FPT 4 2020

Rossini revolutionizes gravure printing Extrusion coating in a world of adhesive lamination

Can chemical recycling make plastic more sustainable?

“Plate on Demand” – flexographic printing forms when you need them

Flexible Plastic Packaging Market – Global Forecast to 2025 1

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The extrusion coating and the adhesive lamination have friendly coexisted for several years. The decision on which process to use is based, most of the time, on equipment availability and output requirements, and less in process requirements. The growth of the conversion industry globalization has increased interest in the viability in a process versus the other.

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Chemical recycling is attracting serious interest and investment. Still in its relative infancy, the technology carries a weight of expectation as a possible solution to the mountain of plastic waste created every year. But not everyone is convinced – chemical recycling is not without its critics and there will be challenges to overcome if it’s to live up to its hype.

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In offset printing, the production of printing plates has largely been standardized. The equipment involved in the process is straightforward and consists of a small number of devices that are easy to use.

The high level of standardization and minimal complexity of the plate manufacturing process mean that most offset printers now produce their printing forms themselves. But what is the situation in flexographic printing?

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Rossini SpA presents Ecograv System: the world's first production line for rotogravure cylinders without copper and chrome coating ready for electromechanical engraving. The Rossini group thus proposes itself as a solution provider for the supply of innovative technologies with a "turnkey" formula by leveraging its Equipment division.

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The global flexible plastic packaging market size is projected to grow from USD 160.8 billion in 2020 to USD 200.5 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2020 to 2025. The flexible plastic packaging market is expected to witness significant growth in the future due to its increased demand in end-use industries, such as food, beverage, cosmetic & personal care, and pharmaceutical.

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Comexi and Insight Pack International Corporation, a company based in the Dominican Republic that specializes in the production of flexible packaging, have strengthened their strategic alliance with the acquisition by the Dominican company of a Comexi SL2 laminator and a Comexi S2 DT slitter. The purchase of these two machines expands Insight Pack’s fleet of Comexi machines.

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Long-established Nuova Erreplast has installed a 10-color BOBST EXPERT CI flexo press as the Italian flexible packaging specialist looks to expand production capacity and increase productivity. This is a new partnership that reaffirms the market’s trust in BOBST as an innovation and technology pioneer.

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Emerson & Renwick, which was founded in 1918 to manufacture and supply machinery to the local textile mills in Lancashire, remains a fully independent and privately-owned engineering company, though its product portfolio is almost unrecognisable from the early days.

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Goodbye 2020

I will keep this last editorial of 2020 as short as possible. Everything has been said about this year, nothing new needs to be added.

See you in 2021!

Cheerio Sebastian

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Extrusion coating in a world of adhesive lamination The extrusion coating and the adhesive lamination have friendly co-existed for several years. The decision on which process to use is based, most of the time, on equipment availability and output requirements, and less in process requirements. The growth of the conversion industry globalization has increased interest in the viability in a process versus the other. This article can be summarized in a few basic items (Table 1).

By Lou Piffer, Senior Sales Engineer of Davis-Standard, LLC This paper attempts to go beyond those items by investigating the opportunities and challenges converters find

as they move from adhesive lamination to extrusion coating and vice versa. Such differences stand out in the team,

Feature

Adhesive tion

Equipment cost Long runs Short runs Adhesive strength Flatness Green strength

+ + + + -

the process, and, finally, how the end product is handled in a forming, filling and sealing machines (FFS).

lamina- Extrusion coating + + +

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Modifying the equip- it is purchased or later when this equipment is ment upgraded. To be able to There are many similar add this adhesive lamicomponents between nation capability when adhesive lamination and an extrusion coating extrusion coating sysline is designed, one tems.

For example, should: these components' likeness allows converters • Increase the dryer’s size. to make an adhesive lamination structure on • Provide a coating an extrusion coating cartridge to allow line, and vice versa. changes in coating methods.

Adding adhesive coating capabilities • Include an adhesive laminator.

An adhesive lamination line can be transformed Provide a detached anto execute extrusion cillary decoiler for the coating, including this capability, either when

adhesive lamination station (Figures 1-2).

The benefit of adding this adhesive lamination capability at the beginning is that it increases line flexibility and maximizes both processes speed, adhesive lamination and extrusion coating. The disadvantage of this is, of course, the additional costs and the fact that it is using a relatively more expensive extrusion coating line to work in adhesive lamination structures that could be done in a cheaper machine. Besides, the hybrid line

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will result in an extra belt length going from the adhesive laminator to the coiler. The extra length could cause troubles if you do not have enough green laminating strength.

Instead of initially including an adhesive lamination feature, it could be added to an existing extrusion coating line (Figure 3). This line was modified by replacing the dryer drag roller with a dry adhesion laminator, chang-

ing the coater according to the needs to handle adhesives and providing a link between the individual ancillary decoiler and the adhesive laminator. When you change the line in this way, it creates similar flexibility to that one in the previous example, at a lower cost. The disadvantage of this is: with a lower cost there is less functionality. The production speed is reduced when the adhesive lamination process is running be-

cause it will have a dryer the size of a simple primer trying to dry higher water levels coming from the adhesive.

A second disadvantage is that it will have just one ancillary decoiler working double.

Increasing the belt path from the decoiler to the adhesive lamination may make it impossible to use thinner layers or, at least, will require a closer traction space and better alignment.

Copyright Davis-Standard LLC

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Adding extrusion Since the solvent-free laminator has not coatcoating capabilities er/dryer, the treaters As in the previous exand/or resin coming amples, it is possible to from the extruder must modify an existing line provide all functionality. and add later a different process feature. First, Next, we will see a trawe want to modify a ditional solvent/watersolvent-free standard based adhesive laminacoating line (Figure 4). tion line. Again, adding The modified line in- an extrusion coating cludes an extrusion sta- station requires to retion, as shown in figure move an ancillary de5. With this new adjust- coiler and replace the ment, the secondary drag roller with treatdecoiler is moved to al- ers. The existing coatlocate the extrusion er/dryer should be quite station, and the attrac- enough to handle tradition rollers are replaced tional PEI primer used with treaters. Please in extrusion lamination note this is just one structures. The equippossible way to rear- ment arrangement will range the equipment allow converting either that requires fewer extrusion or adhesive laminations. changes.

Converting adhesive lamination structures to extrusion coating Most of the flexible packaging structures can be created using either extrusion coating or adhesive lamination.

