Henkel gives backing to TruPoint doctor blades

- TruPoint is ‘number one recommendation to apply gloss and matte finishes, as well as special coating effects’

 

- TruPoint able to work with higher viscosity coating formulations

 

Flexo Concept’s TruPoint doctor blades have received backing from German package printing specialist Henkel, which is recommending them as the preferred choice to customers using special coating formulas to decorate their packaging.

 

Henkel is a supplier of UV coatings, as well as overprint finishing and other coating products, and has endorsed TruPoint for use with its specialty coatings.

 

In a joint statement, Henkel’s Dennis Drummond, senior key account manager, and John Bervoets, business development manager, said: ‘TruPoint is our number one recommendation to customers looking to apply not only standard gloss and matte finishes but also special coating effects to their packaging.’

 

UV chemistries, common in specialty coating applications, have a viscosity of 5-7 times that of water and solvent-based formulas. This thicker consistency applies excessive pressure to the metering blade, often resulting in hydroplaning or “spitting” and contamination of the finished piece. 

 

Coatings like Henkel’s MiraFoil is a heavier viscosity than most coating technologies but can be applied in an extremely thin layer with TruPoint blades to optimize coating consumption and minimize waste. 

 

‘TruPoint blades are able to effectively wipe and contain high-viscosity coatings with no spitting or slinging,’ they said, with Drummond adding: ‘The TruPoint blades do a remarkable job of wiping the cylinder and containing the MiraFoil at high press speeds.  Other blade technologies allow the coatings to push under the blades at high speeds.’

 

Finishes such as glitter, metallic and pearlescents contain larger particulates, and a customized blade solution is often necessary to meter these chemistries and control the volume of coating applied to the blanket. 

 

TruPoint blades can be engineered to a full range of size and profile combinations to meet the precise needs of the printer.  In addition to standard coatings, the TruPoint blade’s thickness and tip can be modified to improve its metering performance with the higher viscosity and large particulate formulas. 

 

Drummond and Bervoets continued: ‘We have always been impressed with the company’s ability to deliver the correct solution with the proper blade composition and thickness for all special applications.’   

 

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