EVENTS

50 FLEXO & GRAVURE GLOBAL 1-2012

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Gravure package printing under pressureAbove the roofs of Graz/A, ERA European Rotogravure Association presentedtheir 2011 »Packaging Gravure Awards«

ERA Innovation Award

The highly prestigious bi-annual»Packaging Gravure Award« may beconsidered a good indicator of per-formance and innovation strengthof the European gravure packageprinting industry. In addition to thefive prizes awarded in six catego-ries, eight »Special Commenda-tions« were handed out. Again the»Innovation Awards« aroused thehighest interest from the audience.Both awards from this categorywent to Italian companies. Perchedon a mountain and residing over thecity, the »Schlossberg« restaurantoffered the festive frame for theAwards dinner.

ANSGAR WESSENDORF

_____________________________________________________________________________

Last November, the European Rotogravrue Association held its annual,two-day Packaging Conference in Graz, Austria’s second-biggest cityand hometown of ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER. Under the motto »The futureof gravure printing in the booming packaging markets« a total of 15presentations covered a broad variety of topics. Not exclusivelyaddressing gravure package printing they also provided indepth viewsinto other topics which enabled the 110 attendees to draw personal con-clusions about the future viability of gravure package printing. How-ever, in addition to technical solutions and developments the focus wason self-marketing and public image.

The Lainate near Milan/I-basedpackage printer Rotoprint Sovra-stampa has won an award for itspatented register-accurate over-printing or imprinting process forpre-printed web-based flexiblepackaging materials such as Poly-ester, Polypropylene, paper, or self-adhesive labels.

This process is used to change in-formation concerning price,weight, best-before dates, companynames and personalisations, and tosupport promotional activities.Rotoprint Sovrastampa has gaineda USP among package printer byperfecting and focussing on thisprocess. This service is much appre-ciated by global brand owners to»save« misprinted reels, and to savethe costs for new production fromscratch.

The second »Innovation Award«went to Cerutti SpA for its R1060gravure package printing line,which was honoured for to its con-vincing flexible concept. Efficientdryers facilitate faster drying of theapplied ink film and thus contributeto lower solvent retention. Further-more, the shorter drying hoodallows a shorter web path whichsubsequently reduces waste. Sturdydoctor blades and a rubber roller

improve the inking of the gravureprinting cylinder at high produc-tion speeds, whereas a sophisticatedtrolley system reduces times re-quired for job changes.

Influencing factorsand symbiosis

Dr HELEN KARMASIN (Karmasin Mo-tivforschung) opened the presenta-tions with a lecture on »Sociocul-tural influencing factors on pack-aging«. The symbiosis of productand packaging has to create con-sumer identity and transport mes-sages. Each packaging has a respec-tive colour and form code appealingto a certain clientele, industry, orgroup of persons (i.e. »masculine« or»feminine«, respectively »medita-tive« packaging for people with in-terest in yoga). Other huge influ-ences on packaging design are cur-rent trends (i.e. organic) or socialchanges. The increasing number ofsingle-person households, the ris-ing number of elderly people, andthe high mobility increases the de-mand for small size conveniencepackaging (»packaging-to-go«).

Growth marketSoutheast Europe

While the global packaging marketcompromised USD 383 billion in2000, it increased to USD 540 bil-lion in 2008 and is forecast to reachUSD 800 billion by 2020. In 2008the consumption of packaging ma-terials in Western Europe was USD338 per capita, in North AmericaUSD 383, and in Eastern EuropeUSD 108. According to BAGDAN

BREAZU (ISM) these numbers im-pressively illustrate the growth po-tential of Western Europe-basedpackaging producers on markets inEastern Europe and especiallySoutheast Europe.

With 21.5 million inhabitants,Romania is by far the most popu-lated country in this region. In thiscountry, flexographic printing offlexible substrates has a market

Continuous growth of thepackaging market.Source: Pira International;Courtesy of Windmöller &Hölscher.

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 20200

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Num

bers

in B

illio

n U

SD

383.4 376.1 382.8 427.2 459.3 477.1 498.0 522.0 540.0 800.0

-2% +1.8% +11.6%+7.5%

+3.8% +4.3%+4.9%

+3.4% +3.5%

Year

fore

cast

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EVENTS

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share of 66%, while the share of gra-vure printing is at a low of 7%.Approx. 27% of flexible substratesremain unprinted.

