Business objectives drive mold development.

As the Trieste business explained, its latest series offers manufacturers a range of natural solutions to suit a vari

The company’s plans were confirmed earlier this year, when it announced it would be restructuring some of its America

According to the company, its latest edition is ‘designed for all your extraterrestrial and earthly travels,’ featuri

AIPIA returns to the virtual stage for its two remaining Congresses for 2021.

Company’s expansion signifies its commitment to providing customers with the latest technologies in innovation and design, strengthening its position as leading North American supplier.

Los Angeles, CA – WWP Beauty, a world-class full-service supplier to the global beauty industry, today announced the grand opening of its newest location in Los Angeles; the WWP Beauty Design Innovation Hub. This expansion signifies the company’s ongoing commitment to providing its customers with the latest design innovation and technologies in beauty and personal care, and affirms its position as a leader in the North American market. 

The new office location features an iStudio design space, an iTech engineering lab with state-of-the-art 3D printers and equipment, an iLab that fosters ideation and formulation development, and an ultimate showroom featuring the company’s capabilities and latest innovations. In addition, the new space includes sustainable features such as a living wall, energy efficient lighting, and an in-office recycling program.

“We are thrilled to now open our new Design Innovation Hub in LA, which represents a remarkable milestone for WWP Beauty’s strategic expansion,” said Josh Kirschbaum, CEO of WWP Beauty. “The new space will also allow us to make significant contributions toward sustainability, social responsibility, inclusivity and diversity, all of which are weaved into our company initiatives globally.”

Robert Tognetti, COO of WWP Beauty adds, “Our new office features many new and exciting technology-driven spaces and workstations with the goal of promoting close collaboration and fostering innovation between employees and customers throughout the design process.”

About WWP Beauty

WWP Beauty is committed to developing future-focused, sustainable solutions for the global beauty industry through close collaboration, exceptional agility, and unparalleled scale. The company’s full-service offering of formula, packaging and accessories, paired with their in-house manufacturing capabilities allow them to stand out as the source for everything beauty. Through a worldwide team of beauty experts that span across North America, EMEA and APAC, WWP Beauty offers their customers global support at the local level. To learn more, visit our website at www.wwpbeauty.com.

Due to the continued sharp rise in energy costs and due to significant cost increases in the areas of logistics and raw materials, Mitsubishi HiTec Paper is increasing the prices for the entire product range (thermoscript, jetscript, giroform, supercote, barricote) by 20%. The price adjustments apply to deliveries from September 1, 2021.

This step is unavoidable so that we can continue to offer our partners our wide range of coated speciality papers in the well-known high quality. Customers are contacted directly by the Mitsubishi sales team.

Mitsubishi HiTec Paper Europe GmbH is a German subsidiary of Mitsubishi Paper Mills Ltd., Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of specialty paper. The roughly 770 employees at Mitsubishi HiTec Paper Europe produce high-quality direct thermal, inkjet, carbonless, label and barrier papers for flexible packaging at two tradition-rich locations in Bielefeld and Flensburg. Each factory stands out for own base paper production, state-of-the-art production machinery and innovative coating technologies. Through its dense global sales network, Mitsubishi HiTec Paper Europe supplies a full range of specialty papers for many applications and printing technologies – and is a highly capable partner whenever customized coated paper solutions are required.

Through ePacConnect, which was announced in October of 2020, the companies offer secure, serialized QR codes on all o

Particularly soda and water bottles of all shapes and sizes.

Company’s expansion signifies its commitment to providing customers with the latest technologies in innovation and design, strengthening its position as leading North American supplier.

Los Angeles, CA – WWP Beauty, a world-class full-service supplier to the global beauty industry, today announced the grand opening of its newest location in Los Angeles; the WWP Beauty Design Innovation Hub. This expansion signifies the company’s ongoing commitment to providing its customers with the latest design innovation and technologies in beauty and personal care, and affirms its position as a leader in the North American market. 

