Tresu and Lohmann enter research partnership

Denmark’s Tresu and Germany’s Lohamnn  have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at optimizing the performance of mounting tapes for a range of high-speed flexographic printing situations.

Tresu is a supplier of flexographic printing lines and ancillary products, while Lohmann manufactures customized adhesive solutions for diverse industrial sectors, including the packaging converting and printing industry.

Tresu is building and supplying Lohmann with a flexo unit to simulate a range of mid web printing situations. This will be used for training and dry-run testing at Lohmann’s TEC Center, the technology center that is currently under construction at the company’s Neuwied headquarters.

At the same time, Tresu will conduct research with Lohmann’s plate mounting tapes in its print tests at its demo center.

The partnership allows both suppliers to improve the flexo printing process by monitoring the performance of the press, and different plate and tape combinations with a wide range of hardness values.

The aim of the collaboration is to optimize the performance of tapes for new printing machines, where speeds are high. The two companies will investigate ways to reduce vibration and improve stability, in order to reproduce high-screen rulings of offset quality, made possible thanks to innovations in printing form and imaging technology, with minimal dot gain.

Other areas of research are likely to include heat resistance, elastic recovery and ease of mounting, removal and setting of printing pressure without compromising quality.

Tresu and Lohmann will also investigate how to minimize dot gain and maintain smooth, bounce-free production at high speeds over long periods of time.

Søren Maarssø (pictured, top stnading right), chief operating officer at Tresu, said: ‘Thanks to developments in printing form materials and imaging systems, the construction of dots that reproduce finer line work, contrast and half-tones with greater consistency are now possible. This means that the key to improving the performance of flexo lies at the production stage.

‘The installation of the Tresu unit at the Lohmann research center and the close collaboration between the two companies will enable us to look at ways of optimizing tape material qualities and press performance, so that the flexo process can reach its true quality potential.’

Dr Norman Goldberg (pictured, top stnading left), a member of the executive board at Lohmann, said: ‘The partnership between Tresu and Lohmann is the perfect answer to the ever-more demanding flexo printing requirements.

‘The printing industry especially is faced with highly competitive pressure: complex print jobs, increasing demands on quality and narrow time frames.

‘This is a call for premium and efficient solutions and our collaboration will enable us to optimize our mounting tape products and to learn from each other. Together, we strive towards creating customized solutions for these increased demands.’

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