servo 3000 can so precisely re-register the web it allows the four color press to print eight or even twelve colors. It will let the press run at full speed and maintain 0.0025 inch resolution throughout the press run. The savings on material on a second pass will be similar to the first but the press will get the job done faster resulting in less press overhead for the total job. Because the press can re-run the same job to add colors (or fix design errors) it extends the flexibility of a standard press.
The Servo 3000 Digital Infeed + Re-register system makes an old press run like new. It does so for a fraction of the cost of a new, high end servo press. When the name of game is reducing material waste the Servo 3000 wins out. When the name of the game is doing a wider variety of work on a wide variety of substrates the Servo 3000 gets the job done and for less. When the name of the game is accomplishing these tasks with less invested capital the Servo 3000 wins hands down.
