What is flexographic printing machine and what materials can it print?

Flexo printing originated from rubber stamp printing, which became popular in the early 20th century. When the FDA determined that the ink used in the process was unsafe for food packaging, which was the primary use case at the time, changes were made to the ink used and the process was renamed.

While flexo printing was originally used almost exclusively for food packaging, advances in time and technology have made it now available for many other applications. About 60% of the packaging industry uses flexo printing to some degree.

Flexographic printing machine what materials can it print?
Flexographic printing machine is often used to print large amounts of labels and flexible packaging. But it can also be used instead of offset printing to produce higher-volume folding cartons and corrugated packaging. Special items such as gift wrap, tissue paper, napkins, shopping bags, envelopes, ice cream cartons and disposable plates and cups are also flexographic printed.

Many flexo printing companies use digital presses (based on toner or inkjet) to produce short-term or variable data jobs. This allows them to save time and money on pre-press and preparation work, running only the highest capacity print jobs on flexographic presses.

Some label printing companies use narrow-mesh flexo presses to diversify the production of smaller packages such as sachets, shrink sleeves, sachets and snack packaging.

How does it work
A flexible photopolymer plate surrounds a rotating cylinder to render each color. As with the relief printing process, each color of graphics and text protrudes from the surface of the plate. Only the raised part of the plate is inked.

Typical flexographic press consists of four types of rollers; Inkjet rollers, mesh rollers, plate rollers and embossing rollers.

The inkjet rollers transfer ink from the ink plate to a steel or ceramic ink-making "mesh" roller, and then to the plate roller. As the paper passes between the plate cylinder and the polished metal impression cylinder, the ink is applied to the substrate. The impression cylinder applies the pressure required to transfer the ink from the plate to the substrate.

In flexographic printing, the roller is used to transfer ink of uniform thickness to the flexographic plate. Each roller has a finely carved unit with a specific ink capacity. An optional doctor's blade scratches the surface of the roller to ensure that the only ink delivered to the plate comes from the ink in the engraving unit.

As the substrate moves through the press, a different color or coating is applied to each printing platform. The drying device between plates helps to ensure that each color of ink is fully dried. Dryers use hot air or infrared or ultraviolet light, depending on the application.

In a stacked press, the printed pages are stacked vertically. The press can print on both sides of the material as it passes through the press.

In a central embossing machine (CI), the plate is located around a single large embossing cylinder. CI press offers excellent registration.

In an in-line press, the printing platform is positioned in a straight line to facilitate the handling of heavier substrates, such as corrugated cardboard.

Different models of wide-format presses can handle rolls from 21 inches to 80 inches wide.

Narrow-web presses are usually 10 inches wide or smaller, as they were originally developed for printing labels. Today, 20-inch-wide narrow-mesh presses are used to print shorter flexible packaging, including bottle packaging and smaller packages and sachets for tea, beverage blends and single-cup packaging.

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