Technical

Subject	Images

How to Choose the Right Flexo Printing Machinery?

May 30, 2023 | KYMC Marketing

You can start by understanding what substrate you would be printing on. Different substrates behave differently during printing. For instance, when applied with tension a film is more prone to stretch than paper. Print ink is easier to dry on paper than on film. Foil is more prone to tear than paper and film…etc. These different substrate characteristics will require different press designs. Not all presses work with all substrates. Even when you choose a substrate that you are going to print now. It is always a good idea to think in the mid and long term. To consider what other substrate you may target in the future and will your printing press be able to support you during the product line expansion. Some of the common substrates that you should consider are film, foil, tissue, non-woven materials, paper, and corrugated boards.

Increase Efficiency and Lower Energy Consumption on Your Flexo Press

March 20, 2023 | KYMC Marketing

As sustainable development gains importance. Standards and goals are being set at a global level to reduce carbon emissions and ultimately reach net zero emissions. In the latest COP27 (Conference of the Parties), one of the world’s most significant summits on climate change, countries are coming together, reaching a consensus to combat climate change issues. As flexo printers, we can no longer stand on the sidelines. Actions must be taken starting with your own flexo press. There are many ways to increase efficiency and lower energy consumption on your flexo press. In this article, we will explore three different ways including 1. Selection of motor, 2. Drying method 3. Data monitoring.

Establish a green water based flexo printing operation

March 15, 2023 | KYMC Marketing

Over time, consumers are becoming more conscious of environmental sustainability, the social impact and the transparency of a company’s governance. Therefore, flexo printers need to make the investments and to make the transformations necessary to keep up with this trend. There are many approaches to becoming an ESG orientated company. One approach is to establish a green water based flexo printing operation.

Co-Current vs Counter Current Drying

October 21, 2022 | Daywey Chen

Rotary dryers can come in two types of airflow configurations. The co-current system and the counter current system. Co-current system is designed so that the airflow and material flow in the same direction. On the other hand, counter current system is designed so that the airflow and the material flow in the opposite direction. To decide which system to adopt will depend on the type of substrate, ink and coating solution used. In this article we will lay out the advantages and disadvantages of both systems for you to review.

Breaking Down the Drying Process

October 17, 2022 | Daywey Chen

Flexographic printing, coating process, lamination process…etc. Whatever the process may be, drying plays a crucial role in the success and failure of the end result. The drying process should be seen as three phases instead of one. The initial phase, the constant rate phase, and the falling rate phase. At each phase the drying substrate will behave differently, affecting your end result. Understanding the role of each phase will help you achieve a balance between efficiency, throughput, and cost control during the journey to create the desired product.

4 Ink challenges in Flexo printing

September 20, 2022 | Daywey Chen

In general, as the press speed increases, the ink will dry faster on the anilox and plate. The reason is at higher speed, the air turbulence will increase, the shear force will increase, and more heat will be generated at the anilox and plate. To decrease the ink drying speed, the energy placed into ink drying will need to be reduced to compensate for the higher airflow and higher heat generation.

Anilox: Open Cell V.S Closed Cell

August 30, 2022 | Daywey Chen

When choosing an anilox, should I go for an open cell or a closed cell system? The answer to the question depends on what you are working with (ink type, ink viscosity, plate LPI) and what you would like to achieve (printing, coating, half-tone, solid). In this article we will be looking into the characteristics of an open cell system and a closed cell system. To address issues such as ink spitting and pinholes and how to solve them from a cell system’s perspective. Furthermore, going into a few scenarios including high speed printing, UV ink application, special ink / coating enhancement, where certain cell designs may be recommended over the others.

Polyethylene (PE) Extrusion Paper Coating V.S Water Based Paper Coating

August 23, 2022 | Daywey Chen

Even though PE coated paper are recyclable, the recycling processes are time consuming and labor intensive, resulting in most PE coated paper to end up in landfills. According to BBC news, 99.75% of paper coffee cups are not recycled. If PE coated paper are non-recyclable from a cost perspective and causing environmental burden, why are PE coated paper still being adopted at a mass scale?....We will explore the benefit of PE coated paper that made them so popular on the market. As the market becomes more environmentally conscious, more environmentally friendly solutions have been developed to replace the long-standing PE coated paper...We will explore the substitute coating solutions and their production processes.

Wide Tension Range Flexographic Press

July 19, 2022 | Daywey Chen

What does wide tension range Flexographic press imply? The different substrate will require different tension range during the printing process. Therefore, the wider the tension range of a Flexographic press means that the more materials the press can take on. On a KYMC press, a tension range of 25N to 350N is achievable. At this tension rage, many different materials can be printed. For instance, PP, BOPP, LDPE, CPP, HDPE, PET, paper…etc.

Reprint on Flexo Press

July 15, 2022 | Daywey Chen

Reprint capability can make your life easier in today’s business environment. Let’s discuss why is that? Undeniable, Flexography practitioners will agree that production variations and uncertainty levels are much higher today than before. These are caused by the brand’s need to attract and fulfill the consumers' ever-changing appetites. Therefore, variations and uncertainties are here to stay. The only thing that you can do is to adapt. There are many ways to adapt. In this article, we will discuss how your Flexographic press can help you adapt through its reprint capability.

Visual Printing VS. Functional Printing

May 26, 2022 | Daywey Chen

Visual printing refers to the presentation of the print. How well does the print come out visually in front of the audience? Does it serve its marketing purpose of appealing to the audience? On the other hand, functional printing is about the properties and functionalities delivered through the print. How well does it perform to carry out the actions that it is intended to? In this article, we will explore the differences between visual printing and functional printing from their applications and quality assessment methods. At the same time to discuss the scenarios and potential of combining visual printing and functional printing together.

Is it enough to have a high opacity for your white ink laydown?

May 16, 2022 | Daywey Chen

So what is the opacity for the white ink laydown background? This is a common question that people ask when trying to identify the quality of the white ink laydown in Flexography. Opacity is definitely one of the metrics for measurement. However, it only tells part of the story. It is possible to have two prints with the same opacity reading but differs in print quality. The reason is that opacity alone does not measure the smoothness or uniformity of the ink laydown.

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