Glunz & Jensen launches Flex-Pro Elite

Glunz & Jensen A/S, supplier of printing plate processing equipment, has launched Flex-Pro Elite, a new series of solvent plate processors engineered for the fine screening technologies now reshaping flexo print quality.  

Available in four formats, from the compact 360 Elite to the high-productivity 520 XP Elite, and as Elite variants across the Flex-Line range of fully automatic plate-making lines, the series goes on sale worldwide today. 

Advanced screening technologies such as Esko Pixel+ and Quartz, Luescher Technologies X!Mask, XSYS Woodpecker, Hamillroad Bellissima and Brilliance place highly controlled microstructures into the plate to optimize ink transfer, sharpen detail and smooth tonal transitions. Those structures are also the easiest part of the plate to damage. Screening, imaging, exposure and the plate itself are all specified and certified by the screening ecosystems. Solvent washout is not. It is the one uncertified link in the chain, and the step where microstructures are easiest to damage. If the washout is wrong, a plate can pass every upstream check and still lose its finest structures on the way to press. 

‘When we started the Elite project, we set out to build the world’s best processor,’ said Per Arild, chief commercial officer at Glunz & Jensen. ‘We succeeded, and customer tests show it. If your CtP can create the detail, your processor should be able to reveal it. That is exactly what Flex-Pro Elite does.’ 

Flex-Pro Elite is built on the proven Flex-Pro platform, with hundreds of units running worldwide, and adds the Advanced Screening Suite: a washout and rinse section redesigned for the fine structures of advanced screening rather than only for standard plates. The result is a more thorough, controlled washout that clears the finest non-image areas without leaving residual material or solvent behind. 

A redesigned washout section with 2 LAMS and 8 washout brushes (2 + 18 on the 520 XP Elite); brushes rotate and oscillate to ensure there is no directional patterning on the plate. A 4-brush rinse/wipe system drives standing solvent off the plate for clean, stable surfaces and repeatable ink transfer. Dual fume extraction from the feed table, washout section and exit unit, prevents condensation damage to the plate and keeping solvent vapor out of the work area. It also offers SilentDrive mechanics for lower wear and noise and a 10-inch high-definition touch display with remote-control functionality. 

An ergonomic feed table with free-wheeling rollers ensures rolled plates feed straight into the processor without heavy lifting or repetitive bending. Batch and incremental processing modes: thick plates are processed 36 percent faster in batch mode with the same washout quality, while thinner and smaller plates run three in a row in incremental mode. 

All four models process plates from 0.7 to 7.0mm thick. The Flex-Pro 520 XP Elite delivers double the productivity of the other Elite models from a single machine, depending on plate gauge. 

Elite is not limited to standalone processors. Glunz & Jensen now offers Elite variants across its entire Flex-Line range of fully automatic plate-making lines, bringing the same Advanced Screening Suite to automated in-line production. 

The Elite series was developed in nine months and thoroughly tested together with premier global flexo service houses. A leading global packaging-graphics group ran extensive production tests on Flex-Pro Elite before launch and approved the results. 

Flex-Pro Elite is priced at a moderate premium over the standard Flex-Pro and ships as new-build only; existing Flex-Pro units cannot be upgraded. The standard Flex-Pro range remains in the portfolio and continues to be the right choice for conventional applications. Flex-Pro Elite is intended for plate makers, repro houses and converters moving beyond that, where fine screening demands more. 

Orders are open from today through Glunz & Jensen’s sales organisation and factory-trained partner network. Elite processors are manufactured at Glunz & Jensen’s factory in Prešov, Slovakia.