Straight talk and criticism

The capacities of Constantia Flexi-bles Austrian sites – ConstantiaTeich in Mühlhofen and ConstantiaPlatz in Loipersbach – are designedfor the annual production of 15 bil-lion platines (joghurt lids). »Twothirds of the platines are flexo print-ed (6% solvent-based inks, 60% UVinks) and one third is gravure print-ed«. Flexo is mainly used for shorterjob runs; 79% of the jobs are shorterthan 9000 sqm (96,876 sqft) whichadds up to 48% of the total produc-tion. Compared to this, 14% of jobsprinted with gravure totals 50% ofthe total production, whereby 60%of the jobs are smaller than 9000sqm (96,876 sqft). This means ashare of just 19% of the total pro-duction.

Due to the ongoing trend tosmaller print runs, Constantia putshigh emphasis on reducing time re-quired for job changes. To achievethis goal shorter reaction times areessential. In this regard, gravure isoutmatched by flexo printing byfar. Whilst gravure cylinders havean average delivery time of fivedays, flexo printing formes areavailable within 24 hours. Accord-ing to HARALD HUBER (ConstantiaFlexibles) the costs for a photopoly-mer flexo plate are approximately49% below a gravure printing cyl-inder. This example is based onprinting formes with a printingrepeat of 450–500 mm (17.7”–19.7”) and a printing width of 600mm (23.6"). Gravure printing formeproduction is a complex process,requiring much effort to keep pro-duction steps stable and accurate(mechanical preparation, electro-plating, surface treatment, engrav-ing). Also transport, handling andlogistics of heavy forme cylindersare difficult. As a general rule, gra-vure printing cylinders are designedfor one specific press, they can’t beused in different printing presses.Availability and price trends ofSteel, Copper, and Chrome and con-troversial issues about the metalChrome cause uncertainties withinthe industry.

Against this background, HA-RALD HUBER draws three essentialconclusions: As in flexo printing, toreduce makeready times and easecylinder handling a lightweight,sleeve-based printing cylinder witha press-specific mandrel must beavailable for gravure printing. Fea-sible solutions include gravureprinting sleeves (supplied by Sauer-essig) or lightweight standard sizegravure printing cylinders (suppliedby Bolz). However, the disadvant-age of such solutions is the lownumber of respective suppliers anda lack of compatibility of suchclosed-loop systems.

He also demands the develop-ment of an alternative direct laserengravable mono-layer to reducethe number of process steps in elec-troplating and surface treatment.Unfortunately, a functional layer,offering the engraving characteris-tics of Copper and Zinc combinedwith the excellent print characteris-tics of Chrome, is still not availableon the market.

Research by IPT on Nickel orsolutions by Schepers and HellGravure Systems for direct laserengraving in Copper might be re-garded as the first steps in the rightdirection.

HUBER considers radiation curingink systems as viable alternatives towater- and solvent-based inks. UVand EB inks consist of 100% solidsand require low cell volumes. An-other benefit of radiation curingcompared to solvent-based inks is ashorter web path resulting fromeliminating the drying hood. Fur-thermore, there is no need for ex-protection zones and air purifica-tion systems. Moreover, UV curedink layers are characterised by high

gloss and extraordinary chemicaland mechanical properties.

Concluding his presentation,HARALD HUBER addressed some criti-cism towards ERA, as in his opinionthe association should be a lot morevisible on the market and put moreeffort into promoting possibilitiesand benefits of gravure packageprinting. As positive examples hementioned activities of the GermanFlexo Technical Association (DFTA)like seminars and training courses.In addition, flexo suppliers are cur-rently launching numerous inno-vations onto the market. Namingonly a few, solutions like HD-Flexo,LuX, NExT, Flexcel, or direct en-graving into Elastomer (undercut)are all pointing in the same direc-tion of making reproducible highresolution flexo formes with highprint run stability. The high poten-tial of flexo printing is already rec-ognised by companies like Fujifilmand ContiTech, which are tradition-ally suppliers to the offset printingindustry.

REACH: Chromium trioxide

JOSEF BERNARD (ERA) referred to thecurrent state of the ongoing regis-tration process of Chromium triox-ide according to REACH. There is nodoubt that Chromium trioxide is ahazardous and toxic chemical sub-stance, and that its REACH listing

Per capita (USD) Region Population (Million)

338 West Europe 400383 North America 380108 East Europe 33038 Latin America 58043 Asia/Pacific* 380031 Africa/Middle East 1190

* Japan: 450 USD per capita

Packaging materials con-sumption (2008).Source: Pira International;with courtesy ofWindmöller & Hölscher.