The new office location features an iStudio design space, an iTech engineering lab with state-of-the-art 3D printers and equipment, an iLab that fosters ideation and formulation development, and an ultimate showroom featuring the company’s capabilities and latest innovations. In addition, the new space includes sustainable features such as a living wall, energy efficient lighting, and an in-office recycling program.

“We are thrilled to now open our new Design Innovation Hub in LA, which represents a remarkable milestone for WWP Beauty’s strategic expansion,” said Josh Kirschbaum, CEO of WWP Beauty. “The new space will also allow us to make significant contributions toward sustainability, social responsibility, inclusivity and diversity, all of which are weaved into our company initiatives globally.”

Robert Tognetti, COO of WWP Beauty adds, “Our new office features many new and exciting technology-driven spaces and workstations with the goal of promoting close collaboration and fostering innovation between employees and customers throughout the design process.”

About WWP Beauty
WWP Beauty is committed to developing future-focused, sustainable solutions for the global beauty industry through close collaboration, exceptional agility, and unparalleled scale. The company’s full-service offering of formula, packaging and accessories, paired with their in-house manufacturing capabilities allow them to stand out as the source for everything beauty. Through a worldwide team of beauty experts that span across North America, EMEA and APAC, WWP Beauty offers their customers global support at the local level. To learn more, visit our website at www.wwpbeauty.com. 
 

The new product, known as the GB32U9, is SML's smallest inlay to date, according to the report in RFID Journal and is

B&R's mapp Temperature software package provides a new pre-programmed way to get manufacturing systems up to temperature. At the push of a button, the Soft-Start function heats up machine components gently to minimize heating element fatigue – without any of the tedious programming that used to be involved. Homogeneous heating reduces mechanical stresses and allows for controlled evaporation of liquid residues in the machine.

With mapp Temperature's Soft-Start function, equipment such as filtration systems, extruders and injection molding machines can be brought to operating temperature quickly and easily. This is done either by targeted heating with limited power or by using a defined temperature gradient to heat up all zones synchronously. Since the Soft-Start function avoids operating the heating elements at maximum power, it is particularly gentle on the machine's hardware.

No programming required

All the necessary settings, such as the target temperature, are easy to configure in mapp Temperature. Individual heating zones can be adjusted individually, or even excluded from the Soft-Start process if necessary. This makes temperature control much more flexible and offers more options for different heating zones. The heating process is started at the push of a button without any of the tedious programming that used to be involved

About B&R

B&R is an innovative automation company with headquarters in Austria and offices all around the world. On July 6, 2017, B&R became a business unit of the ABB Group. As a global leader in industrial automation, B&R combines state-of-the-art technology with advanced engineering to provide customers in virtually every industry with complete solutions for machine and factory automation, motion control, HMI and integrated safety technology. With Industrial IoT communication standards like OPC UA, POWERLINK and openSAFETY as well as the powerful Automation Studio software development environment, B&R is constantly redefining the future of automation engineering. The innovative spirit that keeps B&R at the forefront of industrial automation is driven by a commitment to simplifying processes and exceeding customer expectations.

With a new bus controller, B&R has added a gate measurement module to its portfolio for efficient monitoring of machinery and processes. The new gate measurement module joins the X67 lineup to help keep manufacturing processes consistent and reduce the rate of rejection, thus increasing both quality and productivity.

By measuring the duration of switching operations with extreme precision, the module is able to detect even the slightest deviations, which can point to component wear, changes in temperature or other environmental factors. This enables automatic compensation for deviations from expected switching times and implementation of predictive maintenance strategies. Unplanned machine downtime and fluctuations in quality can be reliably avoided.

Use it anywhere

The IP67-rated module stands up to the most demanding conditions. It has six digital outputs with readable status and six digital inputs. The digital channels can be configured in pairs to perform gate measurement with a resolution of 100 µs directly on the module. Gate measurement can be triggered on positive or negative edges.

The device also has an analog input with configurable filter functions. Its digital outputs are protected against overload and short-circuits. The module is connected to the machine network via POWERLINK.

