At Labelexpo Europe 2019 (stand 9A34, Brussels Expo, 24 - 27 September), Fujifilm is showcasing a range of new products designed to help label converters optimise their existing flexo presses, under the slogan "Protect the planet and your profits". Consisting of enhancements to the company's water-washable flexo plate and processing systems, together with new LED UV curing and imprinting solutions, Fujifilm will be highlighting just how efficient and eco-friendly the production of high quality labels can be.
On show for the first time will be Flenex FW-FP, Fujifilm's new water-washable plate for flexible packaging, joined by the upgraded SB-938 FLW water-washable plate processor and the brand new Aquarius Water Treatment System. New Sericol JJ LED UV flexo ink and JF indirect food packaging compliant UV cured inks are also being displayed alongside Fujifilm's established Illumina cold cure LED UV system and additional new ACTIV LED UV system, while a new industrial imprinting system will also be showcased at the exhibition.
Nills Gottfried, Segment Product Marketing Manager at Fujifilm Graphic Systems Europe says: "This year's Labelexpo promises to be an exciting one for Fujifilm. We're delighted to be presenting a range of new products for the labelling market, alongside established products many visitors may still wish to learn more about. All are designed to ensure the highest quality label production achieved in the most efficient, profitable and eco-friendly way possible.
Water-wash plate and plate processing equipment Fujifilm's new Flenex FW-FP plate features all the quality benefits of the established FW-L2 plate as well as added solvent resistance, reduced curling effect and a thicker polyester base of 188µm.
SB-938 FLW is Fujifilm's easy access, all-in-one, semi-automatic water-washable plate processor designed to provide efficient plate handling. In combination with Fujifilm's Flenex FW plates, the SB-938 FLW processor offers the fastest platemaking times in the industry - under 40 minutes. This is 3 times faster than leading solvent systems and 1.5 times faster than current thermal and water technologies. Says Gottfried: "Our upgraded SB-938, with its best-in-class waste water capabilities, is a prime example of Fujifilm's desire to manufacture products that support the ever evolving environmental requirements demanded by the industry. It has an array of new features, including a washing section which minimises water use during rinsing, a liftable brush frame providing easier access for cleaning and a unique remote diagnostic service, to name a few."
Rounding off Fujifilm's new flexographic equipment is the new Aquarius Water Treatment System. Used in combination with either the C-Touch or SB-938 water-wash flexo plate processors, Aquarius reduces water usage, prolongs the bath life and reduces waste water and processor cleaning times.
In combination, Fujifilm's newest Flenex plate, processor and water treatment system can help label converters reduce water use while also ensuring that their equipment functions effectively for as long as possible.
LED UV systems and inks
Fujifilm is also launching a new LED UV retrofit curing system called ACTIV, which allows any traditional UV flexo press to be converted to LED UV curing, bringing major improvements to label production. "ACTIV takes advantage of the very latest LED UV curing technologies, along with Fujifilm's ink expertise, to deliver an industrial, reliable curing system with none of the disadvantages of higher power and higher temperature conventional UV lamps," says Gottfried. "ACTIV accelerates productivity, as well as offering quality improvements, greater application versatility, cost and material savings, and reduced environmental impact."
This new LED UV curing system will be demonstrated alongside the established Illumina LED UV curing system, presented at Labelexpo in 2017.
Launched in tandem with ACTIV is Fujifilm's new high performance, Sericol JJ LED UV flexo ink and Sericol JF indirect food packaging compliant UV cured ink. Both are designed for use with the Illumina and ACTIV LED UV curing systems, as well as most other LED UV curing systems. The Sericol JF flexo UV ink is formulated to comply with Swiss Ordinance SR 817.023.21 and Nestle Guidance Note on Packaging Inks 02-2014 and EC Regulation on GMP 2003/2006, making it suitable for indirect food packaging, in accordance with EuPIA guidelines.
Finally, as a technical preview, Fujifilm's new Industrial Imprinting System offers variable data printing at industrial production speeds. In an era of mass customisation, imprinting provides a great opportunity to add value and help to increase the range of solutions companies can offer. Fujifilm's new imprinting solution is highly productive and can be fully integrated easily into existing packing or filling line equipment. Using Fujifilm's inkjet technology, the imprinting system can print images or information as text, logos, QR or barcodes, or any other customised data.
Gottfried concludes: "If label converters want to find out more about how they can optimise their existing flexo presses with the latest innovative solutions, we recommend they visit the Fujifilm stand at Labelexpo. With new products across the stand, Fujifilm will be demonstrating how label production can be made more flexible, efficient, profitable and ultimately more eco-friendly."
