Nuova Gidue starts Digital Flexo world tour

Nuova Gidue, a manufacturer of printing and converting machines for the label and packaging industry, launched in March its Digital Flexo technology for its Master and Combat flexo press lines.

Using the newly developed Gidue HD Print Tutor system, each print unit automatically adjusts the register and print pressure without any manual adjustment from the operator. The Print Tutor, a high definition camera on each print station, ‘reads’ the register marks and pressure marks on the two sides of the web (operator and drive side). Up to nine servo motors per print station automatically correct all the adjustments and obtain an accurate register and print quality. The Print Tutor will also continue to monitor the printing and the register quality during the whole production at any speed.

The Digital Flexo concept contains an additional innovation developed for the self-adhesive industry: the QuickCut system, a new converting section which allows for digitally controlled die-cutting pressure settings, and performs completely automated stripping operations.

‘With the combination of the Print Tutor and the QuickCut, a label printer would hardly touch the press adjustment anymore, making the press operation almost fully automated in start-up and during production. The operator becomes focused on the press profitability and on the top printing and converting quality. The basic and fundamental work is performed by our Digital Flexo presses, the Master and the Combat,’ said Federico d'Annunzio, MD of Nuova Gidue.

The company claims that the waste during start up for the register and print pressure adjustment is digitally reduced to a maximum of 10 meters, irrespective of the number of print stations used. Matteo Cardinotti, technical director, said: ‘On the new generation Digital Flexo Gidue press, waste and time for set-up are not variables in the hands of the operator: set-up and production are digitally controlled, and cannot exceed digital predetermined values. With the Digital Flexo concept, both label and packaging converters can predict the realistic profitability of the press, as the printer knows exactly how many meters he will waste during set up, and exactly which quality he will obtain during production. Every value is digitally controlled and digitally corrected.’

Nuova Gidue says that Digital Flexo Master presses have already been delivered in Europe during 2011, with customers reporting significant reduction significant reduction in waste and major improvement in production speeds.

After the first successful Beta-test installations, Nuova Gidue has launched a program of conferences throughout the world to promote the developments.

The first introduction of the Digital Flexo concept took place at seminars in Prague and Bratislava in April, organized by Petr Zika, a distributor of printing equipment and accessories in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Each seminar hosted technical presentations from Nuova Gidue, AVT, Rotocontrol, Kodak and Ritrama.

The next Digital Flexo conferences will be held during the second half of 2011 at the ABIEA 25^th anniversary congress, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on June 28; and the LMAI 2011 Congress in Goa, India, on July 29-31.

Several other conferences in different countries are being confirmed for 2011, supported by the company’s international sales network.

Giorgio Deliziosi, in charge of sales for the BRICS countries for Nuova Gidue, said: ‘Now that the Digital Flexo technology is available in the market, set up times and wastes of our presses are getting comparable or lower than digital printing presses. Gidue presses have accepted the digital challenge and turned it to a big profit opportunity for our converters.’

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