About B&R

B&R is an innovative automation company with headquarters in Austria and offices all around the world. On July 6, 2017, B&R became a business unit of the ABB Group. As a global leader in industrial automation, B&R combines state-of-the-art technology with advanced engineering to provide customers in virtually every industry with complete solutions for machine and factory automation, motion control, HMI and integrated safety technology. With Industrial IoT communication standards like OPC UA, POWERLINK and openSAFETY as well as the powerful Automation Studio software development environment, B&R is constantly redefining the future of automation engineering. The innovative spirit that keeps B&R at the forefront of industrial automation is driven by a commitment to simplifying processes and exceeding customer expectations.

For more information, visit www.br-automation.com.

Company also will demonstrate its servo-driven HQ Series counting & dispensing machines, providing 100% accuracy for primary or secondary packaging of candy, confectionary and non-food products.

Towaco, New Jersey – Cremer, a leading supplier of product counting machines in the U.S. for a wide array of applications, will showcase a pharmaceuticals counter and bottle filling module at Pack Expo Booth #SL-6364, September 27-29 in Las Vegas. Offering consistent output and maximum efficiency, the CF-622 Counting & Filling System fills oral solid dose (OSD) pharma products, including tablets and capsules, at speeds of up to 400 bottles per minute.

Featuring a modular-based design, the CF-622 can be tailored to a broad range of production requirements. Capable of counting nearly any type of tablet or capsule, and of handling and filling a wide variety of glass and plastic bottles and containers, the machine delivers premium performance and flexibility necessary in today's evolving pharma manufacturing environments.

The CF-622’s ease of operation, low maintenance requirements and quick, tool-free changeover yield seamless integration and hassle-free utilization. High-precision bottle handling guarantees stable and fully monitored bottle transport throughout the entire filling process.

Compact Counter-Packager for Unmixed, Single Type or Single Flavor Products

Also at Pack Expo, Cremer will showcase a machine from its HQ Series, a line of compact counting and packaging machines designed for unmixed, single type or single flavor products. The servo-driven three-model portfolio provides fast, reliable and cost-efficient counting solutions for primary or secondary packaging of candy, confectionary, and chocolate as well as non-food products such as medical parts, hardware and detergent pouches.

To preserve precious production floorspace, the counting machines can be placed directly atop a packaging machine for bag filling applications, or over a conveyor belt for precise positioning and discharge of product counts into common packaging platforms such as cartons, boxes, tubs or tins.

Available in HQ, HQF and HQI models, the versatile counting machines can be used for a wide variety of products - either in bulk quantities or single piece discharges into any package. The HQ Series is scalable for varying production levels depending on product type and output, with available counting channel options of 4, 6, 8 or 12. Typical output is up to 5,500 individual pieces or 175 units(discharges)/minute.

Compatible with all industrial packaging and cartoning machines, the HQ Series features a compact footprint of just 40 or 60 centimeters, FDA-compliant product parts for processing both food and non-food products and streamlined tool-free disassembly for easy operation and cleaning. Other features include silent operation with no compressed air required and a product detection unit with 100 percent accuracy. Up to three memory flap levels are available for count separation and dispensing. Vibratory plates for product transport and separation and a timing hopper for discharging product counts are also built in.

About Cremer

Since 1949, Cremer is the leading global supplier of counting machines and packaging solutions for the pharmaceutical, food, consumer goods and agricultural industries. As part of the Uhlmann Group, the Netherlands-based company is known worldwide for its dedicated focus on quality control.

Cremer’s highly technical and innovative machinery provides unsurpassed speed and precision, ensuring companies can count and package their products in a guaranteed accurate, fast, and profitable way. Cremer’s commitment to customized equipment solutions has led to a customer base ranging from small family-operated businesses to multinational corporations. For more information, visit www.cremer.com.

Building on consumer demand for sustainable ring carriers, the new WaveGrip cardboard carrier is lightweight, strong

• Mondi and Unilever have jointly developed a recyclable, paper-based packaging solution for Unilever's Colman's brand to reduce the amount of plastic and aluminium used
• Colman's Meal Makers will now be protected with aluminium-free paper-based packets that ensure high barrier protection
• Mondi's EcoSolutions approach supports Unilever in its sustainability goal to halve the amount of plastic used in its packaging

 Unilever, together with Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, have developed a new high barrier paper-based packaging material for Unilever’s Colman’s dry Meal Maker and Sauces range by reducing plastic, increasing paper content, and consequently ensuring recyclability in the existing UK paper waste stream.

