Olympus focuses on quality print with rotary screen

Adrian Brown, managing director at Olympus Print Group, says the company realized that to compete against larger organizations and grow, quality had to be central. Cost control and the ability to meet demands flexibly were vital, as was the ability to accommodate shorter runs and the resulting more frequent job changes.

'Our clients expect us to deliver complex constructions with high aesthetic appeal, involving many processes, cost-efficiently,' said Brown. 'For that reason, we have consistently invested in combination printing lines. Our Nilpeter FA 4 lines print up to 10 colors, and offer a combination of UV flexo, rotary screen, hot foil, embossing, cold foil, die-cutting and, on some, reverse printing, in a single pass. We have built a workflow around these processes that minimizes waste at every opportunity.'

While Olympus has been investing in hybrid digital technology, Brown emphasizes that the company still sees rotary screen printing as a key process, thanks to its ability to lay down thick layers of ink or varnish. While a single flexo pass can apply up to 4μm, with screen, up to 250μm is possible. That enables application of added-value effects, including opaque and rich colors, as well as tactile features that differentiate a brand.

As Brown explains, there has been a resurgence in demand for screen-printed effects. 'The process features on 40 percent of all jobs. Screen has been consistently used for home and personal care products and has been the back bone of our work mix since the company's earliest days, but more recently, there has been a growth in demand for the process from other sectors: beverage and gift markets have been growing, but in the wine industry demand has been particularly strong.'

Adding value and information
The clear, no-label look for the home and personal care market is an established way of promoting product quality and purity. The screen opaque white is usually deposited in thicknesses of about 14μm in the first position in the printing sequence on the clear synthetic label. It provides a base for the flexo-printed label graphics that are printed over it.  

A key embellishment within the wine market is a varnish, exceeding 150μm, printed over the brand name or iconic feature of the label, adding vividness as well as texture to the underlying flexo-printed graphics. This is achieved with the rotary screen unit in the final printing position. Other rotary screen effects include coarse or soft-touch varnishes that require 250μm coverage, Braille dots and tactile warning triangles, which are printed in-line on to existing graphics, to save the end user from having to label twice.

Olympus uses a complete rotary screen workflow from SPGPrints, comprising the Rotary Screen Integration (RSI) units, re-imageable nickel RotaMesh screens, and conventional pre-press equipment.  

The Nilpeter FA-4 presses at Olympus allow flexo and rotary screen processes to be interchanged with each other at any stage. To enable this, they are specified with SPGPrintsportable cassette-units, which run at speeds between 40 and 60m/min. Changeovers typically take five minutes.

'The interchangeability of the processes on the FA4 lines gives us the freedom to use one or more screen fixture. The SPGPrints units integrate smoothly, so we can be assured of perfect register with minimal start-up waste,' says Brown. 'Sometimes we'll combine two silkscreens, where we put the base white down and then a high-impact black or red on top, to get a sharp image rather than struggling to get a reversed-out register.'

The RotaMesh screens provide reliability as well as cost control. Their electroformed, non-woven nickel structure with hexagonal holes gives them the strength to withstand handling, and multiple imaging cycles without damage.  

'Typically, we re-image a RotaMesh screen up to eight times. The long life of the screen brings significant consumable cost savings in the long term, given the high demand for the process. This enhances our competitiveness in offering the high quality label solutions that differentiate our clients brands,' says Brown.  

The pre-press team prepares an average of 50 screen imaging jobs per week. Based on the screen reusability, this equates an annual consumption of about 325 screens for 2,600 engraving cycles. Furthermore, screen re-use cuts stockholding costs considerably because jobs are ordered in multiple batches.  

Screens are imaged the pre-press room, adjacent to the production hall, using conventional exposing, stripping and washing equipment from SPGPrints: 'We perform the engraving and developing process ourselves, so we have the flexibility to offer fast turnarounds,' says Brown.  

Screen printers achieve the desired coverage thickness and color density with an optimum combination of hole count and open area (the proportion of area where ink or varnish can flow to the substrate). From many combinations, Olympus finds the 305 Mesh with 13 percent open area gives the optimum balance between results and ink yield for opaque jobs.   

The resilience of the screens to withstand rigorous internal logistics without risk of breakage is a major advantage because the speed of operations is essential to minimizing set-up times. The shop floor is a continuous pit-stop operation, with a dedicated team of between four and ten people supplying the presses with all equipment, including tooling, printing plates, screens and inks, on trolleys.

Rapid job change
The FA-4 lines at Olympus are designed for rapid job changes. The flexo unit features Nilpeters lightweight cleanInking closed cassette ink chamber. Servo drives ensure calibration with minimal manual input or material waste. Dies can be prepared off-line, next to the running die.

Some presses also feature reverse-printing capability, enabling Peel-and-Reveal and multi-layer labels. These provide added value in a variety of market sectors. Brand owners are not only using the technique to reproduce lengthy legally required health and safety information legislation, but to further stimulate the consumers interest, and enhance the consumption experience.  

'There is a trend towards Peel-and-Reveal labels because there is a demand for more information on labels nowadays. Legislation requires more information about ingredients or allergens, often in multiple languages,' Brown explains. 'Brands are also adopting this technique in inventive ways, like using Peal-and-Reveal on the wine label to add value. One brand uses Peel-And-Reveal for steak recipes that complement the drink. We are expected to deliver this feature with all the embellishments including images, screen and foil.' Seeking continuous improvement is engrained in the Olympus Print Groups culture.

Through Kaizen programs, processes are constantly evaluated for potential waste reduction, in terms of materials, time, logistics or space. Technical teams from both Nilpeter and SPGPrints visit to analyze methods of working, highlight inefficiencies and offer advice.
   
'Brands need to remain competitive by differentiating themselves and adding value,' Brown concludes. 'We do so through innovation, working efficiently, cutting waste – in time and materials – and delivering cost-effective quality. The technology and support from Nilpeter and SPGPrints makes an important contribution in this mission.'