Waldo installs UK’s first ThermoFlexX 80-D imager

The model at Waldo has been integrated with the company’s existing pre-press software and Esko FlexRIP. The new imager can also handle all of the flexo plates normally used at the company’s Louth site. 

The recent installation, which follows a string of orders from around the world for ThermoFlexX imagers, enables Waldo to provide ‘unrivalled output speed and plate image quality’, according to the company’s managing director and owner Phil Walmsley. ‘We have a lot of experience of operating CTP equipment for the flexo market and when we decided to invest in additional output capacity the Belgian made ThermoFlexX models quickly stood out in offering the best package of quality, speed and price. For example, our existing CTP systems allow a maximum exposure of four sq m an hour, while the ThermoFlexX D-80, with its dual-head facility, has a top speed of 12 sq m an hour.

‘The ability to output at resolutions of 5,080 DPI is very appealing,’ continued Walmsley. ‘It’s still early days for us as the imager has only been in operation for a short while, but we’re about to start trials for two clients, outputting at 5,080 DPI using LUX ITP flexo plates from MacDermid and Flint’s FTF. We’ll also be using this trial to test the ThermoFlexX flat-top dot and surface screening technologies.’

The ThermoFlexX 80-D digital flexo plate imager follows other recent investments at Waldo, including extension of its production facilities, the installation of additional solvent recycling equipment and the creation of a new design studio, due for completion by the end of 2015.

‘The corrugated and flexible packaging markets continue to be buoyant and we’re confident that the new ThermoFlexX 80-D imager will play a major role in helping us win extra work from existing clients as well as in gaining new clients. It’s a very exciting time for us,’ concluded Walmsley.