By replacing the previous unrecyclable multi-material laminate with recyclable paper packaging, Mondi supports Unilever in its sustainability targets. The aluminium, as well as all unnecessary plastic layers of the previous material, were eliminated. This resulted in a new packaging solution with paper content of 85% and an ultra-thin functional plastic layer that seals the packaging, and provides barrier protection for the food. Mondi and Unilever’s R&D teams identified this layer as the minimum acceptable protection needed to ensure a long shelf life while maintaining high quality and reducing food waste.

Mondi and Unilever closely collaborated throughout the entire development process, including mastering the challenge of limited access to production facilities during the Covid-19 pandemic. Starting with a proof of concept, followed by extensive line trials at both Mondi and Unilever’s R&D pilot plants provided the flexibility to quickly prototype and test the unique packaging material before scaling up. This collaborative method goes to the heart of Mondi’s EcoSolutions customer-centric approach of working closely with its customers to ensure that the best possible and most sustainable product is created while meeting the customer’s requirements, as well as that of its end user and the environment.

Unilever focuses on the principle of a circular economy and the importance of creating value within it. Two of their key targets are to transform the entire packaging portfolio into technically recyclable, reusable or biodegradable solutions as well as to halve the amount of plastic used by 2025, which this new packaging solution addresses.

Fikerte Woldegiorgis, Foods Marketing Director, Unilever UK&I says: “At Colman’s, we’re big and bold when it comes to our flavours, and we’re keen to make equally bold steps when it comes to our sustainability commitments. We are delighted to partner with Mondi to develop this recyclable paper packaging, becoming the first big brand within the category to do so. The new packaging, which uses a paper-base, ensures that shoppers can enjoy the same great tasting product they know and love, and now with the added benefit of being able to recycle the packs.”

Torsten Murra, Global Head of Key Accounts Consumer Flexibles, Mondi, adds: “MAP2030, Mondi’s action plan for the next 10 years to achieve our ambitious 2030 sustainability commitments, focuses on circular driven packaging and paper solutions, created by empowered people, taking action on climate. By working closely with Unilever, we were able to co-create a packaging solution that will deliver on all counts and is recyclable, providing a valuable resource for the circular economy to drive real change towards a more sustainable future.”

About Mondi

Mondi is a global leader in packaging and paper, contributing to a better world by making innovative packaging and paper solutions that are sustainable by design. Our business is integrated across the value chain – from managing forests and producing pulp, paper and plastic films, to developing and manufacturing effective industrial and consumer packaging solutions. Sustainability is at the centre of our strategy and intrinsic in the way we do business. We lead the industry with our customer-centric approach, EcoSolutions, where we ask the right questions to find the most sustainable solution. In 2020, Mondi had revenues of €6.66 billion and underlying EBITDA of €1.35 billion.

Mondi has a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange (MNDI), and a secondary listing on the JSE Limited (MNP). Mondi is a FTSE 100 constituent, and has been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series since 2008 and the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index Series since 2007.

Company partners with several eco-minded organizations and ramps up innovation towards circular beauty, zero waste, and carbon neutrality to support its mission of building a more sustainable, clean and inclusive future. 

Los Angeles, CA – WWP Beauty, a world-class full-service supplier to the global beauty industry, is redefining its sustainability strategy and solidifying its commitment to creating a future that is clean, inclusive and sustainable through new leadership, strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations, and rapid innovation. The company’s ultimate goal is to help every beauty brand find their path to achieving cleaner beauty through responsible and transparent manufacturing, eco-design techniques, zero waste and circular sustainability, material innovation, clean and compliant formulation and green chemistry. In addition, the company will use a new approach to offer brands solutions that address what they refer to as the “6R’s of sustainability”: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Replace, Respect and Rebirth.

