tesa expands the capabilities of flexographic printing

Packaging Solutions

The flexible packaging industry is continuously working to increase productivity. Those who want to stay competitive in the highly dynamic flexographic printing market need to meet increasing demands on print quality combined with high levels of overall process efficiency.

tesa is supporting this target with the extension of its Softprint FE-X now in the Flex-Design, which is especially for use on damaged sleeve surfaces or thin walled sleeves that expand during the mounting process. Derived from a grid characteristic, its design consists of a foam carrier embedded between two PE reinforcement films. This results in a more forgiving laydown of the tape which helps to counterbalance the increase in sleeve circumference whilst achieving a better bonding on inconsistent surfaces through a specially engineered adhesive.

Softprint FE-X Flex makes the process of plate mounting and demounting fast and easy due to the adhesive system used, thanks in part to a higher bond towards sleeve or cylinder than the printing plate. This allows faster job preparation and increased efficiency.

The adhesive system is also highly resistant to solvents and elevated temperature as well as possessing humidity resistance to ensure safe plate bonding. Non tacky surface characteristics have also been implemented to allow the mounting of multi colour jobs faster into register.

Richard Eeles, tesa’s UK key account manager for flexo, said: ‘The combination of Softprint tapes with the latest plate technology and printing presses results in the best possible print quality when selecting one foam hardness will enable manufacturers to reduce the complexity of their processes and offer a more standardised print production cycle.’