SPGPrints DSI first in US for labels

McLoone, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA, an industrial label converter and nameplate maker, has boosted productivity, accelerated throughput, reduced material costs and increased profitability by migrating label production from screen to digital with its SPGPrints DSI UV-curable inkjet press.

Since installing the press in early 2014, the company has transformed the way it operates its label production. The industrial labels (stickers or decals) are printed in batches in runs from approximately 100 linear meters (a few hundred linear feet) to a maximum of about 3,650m (approx 12,000ft). Previously, this work was carried out on the company’s 12 flatbed screen presses.

Keith Rosenthal, vice-president of manufacturing at McLoone, comments: ‘We were experiencing heavy pricing pressure, and required to fulfil several dozen orders each day. We recognized that, by relying exclusively on flatbed screen, we were unable to achieve our growth potential due to the lengthy setup times and complicated workflows. We needed to re-engineer the industrial label manufacturing process.’

McLoone selected SPGPrints’ DSI press after seeing demonstrations at Labelexpo Americas 2012. A five-color press, featuring opaque white along with standard CMYK, it has a 13in width (333mm) and can handle the substrate program supplied by McLoone, which ranges from 0.002in (51 micron) to 0.01.in (254 micron) in thickness. The company was also attracted by the press’s ability to print on a wide range of substrates.

The single-step digital printing operation replaces as many as 20 labor-intensive screen production steps, which included custom-made ink formulations for every color, stock cutting, screen imaging for every color, and printing each color on separate machines. McLoone also invested in an off-line digital laser cutter to accelerate finishing by eliminating the need for dies.

SPGPrints helps with pre-press

McLoone’s digital manager worked with SPGPrints to train staff in file handling, detailing cut sizes, and other aspects of digital workflow and color specification.