What Are The Different Types Of Flexographic Printing Presses?

There are significant differences between satellite flexible plate and rotary gravure in production cost, printing accuracy, environmental protection, production efficiency and application scenario. Comparisons are as follows:
1.Copy preparation costs and cycle
CI flexo:
Flexible resin plates with low cost and short cycle time (usually from a few hours to 1 day), supports rapid plate change and is suitable for short term operations and small and medium batch production. For example, satellite flexible satellite flexo presses (such as BOBST VISION CI) can be automated through the preloading system, further reducing downtime.
Rotary gravure:
Etching the surface of a copper cylinders is expensive (3-5 times more expensive than flexo printing), has a long cycle (usually 1-2 weeks), and the plates are durable, making them more suitable for long-run job and large-scale printing. an eight-color gravure press, for example, can print 7 million 4-color prints an hour, but initial investment and veneer costs are significantly higher than flexo.
2.Printing accuracy and effect
CI flexo:
High-precision overprinting (± 0.1mm) is achieved through a central impression roller and short ink path system (anilox drum ink transfer), but the ink layer thickness is thin (about 1/3 of gravure), with slightly less color saturation and stratification. However, with the development of anilox roller manufacturing technology and flexographic plate technology, flexo printing quality is approaching gravure printing, especially in the expansion of color gamut technology, flexo printing can achieve a similar color effect as gravure printing.
Rotary gravure printing:
The ink transfer volume in the groove is larger, the ink layer is thicker, the color saturation is higher, and the details are restored accurately. It works for complex patterns and subtle gradients. For example, in the field of luxury packaging, art albums, gravure printing can perfectly restore design details, so that printing products have a unique texture and hierarchy.
3. Environmental protection and consumables
CI flexo:
Mainly water-based and UV inks, with almost no VOCs emission, meet food-grade printing standards and are representative of green printing. In addition, flexographic consumables (such as anilox rollers and doctor blades) have been gradually produced at home at a lower cost.
Wheel gravure:
Traditional gravure uses solvent-based inks with large emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and a large impact on the environment. Although some companies have adopted green ink, but overall environmental protection is still not as flexographic printing. In addition, gravure consumables,such as copperplates and doctor blades, depend on imports and are more expensive.
IV. INTRODUCTION Productivity and speed
CI Flexible Edition:
Printing speed up to 800m / min (such as the BOBST MASTER CI model), support for quick order change and automation, and is suitable for flexible multi-breed, small batch production. satellite flexographic printing machines, for example, play an important role in pre-printing cardboard boxes and printing aseptic packaging for milk drinks cartons.
Wheel gravure:
Printing is faster (up to 14 m / s and paper roll more than 3 m wide), but order changes and machine adjustment time longer, making it more suitable for monoculture and mass production. For example, a rotary gravure press used for publishing can print about 7 million four-color prints per hour, but requires large diameter coils and high-speed printing to maximize efficiency.
V. Applicable scenarios and cost-effectiveness
CI flexo:
Suitable for food packaging, labeling, carton, soft packaging, and so on, especially for high environmental requirements, short delivery time, printing variety. Flexo has a significant cost advantages in both short and small print platemaking costs (30% -50% less than gravure).
Wheel gravure:
Suitable for high-end packaging, luxury labels, art albums, etc., especially for printing accuracy, color performance and ink layer thickness requirements are extremely high. In long-run mass printing, the unit cost of gravure printing is lower, but the overall investment and operating costs are higher.