Michael Tognetti, who has been with the company for over four years is now officially leading WWP Beauty’s sustainability initiatives in his new role as Senior Director, Global Sustainability and Chairman of WWP Beauty’s Circular Committee. Tognetti commented, “We added ‘Rebirth’ to our sustainability ‘R’s’ because it represents our commitment as a company to finding solutions that truly promote circularity.”

Under his new role, Tognetti has already begun partnering and aligning the company with earth-minded organizations that are equally committed to taking responsible business action towards creating a better future. Some of these recent partnerships include: a membership with the United Nations (UN) Global Compact and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), and a community member for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

Additionally, to support efforts towards creating a more responsible supply chain, WWP Beauty will now offer its customers EWG Verified formulations and has been awarded an ISCC PLUS Certification, allowing the WWP Beauty Tai Caing manufacturing facility to create eco-friendly, luxurious, crystal-clear and recyclable packaging that can directly replace SAN and ABS. This groundbreaking innovation is just the beginning of new technology, materials and partnerships the company is offering to its customers. Other innovative materials the company is incorporating include: ocean plastics, reusable and recyclable PET, high-performance barrier and eco-friendly paper tubes, and cutting-edge, upcycling plastic-free packaging solutions featuring compostable, plant-based waste materials with significant carbon footprint reduction such as Zero+, Eco-Infinity and Molded Paper technologies

“At WWP Beauty, we are deeply committed to creating a positive and purposeful impact on our world – both through our product offerings and the organizations we support and partner with,” said Josh Kirschbaum, CEO of WWP Beauty. “We understand that creating purpose takes more than one company, and we are proud to align and stand with these organizations, working together to pave the way to a more sustainable future.”

Musa Dias, CMO of WWP Beauty stated, “Throughout 2021, WWP Beauty has been committed to developing new, sustainable solutions with numerous launches of innovative collections that promote circular beauty.” These collections include: sustainable cosmetic bag collection with unique, environmentally friendly materials; refillable and recyclable sticks such as its patented Refillable Multi-Use Face Stick; a recent Pentawards-nominated ColorVue Lipstick that utilizes 19% less plastic per piece and creates 85% fewer GHG emissions per piece; a line of touchless PCR tubes with a wide variety of applicators; a mono-material jar; a glass skincare collection; a line of Refillable components, and the  Zero+ collection, which includes plastic-free, plant-based packaging that will be launching in the coming month along with other circular beauty solutions.

About WWP Beauty

WWP Beauty is committed to developing future-focused, sustainable solutions for the global beauty industry through close collaboration, exceptional agility, and unparalleled scale. The company’s full-service offering of formula, packaging and accessories, paired with their in-house manufacturing capabilities allow them to stand out as the source for everything beauty. Through a worldwide team of beauty experts that span across North America, EMEA and APAC, WWP Beauty offers their customers global support at the local level. To learn more, visit our website at www.wwpbeauty.com.  

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After the fourth edition of IEC 61784-3 was published in February of this year, TÜV SÜD Rail GmbH has officially confirmed that the EtherCAT protocol for functional safety, Safety over EtherCAT (FSoE), meets all of the extended requirements of the IEC standard without any changes.

Safety over EtherCAT was already internationally standardized within IEC 61748-3-12:2010 in 2010 as FSCP 12 (Functional Safety Communication Protocol) and is still valid today in the original edition 1.0. The review by TÜV SÜD now confirms that the FSoE protocol also meets the new normative requirements of IEC 61784-3:2021 Ed. 4.0 without any changes and is therefore still suitable for use in applications up to a Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 3. Full compatibility with devices from 2010 onwards is thus still ensured.

The FSoE protocol is based on the so-called black channel approach, in which the transport medium is not included in the safety consideration and therefore does not place any requirements on the nature of the communication system itself. Safety over EtherCAT therefore not only exists on the basis of EtherCAT, but is also frequently routed via other communication protocols and media, for example for machine networking via standard Ethernet or for connecting mobile machines via radio transmission.

