Italian flexible packaging printer invests in world’s largest flexo UV LED curing system

The press is specified with eight 1.2m-wide printing stations, each with an AMS Peak UV LED CI XP Series curing lamp. The cassette-based slide-in, slide-out lamps are mercury-free, switch on and off instantly, and feature low energy, ozone-free operation. The chip diodes have a working life of up to 30,000 hours and do not emit heat into the substrate or fumes to the atmosphere.

The decision to be the world’s first to fit AMS’s new CI optimized UV LED curing technology to the mid format flexo press followed good reports from nearby ACM where Massimo Raffaele, having pioneered the system on his 530mm Omet Varyflex F1 narrow web flexo press, has just commissioned a nine-unit Bobst narrow web 100 percent AMS UV LED low migration flexo press.

‘AMS UV LED offers many operational and financial advantages over our current UV and hot air systems,’ commented La Gerunda Merletti managing director, and founder, Pino De Gradi.

‘The overriding benefit for us is its environmental pedigree. In these markets it is essential to be as clean as possible – the clients demand it. It’s not just the inks and the chemistry of the printing process, the UV LED solution does not involve mercury and does not produce emissions into the atmosphere, and these are factors that will play a major part as we go forward. Of course, this was not the cheapest solution, but it will surely be the most cost-effective investment for our needs and the best value for our business; AMS UV LED is the right choice for us.’

The new Onyx press will be entirely additional capacity to La Gerunda Merletti’s existing four presses. Gradi said that it will help deliver a 40 percent uplift in turnover – to more than 12 million EUR (13.5 million USD) a year – alongside the printer's expansion into new markets.

‘The majority of our current printed output is for the horticulture, agriculture, pet food and similar markets, but we are now winning significant new contracts to supply clients servicing the food and healthcare products sector,’ he said. ‘For this we don’t just need additional capacity, we need the production advantages of the latest technologies, compatibility for low migration inks and, especially, the most environmentally-friendly solutions.’

Regarding the decision to invest in the Uteco press, Gardi added: ‘We found that the levels of automation and the technologies built into the Onyx are very impressive. The production runs in this sector can be short so the Uteco Direct Drive Evo, its Thermilox Anilox solution and the more advanced cleaning systems all come into play for better productivity, faster job changeovers and less waste.’