Topflight upgrades flexo press with DICEweb

Based in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, Topflight operates in the medical device, pharmaceutical and personal care industries, manufacturing primary and secondary labels, precision die-cut components, shrink-sleeves and conductive parts.

Topflight turned to PPSI to supply a custom-designed DICEweb system to provide digital printing capability in-line with one of its more than 20 flexographic presses.

DICEweb is the new generation of PPSI’s inkjet color engines for adding digital color capabilities to narrow web presses, and is a 1-6-color add-on UV inkjet print engine that can be retrofitted to an existing flexographic printing press.

Because it mounts on the press, the printer can make use of existing investments in finishing equipment as well as laying down primer, white or varnish with the flexo units.

Topflight’s director of operations, Tonya D. Nye said: ‘We saw the need to go digital because we are getting more customers who want short runs and variable data labels. We looked at some stand-alone printing systems, but we have several million dollars’ investment in dies, so we wanted to be able to print digitally without having to invest in new tooling.

‘The DICEweb system gives us the 4-color digital printing capability we wanted, while making use of one of our custom flexo presses to apply primer and to die-cut.’

Chuck Raymond, president of PPSI, said: ‘We’re delighted to have Topflight as a customer for our newest product. We added features like an automatic printhead cleaning station with quality-focused users like Topflight in mind, and we are looking forward to a long relationship as our technology develops to keep pace with their needs.’