Asahi Photoproducts launches Revo Series at Labelexpo Europe 2025

Asahi Photoproducts has introduced its new range of flexo plates, Revo Series, at Labelexpo Europe 2025. It is hosted at Gallus partner booths 3E23 and 3E29. 

Incorporating both AWP-Revo and AFP Revo plate technologies, the series delivers reduced environmental impact, faster turnaround and consistent quality. These plates are part of the AWP-Revo Ecosystem, a water-based flexographic plate processing technology that aligns with Asahi’s 'Solvent Zero' strategy as well as AFP-Revo for reduced solvent plate production.

Whether converters use water-wash or solvent processing, they benefit from the same stable quality, powered by Asahi’s CleanPrint technology. As part of the harmonization, Asahi has now integrated its award-winning AFP-R solvent plate products under the brand name of AFP-Revo, which has already received Esko’s Quartz Certification and is designed to meet the demanding requirements of high-end flexible packaging as well as label print production.

The AWP-Revo ecosystem is a detergent-free, water-based flexographic plate processing technology that reduces solvents and minimizes resource consumption, delivering environmental benefits and measurable gains in production efficiency. In practice, it produces print-ready AWP-Revo plates in about an hour and with CleanPrint technology, converters experience excellent ink transfer and fewer press stops for plate cleaning. With the AWP-Loop Petite water recycling unit, up to 90 percent of washout water is recycled for reuse. AWP-Revo plates are available in two versions — AWP-Revo WHR (RoundTop) and AWP-Revo WHF (FlatTop) - to address a wide array of label applications.

New AWP-Revo water-washable photopolymer plate requires only water and anti-former (no detergents). It has high resolution with reduced press downtime, consistent performance and simplified handling.

The AWP-Revo 2530AA plate processor is a compact, all-in-one processor for small-format plate sizes with a user-friendly interface, a refined brush design for easy washout and optimized fine-screening for consistent color reproduction in short-run environments.

The AWP-Loop Petite is a closed-loop wastewater recycling system using Asahi Kasei’s Microza membrane filtration to recover and reuse up to 90 percent of process water, significantly reducing waste liquid and operating costs.

By integrating these components, the AWP-Revo ecosystem sets a new benchmark for detergent-free, small-format flexo platemaking, delivering both sustainability and enhanced productivity. The product range is expected to be commercially available soon.

The plates target the high-quality segment and are compatible with all ink systems. 

Asahi is also showcasing printing samples using AFP-Revo reduced solvent plates, which have been developed to perform together with the latest screening and laser imaging technologies, such as Esko Quartz, aiming to meet the demands of high-end flexible packaging printers and are suitable for label production. These new plates are designed for high solid ink densities and fine, crisp, detailed printed characters. The reduced solvent plates feature around 30 percent less solvent consumption during the plate-making process, reduced drying time and drying energy usage as compared with conventional solvent plates.

Asahi plans to expand the AWP-Revo ecosystem to support larger formats in the future. With growing interest in fully water-washable, detergent-free plate processing, the company continues to expand its portfolio of sustainable products aimed at helping printers to reduce their environmental impact with higher efficiency and improved quality, leading to a Solvent Zero plate production.