The ERA Packaging Confe-rence took place in theimpressive conferenceroom of the Minorite Con-vent at Graz/A.

00 FLEXO & GRAVURE GLOBAL 1-2012

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Winners of the ERA »Packaging Gravure Award« 2011Films and Laminates

Paper/Film Laminates and Metallised Films

Shrink-wrap Sleeves

Award»Nua Juicy Fruit Candies«, Ukrplastic/UA

Special Commendation»Kraft Food Alpengold«Huhtamaki Deutschland GmbH & Co.

Special Commendation»Christian Audigier Vodka«, Sleever International/F

Award»Beyers Koffie Authentics«A. Hatzopoulus SA/GR

Special Commendation»Unox Snelle Knaks«Huhtamaki Deutschland GmbH & Co.

Award»Stater Bros. Extra Juicy Shrimp«Print Master Co Ltd/TH

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was reasonable and inevitable froma scientific point of view. Not onlythe gravure printing industry, butalso other important industries likeautomobile and aerospace dependon Chromium trioxide. ERA is ne-gotiating with the competent EUauthority on an authorisation ofChromium trioxide for gravureprinting under controlled condi-tions. ERA also has constant ex-changes with other industries.

Simple and effectivecounterfeit protection

Integrating Cryptoglyph technol-ogy into package manufacturingresults in counterfeit protection ofproducts. According to ROLAND MEY-LAN (AlpVision), using Cryptoglyphmicrodots invisible security ele-ments can be applied with inks orvarnishes by using flexo or gravuretechnology and thus is easy to inte-grate into the production process.To differentiate original productsfrom counterfeits a photo takenwith a mobile phone or a scan issufficient. The image has to betransferred to a secure server via theworld wide web or mobile phone

network. This server detects, analy-ses and decodes the Cryptoglyphmarking and sends a text messageto the mobile phone whether theproduct is an original or not. Thissolution enables field service in-spectors to check pharmaceuticaland chemical products in shops toidentify grey marketeers andfraudulent re-imports.

Slowly but steadily

During the conference, the managerof a highly reputed package printerwith a repro department admittedhis initial refusal against using PaC.Space, but would not miss it sinceits implementation. The idea of PaC.Space is to provide a general gra-vure packaging colour gamut, toachieve a defined interface of sup-plied data to specific process andprinting conditions. In his presenta-tion, LOTHAR ROTH described in detailthe pros and cons of PaC.Space, ad-mitting that there is still much workto do to convince the market. Afterseminars with brand owners andagencies in 2010, workshops hadbeen held at print and media uni-versities and engineering schools in

2011 with more to follow in 2012.Packaging & Label Gravure Asso-ciation (USA) features PaC.Space inits handbook »PLGA Global Gra-vure Specifications & Tolerances«.

Intelligent managementsystems

Next-generation artwork manage-ment systems were the topic of BER-TIN SORGENFREY’s (Dalim Software)presentation. Advanced modularsoftware solutions for informationexchange and approval via the in-ternet, tailored to customer require-ments and environment, enables anincreasing number of prepress serv-

Region 2004 2010 Growth(1000 to) (1000 to) 2007–2010

(% p.a.)

USA 3000 3600 3.1

Canada 450 550 3.4

Europe 3534 4528 4.2

Asia/Pacific 2400 2750 2.3

China 1000 1700 9.2

India 300 600 12.2

South America 1100 1650 7.0

Others 600 740 3.6

Total 12,384 16,118 4.5

Flexible packaging:Consumption and growthSource: Pira International;courtesy ofWindmöller & Hölscher.

FLEXO & GRAVURE GLOBAL 1-2012 00

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Workflow Prize (Standard Dataformat)

Innovation Prize Special Commendation»Best Newcomer« entry

Award»Packaging Gravure Press R1060«Cerutti Packaging Equipment SpA/I

Award»Overprinting or imprinting of pre-printedweb-based packaging materials«Rotoprint Sovrastampa Srl/I

Special Commendation»K500 Twain: Electro mechanical

engraving of gravure cyclinders withtwo engraving heads«

Hell Gravure Systems GmbH/D

Special Commendation»Melt-free direct engraving in Copper«Schepers GmbH & Co. KG/D

»Stater Bros. Extra Juicy Shrimp«Print Master Co Ltd/TH

»Gut von Holstein Käsescheiben«Wipak Walsrode GmbH & Co. KG/D

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ice suppliers to speed up their com-plex processes. Such managementsystems have become an inevitabletool for communication, proof andapproval. Depending on adminis-trative authorisation, users can lookat, check, edit and approve everydocument – location-independentand without downloading the file.