Usually, the process used depends on the equipment availability more than on a real economic analysis of both processes. To balance this article, we will look at the opportunities and constraints found when trying to convert an adhesive lamination structure to an extrusion coating.

Weight

When making a structure using the adhesive lamination process, the

Copyright Davis-Standard LLC

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adhesive adds little the structure thickness, which creates stiffness or “supporting capability”. That feature must be created by the substrate used. One extrusion coating benefit is that it can affect thickness by increasing or decreasing the amount of resin used. Using more extruded, substrates can be calibrated, and the product thickness kept.

Since substrates come from blowing or melting processes, they have their own conversion cost. Replacing its thickness with an extruded, most of the structure comes from a pellet instead of the converted substrate.

This may help to reduce structure costs.

The previous example assumes there are thinner substrates available.

Otherwise, you will have a product that can be up to 8#/rm thinner (adhesive 1 – 2#/rm versus extruded 7 – 10#/rm). As mentioned before, this increase in thickness can affect stiffness, support capability, and the overall “feeling” of the structure. This may not be acceptable to the enduser.

Also, if the converter is selling by weight rather than by printing, the end product will be more expensive to the consumer. So it is important to check thinner substrates availability before assuming that an adhesive with an ex-

truded will improve structure costs.

Consistency Many adhesive converters need to transform similar structures with slight variations in the substrate weight. As mentioned above, the only way to “label” a specific thickness is by the thickness of single substrates.

Therefore, to provide 5 different thicknesses of laminates, you should have a stock of five substrates with different thicknesses. If you convert that product range using the extrusion coating process, you could store a certain thickness of substrate and cover the difference increasing or decreasing the extruding. This im-

Copyright Davis-Standard LLC

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plies that a product ended with extrusion coating will have the necessary mechanical and barrier properties.

Besides, you will need to observe the differences in substrate mechanical properties and compare them with the extruded ones. To keep properties, remove ½ mil of a substrate cannot be the same as adding directly ½ mil of a substrate.

Turbidity A question many adhesive manufactures ask is “how my product will look like?” The concern appears because technically an adhesive has no opacity when it is properly applied. This is

the opposite of extruded PE which will have some crystallinity and, therefore, opacity.

choice. This is because the adhesive laminate needs a sealing film (probably blown) that will have a higher turWhen observing a bidity level than an exstandard structure of truded sealant. flexible packaging, your eye will go through an Cracking OPP film and print, eiCracking happens when ther adhesive or resin. a metalized product has The consensus among a loss in the bond bemany converters tween the metalized (adhesive or extrusion material and the base coating) is that any turfilm due to a difference bidity difference would in expansion. This may be so small and just deaffect both the optical tected by experts, not and the barrier properby an ordinary consumties of the structure. er.

Differential thermal exIf instead of the lami- pansion is often the culnated film/metalized prit in cross-machines, film described above, a while the tension control transparent product is may cause a problem required, extrusion with the difference in coating may be the right

Copyright Davis-Standard LLC

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expansion of the ma- lamination, but it could crack when exposed chine’s direction. with temperatures relatIf an OPP or an OPET is ed to the extrusion used on a machine with coating. fairly good tension control, elongation of the Even when converting a machine’s direction metalized oriented film should not occur. To re- as OPP, you must be duce this kind of poten- sure that the structure tial cracking, the metal- is designed to work with ized substrate is de- extrusion coating. An coiled in the ancillary OPP with a stable core decoiler to get a shorter and a great coating is belt path and fewer troubles related to the tension.

Machine’s crosselongation is an issue for the extrusion coating, while the substrate needs to deal with temperature difference when the hot extruded material hits the metalized film at room temperature. It is important to get the metalized film out of the ancillary decoiler so that it hits the cooling roller as soon as possible. Also, as long as it does not adversely impact the bonds, the extruded can be moved to the primary decoiled side.

normally required to bond the metallic one. If the OPP grows more than 4-5% towards the cross-machine direction when hitting with an extruded product, the cracking may be a problem.

Background colour When an adhesive laminator needs to provide a

Copyright Davis-Standard LLC

A not oriented film will work with an adhesive

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product with a background colour, the “flood coat” is executed in one of the printer’s covers or a pigmented film must be bought. An extrusion coating converter may include the colouring directly into the extruded.

For so many years converters were worry about putting pigment into the extruded thinking it would accumulate at the die edges, generating line stoppages for cleaning. The answer to this problem was to convert a co-extruded structure with pigmentAs in the previous exed resin in the middle ample about weight, if and depigmented resin the desired feature can in the coating. be provided in the pellet rank, the conversion This may be needed if costs of buying this fea- the pigment negatively ture from someone else affects the bond but, if would be saved you are worried about (pigmented blown film the plate, most of the versus pigmented ex- time is not necessary. truded). Compared to a Today, most of the TiO2 “flood coat”, printing (or some other pigwith an extrusion coat- ments) in masterbatching structure with a pig- es have a coating to remented resin can be duce the accumulation faster and easier, as not as well as moisture penso much ink is being etration into the pigplaced. ment (both are a source

of accumulation at the die edges) Forming, filling, and sealing machines – Adhesive lamination vs. Extrusion coating After the product is made, the converter’s responsibility does not end until the finished roller is taken from the coiler.

Any structure produced must be able to be processed in a forming, filling, and sealing machine (FFS).

For this article, several FFS equipment manufactures were contacted to be sure about the differences they observe when executing an extrusion coating structure and an adhesive lamination. Unfortunately, little work seems to be done in this area. Most of the FFS equipment produc-

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ers say they have not enough information about the structure they must seal, they simply receive samples of rolled material used in their laboratory machines to develop a list of operating parameters.

COF. If a converter attempts to run the product with an extruded as a sealing film, enough sliding levels must be included to create the desired COF levels in the inner layer. The amount of sliding required to achieve this can be significantly reduced if the extrusion coating structure is made with a matte cooling roller, which results in a rougher surface finish where less of the extruded is in contact with the forming cone.

It must then be processed without information from the FFS equipment manufacturers. A simple review indicates some important parameters when comparing the extrusion coating with adhesive lamination.

Another way to play with the COF levels is COF not to change the slidWhen running the vertical FFS machine (Figure Copyright Davis-Standard LLC 7), the COF of the inner layer (sealed) must be lower than the outer layer. This is to allow outside straps to remove the material forward, causing it to slide over the forming cone.