Dr. Guido Beckmann, ETG expert in the IEC working group WG12 on IEC 61784-3, said: "We actively support the work of the IEC in order to discuss and help shape new findings and requirements for secure communication. The security measures of the FSoE protocol were already cleverly chosen at the very beginning so that they also meet the new requirements of IEC 61784-3:2021. For EtherCAT device users and the many suppliers of the technology, this guarantees stable and open safety-related communication with the greatest possible investment protection."

IEC 61784-3 defines the general requirements for functionally safe communication profiles in industrial networks. The new edition IEC 61784-3:2021 has essentially been extended by two normative requirements. Firstly, a model has been introduced that estimates the residual error probability for timeliness, authenticity and data integrity in a secure logical connection. Secondly, the standard now requires the safeguarding of explicit and implicit mechanisms in a safety protocol. In this case, the implicit mechanism does not transmit all the data corresponding to safety measures, but uses data that is known in both the sender and the receiver to calculate the complete CRC signature. In the case of Safety over EtherCAT, for example, this corresponds to the incrementing cycle counter.

About EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG): The EtherCAT Technology Group is an organization in which key user companies from various industries and leading automation suppliers join forces to support, promote and advance the EtherCAT technology. With over 6,300 members from 69 countries, the EtherCAT Technology Group has become the largest fieldbus organization in the world. Founded in November 2003, it is also the fastest growing fieldbus organization.

About EtherCAT: EtherCAT is the Industrial Ethernet technology which stands for high-performance, low-cost, easy to use with a flexible topology. It was introduced in 2003 and has been an international IEC standard and a SEMI standard since 2007. EtherCAT is an open technology: anyone can implement or use it.

Thanks to Sidel’s end-to-end complete aseptic PET line, UHT liquid dairy products (LDPs) from Spanish milk producer COVAP are now also available in PET bottles for the very first time. This new PET bottle opens the door to meet changing market demand and ensures product integrity and safety.

COVAP, a Spanish cooperative, is one of the major milk producers in Spain. The company has one of the most technically advanced dairy plants in the whole of Europe and has been a family of farmers for over 60 years. With a large operating area of 22,650 m2, COVAP can produce 400 million liters of milk per year. Traceability is their key to sustaining high-quality products. By implementing strict control from animal feed to the production process, they are able to keep their commitment of bringing a range of high-quality LDPs to consumers.

COVAP also produces ready-to-drink dairy products for other retailer brands in Spain. Although LDPs are dominated by carton packaging, major supermarket players have decided to sell them in PET bottles as well based on market preference. To meet demand, COVAP partnered with Sidel for the first time on a complete aseptic PET line with the Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis™ at its heart, after visiting various dairy plants using Sidel’s equipment in Spain and Italy. The line was installed not only for COVAP UHT dairy products, but also for retailer brands from hotel, restaurant and café channels.

Sidel experts worked in close collaboration with COVAP from bottle design to line start-up. The new PET bottles were designed with a sleek shape, providing a similar look and feel to glass bottles. Thanks to the PET barrier properties, the shelf life of milk drinks has been extended by 

4 months to retain their fresh taste. All three bottle formats – 225 mL, 1 L and 1.5 L – can be labelled with sleeve or roll-fed labels based on different brand positioning.

Thanks to 40 years of aseptic packaging expertise, the safe and simple aseptic PET line requires only a few operators and thus facilitates a smooth and efficient production, running at up to 13,200 bottles per hour. As a result, COVAP is now producing 30 million PET bottles annually. Furthermore, Sidel provided intense training for operators to ensure successful production on the line. “Since PET packaging is a new territory for us, Sidel is the right long-term partner to advise us in every phase and to provide end-to-end solutions,” commented Vidal Madrid, Director of Operations and Digital Strategy at COVAP.

“After the launch of new PET bottles, consumer reaction has been quite positive, especially regarding the sleeve label, which enhances the attractiveness of the LDPs. Additionally, the retailer’s brands have also been receiving high acceptance and satisfaction with the new packaging,” concluded Vidal.