An additional challenge is theintegration of several prepress solu-tions and workflows and planning,accountancy, and organising soft-ware and databases, all purchasedbit-by-bit from different suppliers.This leads to inefficiency, mistakesand waste, since such products arenot designed to communicate witheach other. In the meantime, soft-ware solutions are available that aredesigned to bridge these communi-cation problems at reasonable costsand with relatively small effort.

Expanding the portfolio

As global leader in the manufactur-ing of presses for illustration gra-vure and newspaper flexo printing,Cerutti has been particularly af-fected by the recent global financialcrisis and the change in media land-

scape. ITALO BUSTO stated that despitethe situation those segments are stillimportant for the company, Ceruttihas shifted their focus even more tothe prospering packaging market.In addition to Flexotecnica’s (amember of the group) gravure andflexo lines for package printing, Ce-rutti expands their product port-folio with lacquering and laminat-ing lines for high-quality applica-tions. This decision has alreadycaused positive effects with the firstinstallations of such devices (FLEXO

& GRAVURE INT’L 1-2011, p 70).

New old companies

ERIC SERENIUS explained the reasonsfor renaming the former DaetwylerR&D Corp to Ohio Gravure Tech-nologies Inc. Founded in 1978 asOhio Electronic Engravers, in thesucceeding 20 years the Miamis-burg, OH/USA-headquartered com-pany sold more than 800 engravinglines for gravure package printingformes production. In 2000 Ohiowas integrated into Max DaetwylerAG as Max Daetwyler CorporationDayton Division. Being the sixthcompany in the Heliograph Hold-

ing, Ohio Gravure Technologies willbe the centre of excellence for print-ed electronics and devices for gra-vure package printing. Manufac-turing of Ohio engraving lines willbe completely outsourced fromDaetwyler Graphics/CH to Miamis-burg. In this context, ERIC SERENIUS

mentioned the engraving lineGravostar Spectrum, the latest pro-duct by Ohio. With regard to per-formance, this line is equal to HellGravure System’s K 50.

CHRISTOPHER GRAF introduced theNorth American company HybridSoftware, which recently foundedits European subsidiary. As CEOGermany he is responsible forbuilding up business activities inthe German speaking world. HybridSoftware offers software solutionsfor automating and integration ofsystems, workflows, and modulesfor the graphic industry.

And what about flexo?

Even though STEPHAN RIECHERT (Du-Pont), didn’t express it directly:Cyrel FAST round for solvent-lessthermal processing of photopoly-mer sleeves can be classified as a

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54 FLEXO & GRAVURE GLOBAL 1-2012

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true challenge to gravure packageprinting. This barely pollutive tech-nology enables the production ofcontinuous images and complexmultiple images, up to now a tradi-tional domain of gravure printing.The lightweight flexo sleeves areeasy to handle, which significantlycontributes to reducing makereadytimes on CI flexo presses andachieve high register accuracy.Furthermore, EskoArtwork’s HDFlexo opens up new opportunities interms of print run, stable finescreens and solid areas, raisingflexo to the quality level of gravureprinting.

Cylinder inspection:an alternative to proofing?

UDI ZOHAR (PSik Solutions) charac-terised gravure printing forme pro-duction as a not fully automatedprocess. This is due to the fact, thatproof printing as a crucial factor ingravure cylinder quality manage-ment is an isolated process stepwhich cannot be integrated into theautomated engraving line. Proofprinting is a laborious and costlyprocedure. Another drawback isthat proofing is the final processstep and therefore incorrectly pro-duced cylinders will be detectedonly at a very late stage of produc-tion. To overcome this problem, amodule has to be developed whichcan be integrated and that detectsand localises defects at a very earlierstage of production. He illustratedhow such a module may look. It isbased on the capability to exposethe rotating cylinder surface with ahigh-resolution camera (7–10 mic-ron) and to store the image as a Tifffile. Subsequently, the file is com-pared and checked with a digitalmaster stored in the system. Inaddition, the data can be used fordigital proofing. It is intended tointroduce the module to the marketboth as a standalone version and anintegrated element for fully auto-mated cylinder engraving. ZOHAR islooking for competent partners torealise this project.