For adhesive laminate converters, this should not be a problem because the sealing film is usually a blown film made with sliding agents, which reduces

ing levels or the surface finish, but to change the FFS machine. Some machines have replaceable cones that are more slippery and melt to create greater friction. “Triangle of death�

This humorous term was used by a brand owner to describe an area in flexible packaging that is a focal point or leaks. Such potential is minimized by extrusion coating.

When a fin seal is created and flattened during the clamping, stress occurs because the material that is not normally

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folded is forced to fold.

After the clamp is released, the material will attempt to return to normal those folding efforts by returning to their pre-clamped shape. This action can create a vacuum in the packaging (Figure 8.)

Heat transfer The heat needed to hold a structure is generated from the outside. This temperature must penetrate through the structure to reach the sealing point. Plastic acts as a large insulator and can withstand this heat transference. As you switch from a thin adhesive to a thicker plastic extruded adhesive, the heat transfer resistance caused by the extruded negatively affects the clamping process by preventing the clamp heat from reaching the sealing surface.

The adhesive laminate process deposits a very thin layer of adhesive; this thin layer cannot effectively relieve those forces. Alternatively, extrusion coating provides a thicker, smoother layer. This layer can help reduce the "bounce" effect that relieves stress that can lead to the Summary death triangle.

Adhesive lamination and Bleeding extrusion coating can Compared to an adhe- coexist peacefully. It is sive, an extruded can help to fill the gaps between substrates, acting as putty as it flows when heated. This fluidity can help the bond, but if the clamps are not correctly aligned or have too much compression, the resin can "bleed", causing a pos- Copyright Davis-Standard LLC sible bonding loss.

possible to run both processes on one equipment by making some changes to it. It is important to understand that changing an adhesive lamination structure to extrusion coating requires more than simply replacing the adhesive with an extruded one.

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Can chemical recycling make plastic more sustainable?

Chemical recycling is attracting serious interest and investment. Still in its relative infancy, the technology carries a weight of expectation as a possible solution to the mountain of plastic waste created every year. But not everyone is convinced – chemical recycling is not without its critics and there will be challenges to overcome if it’s to live up to its hype.

By Guy Bailey, Head of Intermediates and Applications, and Ashish Chitalia, Head of Polyolefins.

In the second part of our Chemical Solutions series, we explore the potential of these nascent technologies. Fill in the form for the insight brochure, which includes sample charts and an overview of the rest of the series. Or read on for an introduction to the pros and cons of chemical recycling.

Around 220 Mt of plastic waste is generated each year. Of this, around 90 Mt is mismanaged (leaking into the natural environment), 70 Mt is landfilled, 30 Mt is incinerated, and another 30 Mt is recycled. Creating a genuinely circular economy – and advancing the materials transition – depends on finding ways to recapture Bringing plastic more value from the waste full circle

waste stream and boosting recycling rates.

Chemical recycling currently accounts for less than 1% of this recapturing process.

But judging by activity from refiners through to consumer-facing brands – in the form of pilots, partnerships and investment – there is real scope for rapid expansion.

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Chemical recycling at the top of the petroversus mechanical chemical value chain, or be used for other enerrecycling gy applications.

There are multiple competing approaches to Chemical recycling has chemical recycling. many advantages over recycling, Plastic-to-plastic (P2P) mechanical recycling turns waste the current dominant directly back into feed- process. The mechanistock that can be recon- cal approach is more verted to plastic appli- costly, requiring a flow cations.

Plastic-to- of high-quality feedfeedstock (P2F) tech- stock. Any additives or nologies create a longer pollutants, such as colloop, converting the ouring, can lead to rewaste stream into hy- duced-quality material drocarbon products. or lower volumes.

These can be processed and provide feedstock

Getting value out of harder-to-recycle plastic One of the main driving forces for chemical recycling is its potential to unlock value in waste previously regarded as difficult to recycle.

HDPE and PP bottles and rigid packs, for example, are typically coloured, which lowers the value of the recyclate.

Chemical recycling removes the colouring which makes this highly

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recyclable material collection and economic much more valuable. reasons. In the US, for example, about 30% of Mixed-waste bales also PET and HDPE bottles move further up the are recycled each year, value chain. P2F procompared to less than cesses don’t require the 10% of bags and same stringent levels of wraps. sorting as mechanical recycling – often the Chemical recycling will costliest element of the significantly boost the process. reprocessing rate of these flexible applicaHow will moving waste tions, making them further up the value more attractive for chain help tackle the 90 brands with recycling million tonnes of plastic commitments. leaked into the natural environment each year? Chemical recycling Find out more in the full could reduce fossil fuel report – fill in the form extraction and CO2 for a preview. emissions Expanding the poten- Chemical recycling is tial of lightweight energy-intensive. But if flexible packaging incinerated and landfilled waste can be There’s been a big push moved to disposal via for brands to chemical recycling, the ‘downgauge’ packaging industry could reduce – a combination its overall emissions inof consumer pressure tensity and displace virover plastic and a degin feedstocks. sire to cut packaging costs. Flexible packag- This displacement ing and films perform would mean more hywell in this regard, but drocarbons could be left aren’t recycled in large in the ground. P2P volumes for technical, technologies displace

the need for petrochemical feedstocks altogether, while P2F technologies produce feedstocks that can be reprocessed in refineries, in place of oil and gas products.

Read the full report for comparisons of CO2 emissions of mixed plastic waste and new product production.

But is chemical recycling really a sustainable choice?

Chemical recycling is not universally hailed as the solution to the challenges facing the plastics value chain. A recent report

by GAIA made objections on environmental grounds, while Greenpeace has questioned whether the approach is likely to succeed in increasing recovery of post-use plastic waste.

Concerns vary by technology type, but three key themes have emerged:

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Chemical recycling generates high carbon emissions. Plastic that can be mechanically recycled will emit more CO2 if it is processed via energy-intensive chemical recycling.

Chemical recycling leaves toxic byproducts. Toxic substances produced in the chemical recycling process, such as cadmium and mercury, are costly to dispose of and could leak into the environment.

Chemical recycling could be a form of ‘wishcycling’ or greenwashing. Critics fear that the industry could become complacent, assuming the technology will inevitably scale.

