Exceptional Asahi support, reduced cycle time in plate production, improved press room OEE for customers are some of the benefits achieved
Tokyo, Japan & Brussels, Belgium, May 2, 2022. Asahi Photoproducts, a pioneer in flexographic photopolymer plate development, today reported that Italian repro house Zincografia Empolese has installed an Asahi AWP™ 4835 P flexographic plate processor and Asahi AWP-DEW CleanPrint water-washable plates to its production platform. The company, which has been in business since 1985 and is a business unit of ZE Group, is located in San Miniato, Italy. Zincografia Empolese provides high-quality flexo plates to its customers, who produce labels, flexible and corrugated packaging.
“Prior to acquiring our Asahi plate processor using AWP-DEW CleanPrint plates, we used a variety of different products,” said Noemi Bisoli, Managing Partner. “We made the switch for a number of reasons, including the excellent support we get from Asahi, the faster processing time for plates in prepress, and the reduced downtime in the press room for plate changes or press stops for plate cleaning at our customer sites. We also appreciate how sustainable the entire platemaking process is with Asahi AWP™-DEW water-washable plates, a factor that is more and more important to our customers.”
Bisoli notes that the company uses a significant amount of flexo plate material annually, and with the new efficiencies offered by the Asahi configuration, expects that number to grow a lot.
Asahi Photoproducts experts will be available at the upcoming Print4All trade show to explain the benefits of Asahi AWP™ plates and processing technology as well as the benefits Zincografia Empolese has achieved. Scheduled for 3 to 6 May 2022 at Fiera Milano, Print4All offers an opportunity for attendees to immerse themselves in the world of print, including converting, package printing and labeling. Asahi Photoproducts will be located in Pavilion 9, Stand P17 – R18 at the show. Visitors to the Asahi stand will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with both Asahi experts to learn more about the benefits of Asahi CleanPrint plates and plate processing systems.
No VOC-based washout solvents required
Asahi AWP CleanPrint water-washable flexographic plates are processed without VOC-based washout solvents, use less energy in the production process and deliver a faster time to press than VOC solvent-wash plates. The ability of Asahi´s CleanPrint water-washable flexographic photopolymer plate technology to deliver high-quality print performance results from its engineered photopolymer chemistry design. The water-wash technology also features a low-surface energy plate, resulting in fewer press stops for plate cleaning, significantly improved OEE in the pressroom, and reduced press waste. All of these elements make them the most sustainable flexographic plates in the industry. In addition, AWP-DEW CleanPrint plates deliver extremely high-quality print due to their precise registration and ability to deliver perfect printing balance between highlights and solids.
Asahi will be showing its complete family of products and solutions for the flexographic printing market at the show, including:
- AWP-DEW plates deliver extremely high-quality print due to their best-in-class finest highlights and good balance with homogenous solids.
- AWP-CleanFlat plates are our new out-of-the-box water-washable FlatTop plate solution with high-quality printing press consistency for longer runs, including for usage on abrasive substrates. It also delivers a precise plate-to-plate registration due to the water-wash platemaking process. At the same time, it results in a sustainable reduction of the printer’s carbon footprint.
In addition, Asahi’s informative white paper, Sustainability: A Goal Worth Pursuing, will be available for visitors to our stand.
For more information about flexographic solutions from Asahi Photoproducts that are in harmony with the environment, visit www.asahi-photoproducts.com. To schedule a one-on-one discussion with Asahi Photoproducts experts, contact monika.d@duomedia.com.
About ZE Group
ZE Group is a repro house founded in 1985 under the name Zincografia Borgioli. The company was created to manufacture traditional zinc and rubber clichés. In 1992 it started the production of solid and liquid photopolymer plates in Empoli, Italy, and then moved its headquarters to San Miniato (Pisa) in 2006. In 2001, with new companies being integrated, it changed its name to Zincografia Empolese, and after the acquisition of FlexoTeam in 2019, the company adopted the name ZE GROUP.
About Asahi Photoproducts
Asahi Photoproducts was founded in 1973 and is a subsidiary of the Asahi Kasei Corporation. Asahi Photoproducts is a leading pioneer in the development of photopolymer flexo printing plates. By creating high quality flexographic solutions and through continued innovation, the company aims at driving print forward in harmony with the environment.
