Ways to Reduce Flexo Printing Costs

Nov. 5, 2010 - PRLog -- Running a successful flexographic printing business means keeping an eye on profits. That means bringing in paying business, doing good work, and always finding ways to reduce flexo printing costs. Here are a few thoughts on how to effectively reduce costs in your flexo printing business.

-by Cutting Down on the Number of Times You Stop Your Press

The point is to reduce substrate waste because every time you start up the press needs to gain registration and there is material waste. More stops and starts take more time and increase overhead. Using a servo unit with an older press will allow the operator to maintain better control of the press run and reduce the number of adjustment stops, thereby reducing printing costs.

-by cutting down on the amount of substrate waste per press start/restart

Adding a servo unit to an existing press can reduce the length of substrate needed to gain register down to one press length, the absolute minimum for any press. Thus the press will waste less substrate with each startup and well as requiring fewer stops and starts for the job.

-by getting the job done faster overhead is reduced

As an example, the ability of a servo add on like the Servo 3000 allows a press to re-register the web on a pre-printed roll in order to add colors or to make design modifications. With the web re-registered by the Servo 3000 the press will be able to run the second or third pass at full press speed and maintain 0.0025 inch resolution throughout. Getting the job done faster means that the press can be used sooner for other profitable work.

-using high quality, long life doctor blades will allow the press to operate longer between blade changes

With a high quality, long life blade such as produced by Stripsteel of Australia a printer will typically see a fifty percent longer functional blade life. This effectively reduces the cost of doctor blades as the printer will use two thirds as many blades in a year. It will also reduce the down time required to change blades at each print station. Last, since using a high quality blade like the Swedish steel, specially coated, blade from Stripsteel will reduce the frequency of press stops for changing doctor blades it will reduce substrate loss associated with the subsequent startups.

-buy the Servo 3000 and add it to an existing press

The cost of a new high end servo press can easily run from $250,000 to $1,000,000. For a fraction of this cost a printer can add the easily attached Servo 3000 Infeed and Re-register™ System to an existing flexographic press. The reduction in flexo printing costs experienced with the Servo 3000 will pay for the Servo 3000 a lot faster than for a new servo press. Then every cent of reduction in flexo printing costs will be clear profit.

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Rotary Technologies produces the Servo 3000 Infeed and Re-register System. This servo and re-register system is an easily attached upgrade for rotary presses that reduces material waste and allows a press to run a wider range of substrates than normally.