With such limited operational capacity today, many bold assumptions made about future growth are inherently uncertain.

that lie sustainability of the challenges plastics value chain? ahead. The report also includes charts on the Despite these concerns, projects tracked in our chemical recycling’s pochemical recycling datatential to tackle end-ofbase – and the technollife plastic is highly anogies attracting the ticipated by many parmost attention. ticipants across the value chain. Implemented carefully and alongside mechanical recycling, it can increase processing capacity and the value of recycled plastic waste. Our modelling suggests that the proportion of plastic packaging reprocessed into the energy and petrochemical value chains could more than double, from 22% today to 50% by 2040.

But how does chemical recycling go from a potential game-changer, to making a material impact?

The full report explores the hierarchy of waste disposal methods, how chemical recycling techSo, can chemical re- nologies can be scaled cycling improve the up to become commercial, and the major

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EIGENANZEIGE

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“Plate on Demand” – flexographic printing forms when you need them In offset printing, the production of printing plates has largely been standardized. The equipment involved in the process is straightforward and consists of a small number of devices that are easy to use. The high level of standardization and minimal complexity of the plate manufacturing process mean that most offset printers now produce their printing forms themselves. But what is the situation in flexographic printing?

By Dirk Bömelburg, Hell Gravure Systems Printing form produc- ment. In addition to tion in flexographic these material reprinting sources, the production of high-quality flexoIn flexographic printing, graphic printing forms printing forms are gendemands a certain level erally manufactured by of specialist knowledge. service providers and The print data needs to delivered to printers. If be prepared in a you look at the reasons “flexographically friendfor this, two situations ly” way, color profiles immediately stand out. need to be adjusted to The production process suit the printing condifor a photopolymer tions and the process printing form involves a parameters in printing lot of stages and reform production also quires a lot of equip-

need to be monitored.

Print shops often do not have these material and personnel resources. As a result, it is very difficult for print shops to produce their own printing forms themselves.

Making printing form production lean Manufacturing a photopolymer printing form requires up to seven partly analog process steps. This means print-

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ers that want to produce their own printing forms need to invest in imagesetters, washers, lasers, dryers/finishers, as well as possibly a laminating machine and a distillation system. All in all, it is an undertaking that requires a lot of staff, a lot of space and involves a lot of costs.

If continuous print motifs also need to be produced, the equipment for manufacturing printing sleeves needs to be provided too, in addition to printing plate production.

Fully digital direct laser engraving offers a way out of this difficult situation. The ready-forpress clichĂŠ is imaged with just one device in a single step. A highenergy laser produces the three-dimensional relief in a single operation. The laser is extremely easy to use and can be operated even by non-specialists after a little training. Direct engraving systems can also be configured as hybrid machines so that printing plates and sleeves can be manu-

factured on the same device.

Are direct slow?

lasers

Print quality has reached an extremely high level with both photopolymer and elastomer printing forms, which means that print quality alone is often no longer the deciding factor when choosing the printing form. Direct lasers can now process up to 1 m2 of printing form within one hour at a maximum resolution of 5080 dpi with a screen ruling of up to

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80 l/cm. In two-shift production, it is therefore possible to meet demand for around 4,000 m2 a year. The main advantage of photopolymer printing forms is the throughput in square meters per hour, which is far higher than in direct laser engraving. Service providers naturally have to produce a high volume of square meters to remain profitable.

For print shops, however, the productivity of a direct engraving laser is

suffi- just a few days. On the hardware side, it is therefore relatively easy Integration into the to get a print shop in a print shop position where it can Systems for the direct produce its own printing engraving of elastomer forms “at the touch of a materials require little button�. space and consist of a This leaves the question manageable number of of how to prepare the units. After laser enprint data. If a print graving, the printing shop does not have its form only needs to be own prepress departcleaned with a highment, one practical sopressure water jet and lution is to have classic brush. This can be done prepress service providby hand or by using fulers create the print daly automatic washing ta and only bring the equipment. Such equipimaging of printing ment can be installed in in many cient.

cases

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forms into the print shop. Lasers can be supplied with engraving data via an Internetbased interface.

Faster to the press with “Plate on Demand�

Plate on Demand means moving the imaging of flexographic printing forms into the print shop. One big advantage of this for everyone involved in the process is the fast availability of the printing form on the press.

Once the print motif has

been approved, the printer creates the required printing forms and is at the printing stage within an extremely short time.

Nothing needs to be physically transported from the prepress provider to the printer, which cuts costs further and benefits the environment. If printing forms are faulty, jobs can often be interrupted because it can take a lot of time to get replacement printing forms. An in-house direct engraving system

makes it possible for printers to provide a replacement printing form for the press within an extremely short time without having to interrupt the job. To sum up, it can be said that using appropriate equipment can help flexographic print shops get their products on the market faster. Direct supply routes can help cut costs and minimize press downtimes.

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Rossini revolutionizes gravure printing Rossini SpA presents Ecograv System: the world's first production line for rotogravure cylinders without copper and chrome coating ready for electromechanical engraving. The Rossini group thus proposes itself as a solution provider for the supply of innovative technologies with a "turnkey" formula by leveraging its Equipment division.

Rossini SpA confirms its technological leadership and launches a highly innovative solution in rotogravure printing.

The large Italian manufacturer of rollers and sleeves has found the alternative to the hexavalent chrome coating of printing cylinders by finalizing a research and development work personally supervised

by Mr. Rossini over the last ten years.

carried out with this technology, but at the same time generates environmental and health problems, so much so that the com-

petent authorities will prohibit its use within a few years (see box).

The solution developed in Rossini is called Eco-

The chrome surface of the printing cylinders guarantees today the high quality of the work

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grav System and replaces the copper and chrome cladding with a special polyurethane based technopolymer that has passed all the tests of quality and machinability on industrial lines, and can be engraved electromechanically. Moreover, Rossini has developed and built the production plant to make the new type of cylinder, or rather a complete and automated line, which starts from the raw material to be "poured" on the roller to reach the product ready for engraving.

manufacturer's Technology Center, where customers will be able to verify the prerogatives and performance of the system.

The Gerosa Group - development partner of the project - has already signed the purchase commitment for the supply of the first Ecograv System. ICR, a well-known supplier of rotogravure cylinders, has also supported the development for the engraving part. Here is how engineer Flavio Losa, Rossini SpA, presents it, in preview in For the spring of next Converting. year the pilot plant will be in operation at the

Dr. Losa, as often happens, also at the origin of your project there was a problem to solve - in this case find a new type of coating, alternative to chrome, for the rotogravure printing cylinder. Why is this so important?