Direct laser engraving

By means of many microscope im-ages, HANS-GEORG SCHEPERS (Sche-pers) illustrated the broad variety of

possibilities for melt-free direct la-ser engraving offered by the DigilasDirect system. In addition, it can beused for the direct structuring ofmany different surface materialssuch as Steel, Aluminium, and Ce-ramics (FLEXO & GRAVURE INT’L 1-2011, p 60).

Still a lot left to do

Day 1 of the conference saw 15 pre-sentations in total, held in the largeconference room of the MinoriteConvent in Graz/A, whose pomp-ously designed frescos on walls andceilings and the representativestairway strongly impressed the at-tendees. The large number of highlyinformative presentations requiredthe attendee’s maximum concen-tration and attention. This resultedin a shortage of time for forum dis-cussions and also for networkingand shop talk during the breaks.

Many attendees indicated theirpreference to common topics forpresentations, as this would offerthe chance for more indepth treat-ment of the respective subjects.

Furthermore, critical voices de-manded better marketing of gra-vure package printing. However, inthis context one should mention themodular character of the longtermDFTA marketing concept and itsstep-by-step implementation. Forits elaboration, the flexo associationcontracted a professional agency,which was financed by a massiveincrease of the membership fee in2008. Such a massive project re-quires considerable dedication andlots of effort by the members.

On the other hand, the PaC.Space initiative, lobbyism for Chro-mium trioxide, or the organisationof gravure printing seminars in co-operation with the Media Univer-sity (HdM) of Stuttgart/D are strik-ing examples of ERA activities topromote gravure package printing.Rotomec is installing a state-of-the-art gravure printing line at HdM,which offers the industry new poss-ibilities in education, research anddevelopment. However, it is still re-warding to deliberate about how topromote such activities in a betterand more effective way.

Since job sizes are shrinking, theamount of jobs fulfilled by a gra-vure package printing press per

shift is increasing which also in-creases makeready efforts. Highavailability and easy handling ofgravure printing formes is manda-tory for fast job changes. Althoughgravure printing sleeves and light-weight cylinders are certainly of-fered, the number of suppliers is stillmuch too small. The developmentof a direct laser engraveable monol-ayer, which would be a viable alter-native to established electroplatingand finishing process, and alsolower costs and provisioning timerequired for forme production is anever recurring object. A promisingapproach to tackle such issues wasmade by Stuttgart/D-based com-pany IPT through developing aNickel monolayer. Also standardis-ing construction and measures ofprinting formes has to be consider-ed. It is obvious that there is stillmuch to do to exploit the full poten-tial of gravure package printing.➜ www.era.eu.org

Figure 5:A most harmonious teamproved over the years:The hosts James Siever(ERA General Secretary)and Wolfgang Klos-Geiger(Publisher of Flexo & Gra-vure Global, Packaging-Films and Flexo+Tief-Druck).

On Day 2 the ERA Conference delegates visited Alfred Wall GmbH,based in Graz. The company provided interesting insights into itsfull-stage packaging production, from prepress to print and con-verting. Their portfolio comprises folding boxes and blanks forthe food, confectionary and tobacco industries. Among the cus-tomers are internationally known branded companies such asBritish American Tobacco, Storck, Triumph International,Reemtsma, Philip Morris, Nestlé and Mars. Founded in 1868, thecompany currently employs a workforce of 400 at a productionarea of 38,600 sqm (415,490 sqft).

For printing on paper and board, three offset and three gravureprinting presses, four die-cutters, and two foil hot stamping linesare in use. Gravure cylinders are produced on the fully automatedAutocon line with two integrated K500 engraving devices fromHell Gravure Systems. A Schepers laser ablating and etchingdevice is used for special cylinders (i.e. for the tobacco industry).In total, the company produces approximately 12,000 gravurecylinders per year for customers and for their own use.

Alfred Wall GmbH is part of the globally positioned MeadWest-Vaco (MWV) Corporation, which generates about three quarters oftheir USD 6 billion revenues with packaging. MWV draws on a 150year history and considers themselve a comprehensive supplier ofpackaging solutions. Headquartered in Richmond, VA/USA, thecorporation employs 17,500 staff in 30 countries and holds 4000patents.