Stork Prints appoints Rototechnik as southern Africa distributors

Stork Prints has appointed Rototechnik Pty., (New Germany, South Africa) as the sole distributors to better serve its graphics and textile customers in southern Africa, covering South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Madagascar. Moreover, the company will be the region's first to install Stork's complete pre- and post-press equipment. This will finally provide a local RotaMesh nickel screen cylinder re-imaging service and dedicated rotary screen printing training facilities.

Being relatively close to the region’s customers, Rototechnik will be able to offer a speedy, turnkey service for all rotary screen printing needs. The company will supply the Prints Group's complete range of RSI (Rotary Screen Integration) units, imaging and drying systems, screen cylinders and spare parts; they will also offer retrofitting project management and application expertise. 

Stork has a close partnership with over 30 of the world’s leading press manufacturers; this helps graphics industry suppliers adopt rotary screen printing technology with ease. The flagship Rotary Screen Integration (RSI) module program covers all printing requirements from narrow-web to flexible packaging, in widths up to 36". These can be added to an existing press, to work alongside other printing processes, and run at speeds of up to 150 m/min. To give dedicated label printers, or infrequent rotary screen printers a fast return on investment, the RSI Compact in 10" or 13" widths has a dedicated repeat size range limited to between 12" and 18". The latest addition to the range, the ultra-light, manually insertable EasyFit unit, fits into the mainframe of the cassette-format hybrid presses. No building work is needed and they can be interchanged easily with flexo or offset print-modules at each point in the printing sequence.

Lead-times for the re-imaging of RotaMesh pure nickel, electroformed screen cylinders are two days, while an overnight service is possible for urgent situations. Thanks to their nickel and hexagonal-hole format, RotaMesh screens can withstand the imaging cycle several times, and remain stable and in-register on the press when running at speed. Thus printers can use the same screen for many jobs and save consumable costs, especially when increasingly faced with relatively short printing runs or frequent design changes. There are many cylinders in the RotaMesh range - with different open-areas to cover everything from fine lines to coarse finishes and Braille. Rototechnik will also supply RotaPlate, a longer-life re-usable nickel screen, for non-Stork units

The rotary screen method enables up to 300 m of ink to be laid down in a single pass - many more times than is possible with relief, litho or gravure processes. Because of this the method can uniquely print many effects, fast, in one pass. Examples are tactile features, creative varnishes, color-changing inks and RFID antennae. In South Africa, the process has proven a successful ingredient in the branding of wines. Mr Walter Wellinger of Rototechnik said: ’The method is a gateway to high value markets, and most global consumer brand owners demand this capability from their suppliers. Stork Prints' innovations, combined with our resources and technical expertise, will lower the barriers to these markets and help rotary screen printers here, offer a competitive, fast and flexible service to the packaging buyer.’

‘We had no hesitation in choosing Rototechnik,’ commented Wilfried Koopman, director – graphics, from Stork Prints. ‘They have provided exceptional support as our representative for textiles customers across the region for over 20 years. We believe our new partnership is the perfect way for us to meet our commitments to our customers in southern Africa.’