The rotogravure cylinder has a steel core and engraved copper coating, and ultimately a hexavalent chromium protection. The latter has a surface hardness of 1000- 1200 Brinell.

Even without being an expert we can understand the importance of this data if we compare

Rossini SpA: the great leap Rollers and sleeves for dies designed and made with the most innovative techniques and materials, for gravure, flexo and offset printing. And, from the Equipment Division, treatment and maintenance plants and machinery: grinding; storage systems, automatic cleaning systems, accessories and smart solutions that simplify individual aspects of printing.

This is Rossini SpA’s classic offer, featuring a family-owned Italian multinational company that has established itself worldwide for the quality of its products, constant commitment to R&D, dynamism in the commercial field and stakeholder relations in the many countries in which it operates.

And now, with Ecograv System, Rossini proposes a unique, high-tech offer.

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it with the hardness of a doctor blade, which is around 700 Brinell: since the function of this coating is first of all to protect the roller from the rubbing of the doctor blade, extending its life and preserving its characteristics, the effectiveness of chrome is evident. But that's not all. Having many open bonds, chromium 6+ has a superior uniformity, which allows the management of a particularly well defined and constant layer. All these characteristics together ensure the perfection and durability of the engraving.

tremely low surface roughness value, not far from that of chrome, and above all it can be engraved electromechanically. This data is particularly important because until now the experiences made on plastic compounds involved laser engraving.

However, there are very few laser machines on the market: almost all engravers work with electromechanical systems. So our goal was to develop a cylinder

that could be engraved by everyone, without having to change technology, and we succeeded. This does not exclude the fact that in the near future Ecograv will be able to be engraved using laser technology.

So the novelty is not only about the coating...

That's right: it is rendered by a set of ele-

What material is the alternative coating developed in Rossini SpA made of? And how does it behave?

It is a polyurethane based technopolymer, patent pending, conductive and, of course, grindable. It has an ex-

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ments including materials, engraving techniques and equipment involved that do not negatively impact the health of operators and the environment. The new polymer at the base of the Rossini Ecograv System, once removed, can be disposed of in exactly the same way as segregated plastic household waste.

Had a solution of this kind ever been developed before?

No, we are the first.

To test the performance of the new cylinder you have involved a very well equipped engraver and converter. With what results?

Firstly we carried out the tests on our small single color rotogravure machine that we installed in our research center and we printed

370,000 m of printing with a 12 micron polyester. With a cruising speed between 200 and 250 m/min and standard recipe, with a very normal steel doctor blade and roto inks on ethyl acetate base, without any problem.

To our and our partners' full satisfaction, we have obtained a very high quality high definition image with a uniform ink density throughout the entire print run. But that's not all: the constancy of the ink transport is correlated to the fact that even the cells empty evenly, quickly and without large residues on the bottom. The printing dot is better: perfectly round, without any dragging thanks to the doctor blade. Of course we did the calibration curve for the engraving, which allowed us to obtain an absolutely level tone gradient and, overall, results equivalent or above those of a

standard chrome-plated steel roller.

Coming ments?

develop-

We will soon start the most difficult tests.

Gerosa will print a 7colour subject with all the most challenging difficulties: solid background, barcode, Arabic wordings, fine and coarse detail and a number of pantones.

A challenging job, which will verify both print quality and production output

Ecograv System also includes the line to produce the new cylinder. What is the line-up?

The production line consists of a station where the distribution, i.e. the deposit, of the new polymer that is cast on the user's roller (casting station) takes place, followed by the part of

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the line where the heat treatment takes place that helps to stabilise the crystalline structure of the product. Finally, grinding and smoothing are carried out. The roller is then ready for engraving.

What advantages replace the hexavalent chromium, shortly to be does this bring? banned, but also an alIt is a highly automated ternative to a highly and simple to use propollutant production cess, with a modular system that is also exstructure, which generpensive to manage at ates a roller ready for various levels, not least mechanical engraving, a that of the healthiness shows the overall adof the working environvantage of the new soment and the disposal lution: it not only reof toxic substances sponds to the need to

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used in traditional pro- But you also need to sis of the health of the calculate the plant personnel, and above cessing. all it eliminates all the investment.... problem of the manageThe matter of ROI, as ment of galvanic baths, And on an economic everybody knows, must wastewater, chemical level? be contextualized and products... calculated, The cost of the Ecograv accurately print cylinder will be data and variables to competitive with the hand. The entire Ecocurrent standard and grav System line at the will use the converter most takes up the space of a galvanic line, cylinders. and requires a lower inOf course it will require vestment than a tradia new diameter man- tional process, in addiagement, because our tion to presenting a coating is 2 mm.

A simplicity of manageprinter's cylinder maga- ment that makes it a zine contains thousands truly “user and environor tens of thousands of mental friendly� proparts so there will be no cess. Suffice it to say difficulty in finding the that it does not require Flavio Losa correct diameter for permits for emissions or Sales Director B.U. Offset each job. periodic medical analyProducts Chromium: problems and deadlines Some chemicals used in industrial production are potentially harmful to human health and the environment. From this awareness was born REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) or the European Union regulation that defines the methods and limits of use.

It also dealt with chromium trioxide (or hexavalent chromium) for which the competent authority - considering all aspects of its use in various manufacturing sectors, including the press - has authorized a regulated use and only until 2024.

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Flexible Plastic Packaging Market – Global Forecast to 2025 The global flexible plastic packaging market size is projected to grow from USD 160.8 billion in 2020 to USD 200.5 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2020 to 2025. The flexible plastic packaging market is expected to witness significant growth in the future due to its increased demand in end-use industries, such as food, beverage, cosmetic & personal care, and pharmaceutical. Growth in modern retailing, high consumer income, and acceleration in e-commarce activities, especially in the emerging economies, are likely to support the growth of the flexible plastic packaging market during the forecast period.

COVID-19 impact on for flexible plastic packglobal flexible plastic aging for food, beverpackaging market age, and pharmaceutical applications for The global flexible plasproduct packaging, durtic packaging market is ing COVID-19. expected to witness a moderate decrease in People are resorting to its growth rate in 2020- panic-buying and bulk 2021, as the packaging stocking due to the fear industry witness a sig- of lockdowns.