Sidel is a leading global provider of packaging solutions for beverage, food, home and personal care products in PET, can, glass and other materials.

Based on over 170 years of proven experience, we help shape the factory of tomorrow, through advanced systems and services, line engineering, eco-solutions, and other innovations. With over 40,000 machines installed in more than 190 countries, Sidel has 5,000+ employees worldwide who are passionate about providing equipment and service solutions that fulfil customer needs.

We continuously ensure we understand the evolving business and market challenges our customers face and commit to meeting their unique performance and sustainability goals. As a partner, we apply our solid technical knowledge, packaging expertise and smart data analytics to assure lifetime productivity at its full potential.

Water-washable FlatTop plate delivers high quality, consistency and improved ink laydown
Tokyo, Japan & Brussels, Belgium, July 19, 2021. Asahi Photoproducts, a pioneer in flexographic photopolymer plate development, today reported successful participation at SinoFlex, Asia’s leading trade platform focusing on flexible packaging. At the show, which was held in Shanghai from 14 to 16 July, Asahi unveiled its new AWP™ CleanFlat FlatTop out-of-the-box water-washable flexo plate with CleanPrint technology, and displayed its full range of CleanPrint plates, explaining to attendees how these plates not only deliver flexo printing in harmony with the environment, but also deliver improved quality and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Asahi CleanPrint plates are available for a wide range of applications and substrates and have been specifically developed by our chemical engineers to transfer the remaining ink to the printed substrate, reducing press stops for plate cleaning while delivering exceptional consistent quality throughout the entire run.
“We were extremely pleased with the warm reception by attendees of our line of CleanPrint plates, especially the AWP™ CleanFlat water-washable FlatTop plate that made its worldwide debut at the show,” said Ryo Ichihashi, (Manager at ASEM China). “All across Asia, flexographic printing operations are looking for more sustainable platemaking processes as focus increases on reducing their carbon footprint. Asahi’s line of CleanPrint plates ticks all the boxes in this regard.”
The Asahi AWP™ CleanFlat FlatTop plate with CleanPrint technology is used out of the box with no special workflow or equipment required. CleanFlat plates are compatible with standard workflows including UV bank light tubes, UV LED or FULL HD exposure systems as well as modern microcell screening technologies to ensure the highest level of quality and consistency throughout the print run.
Other Asahi CleanPrint plates on display at the show included: 
AWP-DEW, ideal for the highest quality flexo applications, including flexible packaging and labels. Designed to move away from VOC washout solvent-based plate processing, offering a cleaner alternative to the flexo industry.
AFP-BFTK, a high-quality solvent wash FlatTop plate solution with best-in-class printing press consistency. These plates deliver improved ink laydown on wide web flexible packaging film, paper and label substrates in combination with solid screening patterns and keep highlight dots at perfect quality.
AFP-Leggero, super soft plates specifically designed for printing with minimal kiss-touch pressure on corrugated transport boxes, delivering minimal washboarding and good ink coverage for the utmost in quality while eliminating board crush to better protect the packaged goods.
AFP-TOP, a premium hard digital flexo plate that delivers a broad colour gamut and soft tonal shades fading out to zero. Kiss-touch printing pressure facilitates repeatable print quality and fewer cleaning press stops. Compatible with high-definition screening and microcell patterning technologies.
AFP-TSP, the perfect plate for sticky inks and for products like pet food packaging. It is the perfect plate solution for most sticky ink formulations, allowing fewer press cleaning stops and consistent print quality.
AFP-APC/TPC are digital and analogue plates developed for the high-quality corrugated board display and signage printing market where image quality matters. On double flute coated liner board, the plate delivers with its CleanPrint technology ex¬ceptional image printing performance with minimal dot gain flute marking.

“Visitors to our stand were pleased to see how extensive Asahi’s CleanPrint line is,” added Ryo Ichihashi, (Manager at ASEM China), “with CleanPrint plates now available for just about any flexographic application.”
For more information about other flexographic solutions from Asahi Photoproducts that are in harmony with the environment, visit www.asahi-photoproducts.com. 

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.