SCA Gemerská Hôrka integrates Tresu flexo printing technology into several converting lines

SCA’s Gemerská Hôrka factory is the center for production of its Libresse feminine care product. As well as supplying the market in Slovakia, the plant is also an international distribution center.

Featuring two printing chambers, the 4-color printing units handle non-woven liner products between 85mm and 300mm wide, using water-based inks. Replacing off-line single printing units with an ‘open’ ink supply and chamber, the new Tresu printing units have been integrated into the production lines, enabling SCA to manufacture its products and apply brand identification graphics, in a single pass for the first time.

The F10 iCon ink supply system regulates ink flow, pressure and viscosity from the container, through the chamber to the press, in a fully enclosed environment, maintaining constant, pre-set ink density values for complete production runs. The F10 iCon system performs chamber-cleaning automatically, returning almost all unused contents for reuse. The units at the Gemerská Hôrka factory also feature Tresu’s chamber doctor blades with rubber seals and clamping systems for blade exchanges within two minutes.

Peter Kelemen, technology area engineer from SCA Gemerská Hôrka, commented: ‘The existing ink supply system in previous systems was based on an open ink chamber and manual viscosity measurement. This created a challenge when we needed to change inks and chambers, as the cleaning process was slow and there was risk of contamination.

‘We therefore sought an ergonomic solution that provided effective branding in multiple colors as well as reduced waste. The installation of Tresu’s printing integration unit featuring the F10 iCon provides a step change in performance, bringing predictable quality without manual input, with reduced logistics, faster changeover times and a clean, safe, emission-free working environment.’