More nificant decline in its people are ordering daiproduction.

However, ly staples and fresh there seems an in- food through online crease in the demand channels, which leads

to an increase in the demand for flexible plastic packaging. Governments of many affected countries, for instance, India, have asked the food industry players to ramp up production to avoid supplyside shocks and shortages and maintain uninterrupted supply.

FMCG companies are responding by demand-

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ing more of flexible plastic packaging products. For example, Britannia Industries has urged the Indian government to ensure interstate movements of suppliers of raw materials and packaging materials.

The demand for flexible plastic packaging in the pharmaceutical industry, is expected to remain robust as hospitals, drugs, and PPE manufacturers are responding to the crisis.

The demand for household essentials, healthcare, and medical goods is not expected to decrease dramatically, and retail distribution for these types of products through online delivery can be expected to increase. This in turn, boosts the demand for flexible plastic packaging solutions for the timely delivery of raw materials and finished goods to their respective end users.

Flexible plastic packaging Market Dynamics Driver: Costeffectiveness and Increased product shelf -life Due to busy lifestyles, the demand for convenient products has increased, thus leading to a rise in demand for flexible packs. Flexible plastic packaging requires fewer resources and energy for packaging; hence, flexible packs are available at

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low costs and occupy 35% less retail shelf space, rendering them cost-effective as compared to other forms of packaging. Robbie Fantastic Flexibles, a member of the Flexible Packaging Association, states that the manufacturing of 780,000 flexible pouches consumes 87% less coal, 74% less natural gas, and 64% less crude oil in comparison to the manufacturing of rigid clamshell packages.

Moreover, there has been a gradual shift in consumer choice from traditional methods of preparing food at home to buying packaged products.

Flexible plastic packaging uses fewer natural resources, requires less energy in manufacturing, and creates fewer greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, up to 40% of food in the US was wasted in 2016.

Flexible plastic packaging reduces product waste and increases product shelf-life; for instance, bananas packaged in flexible plastic packaging ripen at a slower pace, thus increasing the shelf-life.

This type of packaging can be done in the least packaging possible, thereby lowering product warehousing and shipping expenses, while maintaining or improving product protection.

structure for recycling persists. Every year, in the US itself, recyclable containers worth more than USD 11 billion are thrown away due to a lack of recycling facilities. According to the UN Environment Programme, the world produces around 330 million tons of plastic waste each year. To date, only 9% of the plastic waste ever generated has been recycled, and only 14% is collected for recycling now.

Restraint: Poor InfraAs most recycling facilistructure facilities for ties are outdated, they recycling are incapable of hanRecycling of plastic dling changes in waste packaging waste is a streams. For instance, though the process that requires even state-of-the-art infra- amount of paper waste structural facilities. It is has declined, and plasa time-consuming pro- tic waste has increased, cess that needs person- the existing machinery nel expertise. However, is ill-equipped to handle some parts of the world such changes in the of packaging lack these facilities for trends recycling. Even in de- waste. veloped countries such as the US, the problem of sub-standard infra-

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Opportunity: Sustainable and new flexible plastic packaging solutions Dynamic industry changes, such as the introduction of new regulatory initiatives, have encouraged manufacturers to develop new packaging options.

Growing concerns regarding the use of biodegradable plastics for flexible packaging and its impact on the environment have also driven manufacturers to develop sustainable packaging options that are safe and secure. In order to reduce the cost pressure and maintain the integrity of product packages, manufacturers are considering sustainable packaging solutions that require fewer materials and energy to manufacture a package, reduce transportation expenses, and offer extended shelf-life to the product.

Due to stringent government regulations, changing consumer preferences, and envi-

ronmental pressures, manufacturers are steering their strategies toward circularity and leveraged new plastic technologies to develop recyclable and sustainable solutions that include specific properties such as oxygen, moisture, light, puncture, and chemical resistance, and easy-tear propagation. While, key focus areas for manufacturers include the development of alternative bioplastics solutions such as polybutylene succinate and biopolyproplyene, along with the price and disposal of bioplastics, which will need to be examined to ensure successful usage.

reduce the impact that the harmful plastics are having on the environment. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive has been established in Europe, which has two main objectives: to help prevent obstacles to trade and reduce the impact of packaging waste on the environment. According to this directive, the EU States shall ensure that the recovery and recycling of packaging are made effectively and that the use of hazardous constituents in packaging is kept to a minimal level.

Challenge: Recycling & environmental concerns associated with Governments all over flexible plastic packthe world are encourag- aging ing the use of sustainaAccording to the World ble packaging in order Economic Forum, every to minimize waste. In year, at least 8 million 2018, the UK strode fortons of plastic leaks into ward to become the the ocean, which is world leader in sustainequivalent to dumping able packaging. With an the contents of one garinvestment of USD 80 bage truck into the million (ÂŁ60 million), ocean every minute. the government called This is expected to inon innovators to develcrease to two per miop packaging, which will

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nute by 2030 and four per minute by 2050, which can destroy the ecosystem. About 90% of all the trash in the oceans is from plastic.

Estimates suggest that flexible plastic packaging represents the major share. Hence, recycling becomes a major challenge in the flexible plastic packaging industry, which provides reuse value, and results in lower wastage.

Pouches widely preferred for flexible plastic packaging Based on type, the pouches segment is projected to be the largest market for flexible plastic packaging. The dominant market position of the segment can be attributed to the increase in the demand for these type across various applications in food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and personalcare & cosmetic industries. The increase in the demand for pouches can be attributed to the rise in the demand for lightweight

and convenient packag- lation, rising domestic ing solutions. demand for ready-toeat & convinence food Significant increase products are expected in the food products to boost the market for during COVID-19 flexible plastic packagpandemic ing. The market for flexBy application, the food ible plastic packaging in segment is projected to APAC is growing in the be the largest segment food, beverage, pharin the flexible plastic maceutical, and personpackaging market. Peo- al care & cosmetics inple are resorting to pan- dustries due to the ic-buying and bulk functional properties ofstocking due to the fear fered by flexible plastic such as of lockdowns. packaging, costMore people are order- safety, ing daily staples, FMCG, effectiveness, durability, lightweight, and fresh food through strength, e-commerce & online environmentalchannels, which leads to friendliness, and handean increase in the de- ling convenience. mand for flexible plastic packaging solutions.

This in turn, boost the demand for flexible plastic packaging market for food application.

