This is what drove Nu-Maber, a leading Italian repro house, to choose Asahi AWP™-DEF water-washable plates with Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer. The company is known for being innovative and forward-thinking, and has many firsts to its name. Being the first in Italy to adopt Asahi AWP™-DEF plates adds another diamond to its crown.
“We wanted to stay current with the latest trends in flexography in order to deliver plates of the utmost quality to our customers, while also taking into consideration the environmental footprint of the platemaking operation,” said Livio Simionato, Nu-Maber’s CEO. “After reviewing the options available in the market, we chose to partner with Asahi, and we have been able to grow our business in both narrow web and wide web markets using Asahi AWP™ water-washable plates, for printing on paper and plastic substrates .
Simionato was also concerned about the environmental impact of platemaking, both in his operation and that of his customers. “One of the attractions of these water-washable plates,” he explains, “is the elimination of the solvents required for the production traditional flexo plates. But perhaps even more importantly, the Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer that is a hallmark of these plates results in a cleaner overall printing process with fewer press stops for plate cleaning, improving pressroom productivity for our customers and reducing waste.”
Simionato and his team are working hard to educate the Italian flexographic market about these benefits. “Asahi studies show significant improvements in overall equipment effectiveness,” he says, “which means much less waste and significant time savings. We’re seeing this in action with the customers who have adopted these plates, and we want to make sure that everyone in the Italian flexo community has access to these outstanding plate solutions that will drive their productivity and their profits while also improving quality.”
Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer is also ideally suited for Fixed Color Palette printing using a fixed set of 4 to 7 inks and requiring precise plate-to-plate registration, a printing process that is growing in popularity among packaging converters and brand owners alike. Some experts estimate that fixed color palette printing using seven colors can match as many as 90% or more of the 1,838 named Pantone spot colors, reducing ink inventories and improving efficiencies.
Check it out for yourself by visiting us at drupa 2016, Hall 11, Stand A60!