APAC region to lead the global flexible plastic packaging market by 2025 The APAC region accounted for the largest market share in 2019.

Factors such as improving global economy, expanding working popu-

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Insight Pack Renews Its Confidence in Comexi with Two New Acquisitions Comexi and Insight Pack International Corporation, a company based in the Dominican Republic that specializes in the production of flexible packaging, have strengthened their strategic alliance with the acquisition by the Dominican company of a Comexi SL2 laminator and a Comexi S2 DT slitter. The purchase of these two machines expands Insight Pack’s fleet of Comexi machines. The company already owns a flexographic press, a Comexi laminator, and a Comexi slitter, which were acquired after its founding in 2016.

“When Insight Pack International Corporation began, it did not have sufficient equipment or manpower. With the initial purchase of three Comexi machines, Insight Pack International Corporation trusted us, and from our side, we developed a global project for them,” explains José Santiago, Comexi Area Manager for this region. Since its founding, Insight Pack Inter-

national Corporation has received the advice of Comexi. “We guide Insight Pack International Corporation in fulfilling its daily aftersales service needs, improving its equipment, and training its personnel,” says Santiago, who values “the confidence Insight Pack International Corporation has in our equipment and the training services of the Manel Tech-

nological Center Xifra Boada, Comexi CTec.” For José Santiago, the satisfactory results achieved by the Dominican company demonstrate Comexi’s ability to “support clients with little experience until they are able to succeed.”

Insight Pack International Corporation, based in Santiago de los Caballeros (Dominican Republic),

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has specialized flexographic printing equipment for the packaging of various food and beverage products, such as single wrap and pouches for coffee, cookies, and pasta. The company also produces packaging for products in the tobacco sector, which includes pouches for cigar leaves, as well as shrink-wrap coil, among others.

each challenge and is committed to satisfactorily producing the required results, having Comexi’s service during our initial stage of development and its support heretofore, has been undoubtedly a great consolation for us,” explains Augusto Reyes, president of Insight Pack International Corporation “During our three years in the market, we have become a “Despite acknowledging company on which our that our staff embraces clients can depend, and

have gradually solely assumed all the challenges and training to provide a high quality service,” Reyes comments, adding “for this reason, we have incorporated a Comexi S2 DT slitter, a machine of high quality, precision and productivity”.

The Comexi S2 DT: a cutting-edge slitter Federico Gálvez, Technical Director of Insight Pack International Corporation, values that

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the Comexi S2 DT is “a cutting-edge slitter which has a rotating turret on the winder, allowing for reel removal and replacement without the need cease the process. Furthermore, it allows speeds of 500 m/min to be reached, thus feeding our increasingly productive line of pouches, and accelerating the completion of products, which require reel delivery from our customers.”

The Comexi S2 DT is a machine created to simultaneously provide high productivity and high flexibility. Presently, there are more than 100 Comexi S2 DT slitters in the market, offering high versatility in reference to the range of materials. Regarding this slitter, quality and quantity are not incompatible. As a result of acceleration ratios, high productivity is achieved through obtaining high speeds at a rapid rate.

Operating the Comexi S2 DT is extremely easy

and intuitive, due to the enormous work that has been done to offer a pleasant, comfortable, and agile interface.

The Comexi SL2: the perfect solution for solvent-free lamination Federico Gálvez highlights that the bilaminate and trilaminate structures “are increasingly in demand by the market, which forces us to maximize our lamination capacity, hence allowing us to meet the high number of purchase orders we receive.” To meet this objective, Insight Pack International Corporation has incorporated a Comexi SL2 laminator “with excellent performance, as well as easy operation and maintenance for solvent-free laminations, for both short and medium runs”. This machine has been designed to comply with productivity concepts and operates with simplicity.

The Comexi SL2 has an extremely intuitive envi-

ronmental nuance and an exclusive applicator head design, which consists of complete motorization, the use of metering sleeves, and the option of incorporating automatic change turrets.

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EIGENANZEIGE

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Nuova Erreplast chooses BOBST as new flexo technology partner Long-established Nuova Erreplast has installed a 10-color BOBST EXPERT CI flexo press as the Italian flexible packaging specialist looks to expand production capacity and increase productivity. This is a new partnership that reaffirms the market’s trust in BOBST as an innovation and technology pioneer.

The flexible packaging market is a fastevolving sector with growth predicted to continue at a rate of 3.3% each year to 2024, according to the latest report from Smithers. New packaging formats and innovation in substrates dominate, with a gradual replacement of rigid packs taking place in favour of flexible packaging types. Reduction in material use, transportation costs and en-

ergy used throughout press to support its vithe supply chain are sion of the future. compelling benefits.

“After carefully considNuova Erreplast is one ering our position and the fastest growing con- analysing market deverters of flexible pack- mands, we decided to aging in southern Italy, partner with BOBST for with a more than ten- our next major investfold increase in turno- ment in printing techver over the past dec- nology,” said Nuova ade. To continue this Erreplast’s CEO Domegrowth and enable fur- nico Raccioppoli. He ther innovation, the added, “BOBST is wellcompany has now cho- known for its marketsen to work with BOBST leading flexo technology and invest in the best- and for reliability, and in-class top-of-the- the EXPERT CI press range EXPERT CI flexo has all the features in

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Nuova Erreplast can process 1300 mm wide webs and offers a top production speed of 600 m/min. BOBST’s triLOCK bearing technology on the print decks enables faster operation Easy manufacturing and eliminates manual with sustainability locking.

This avoids benefits process inconsistency and ensures perfect pofor highest The 10-color BOBST sitioning EXPERT CI press at terms of productivity and process innovation that we need to meet upcoming challenges and enable us to expand.�

quality print and less waste.

Among the host of other innovative features, the press is also fitted with smartFLO inking and doctor blade chamber system for predictable and controlled results and smartGPS offline fully automatic registration and impression setting for mini-

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mum start up waste.

The high-efficiency Full Surface Matrix (FSM) inter-color dryer uses lower temperatures thereby saving on energy and preventing issues with substrate stretching. The press is also fully prepared for oneECG seven-color Extended Color Gamut printing.

The very high degree of automation is complemented by the EXPERT CI’s connectivity features, which mean that the Nuova Erreplast team can access production data remotely with ease. It also enables predictive maintenance so parts can be replaced before they fail to avoid costly processing errors and downtime.

Leading the way in flexible packaging Located just north of Naples, Italy, Nuova Erreplast was founded in 1980 by Crescenzo Raccioppoli and is still family-owned, with the

position of CEO taken over by family member Domenico Raccioppoli, who has been leading the company since 2004.

It is part of Raccioppoli Group and today operates from a new 55,000 square metre site, which was opened in 2018 and includes a fully automated 6,500 pallet warehouse.

The BOBST EXPERT CI has joined a fleet of existing flexo presses in the converting department.

The facility also includes extrusion for in-house production of a wide range of filmic-based packaging applications, and there is a very high degree of focus on automation, efficiency and sustainability.

There has been significant expansion particularly into the food sector with packaging produced for dairy, meat and frozen goods, pasta, confectionery, snacks and bakery items – a great success

for Domenico and his team. The company also supplies many types of flexible packaging solutions to customers in the industrial, pharmaceutical and fashion industries, and some 35% of all production is exported, most notably to North America.

Recently Nuova Erreplast has also made a significant investment in a new manufacturing line for making medical, aseptic and antibacterial packaging, and during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the company has initiated mass production of medical masks.

Forward together in innovation Faster delivery, shorter run lengths and more environmentally friendly substrates are some of the many demands faced by packaging suppliers in today’s market. Full cooperation

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and trust between converters and equipment manufacturers is needed to meet those challenges and develop the right solutions.

Mr Raccioppoli said, “You have to find the supplier that you believe will make your dreams come true. We have very specific goals in mind, both for ourselves and for our customers, and it is clear that BOBST can help us achieve those goals.”

tivity, and it will also increase their sustainability targets. It is simply a winning combination.”

“At BOBST we work hand in hand with our customers to facilitate their growth and keep them at the forefront of the market,” Alberto Vaglio Laurin, Zone Business Director Italy, Bobst Italia concluded.

“We are very excited and proud to welcome Nuova Erreplast as a new customer to BOBST, and we look forward to a long and fruitful cooperation as we together push the limits of flexo in Italy and beyond,” said Danilo Vaskovic, Sales Director, Bobst Bielefeld. “The EXPERT CI press will help Nuova Erreplast maximise productivity through more automation, faster changeovers, less waste and full connec-

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Emerson & Renwick chooses Vetaphone Emerson & Renwick, which was founded in 1918 to manufacture and supply machinery to the local textile mills in Lancashire, remains a fully independent and privately-owned engineering company, though its product portfolio is almost unrecognisable from the early days. What has not changed is its quest for quality, and this applies equally to the in-house capabilities of its machine shop and assembly lines, as well as the ancillary equipment it sources from outside specialists.

One of the most recent cooperative partnerships it has struck is with the Danish pioneers of surface treatment, Vetaphone, whose founder Verner Eisby invented and developed the process that is now universally used and known as Corona treatment. While Vetaphone has been an established and accredited supplier of Corona technology to Emerson & Renwick for some time, it was the recent

launch of the Danish company’s Web Cleaner that attracted their attention sufficiently for it to be specified for a laminator sold to an Asian customer and for E&R’s own in-house pilot line.

Developed in response to market demand from narrow web converters, Vetaphone’s universal range of web cleaning units are designed to complement the company’s extensive range of Corona treaters. The

intelligent design and use of high-quality elastomer contact cleaner rolls and perforated adhesive rolls ensures that any dry unattached particle, as small as one -micron, is efficiently removed from the web. Available for single- or double-sided operation in web widths from 350 – 570mm with an operational speed up to 250m/min, the Vetaphone Web Cleaner is simple to service and maintain

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with the added advantage that its control can be integrated with that of the Vetaphone Corona treater for improved ergonomics.

As E&R has grown and developed its business across a number of market sectors it has positioned itself as a leading manufacturer of sophisticated roll- toroll production machinery. By building a reputation for engineering, technology and process innovation and using the experience gained across a diverse range of applications, the company is able to support developments for ever more demanding processes and products.

Speaking for the company, Sales Director Andrew Jack stated: “Innovation lies at the heart of everything we do, whether creating enabling technologies or refining processes to enhance capabilities and productivity. When needed, we work with

strategic partners to integrate sophisticated and complex source technologies to our platforms.

With Vetaphone we have found great synergy at all levels of the working partnership, which is vital in offering our customers performance reliability.”

that Vetaphone has installed a Web Cleaner.

“We chose to specify a Vetaphone unit for our pilot line because of our longstanding relationship with Vetaphone that has developed through extensive use of their Corona treaters. It seemed sensible to test the web cleaning device initially on our pilot coater that is located within our Technology Centre, so we could monitor its reliability and performance.

It quickly proved to be successful, so we decided to use it on a production coater that is producing touch panel displays, where it is running in combination with a Vetaphone Corona treater.

Both systems are working very well, and we are delighted with them,” he explained.

The scope of E&R technology now spreads across markets as diverse as wallcoverings, heat exchangers, and web coating.

Flexo, gravure and screen techniques provide the print capability for wallcoverings, while tubeand fin-forming and assembly facilities cater for, amongst others, the automotive industry’s requirements for heat exchangers (think radiators). The web coating division utilises both vacuum and atmospheric technology for its custom coating lines In addition to being priand it is on the pilot vately owned and indecoating line at the compendent, the company pany’s HQ in Accrington is a highly self-sufficient operation.

The main

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plant in Lancashire spans 6500sq/m and employs over 170 staff of which 30 are full time engineers working on the breadth of technology required to fulfil the requirements of E&R’s extensive portfolio of roll-to-roll platforms. The engineering side is also responsible for design and 3D drafting including both hardware and software for the control systems.

Manufacturing includes mechanical and electrical assembly and installation, with an inhouse machine shop and tool room for precision components, all compliant with ISO 9001:2015. These are augmented by the support team with R&D and lab facilities onsite.

vice support in China, based in Guangzhou and Shanghai, E&R is spreading its wings into the global arena. As Mr Jack concluded: “We have a maxim of ‘versatility, reliability, and repeatability’ that has served us well and allowed us to become very competitive in a number of market sectors.

Looking ahead, we need to maintain our attention to detail in all we do, and that includes working closely with ancillary suppliers like Vetaphone to integrate technology and maximise efficiency.”

With a US plant in Lockport NY that undertakes design, manufacturing, and assembly in addition to providing sales and support for the North American market, and now sales and ser-

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