New Apex division unveils sleeve development

Apex Group has partnered with sleeve printing professionals Ronald van de Meer and Paul van Middelkoop to create a new company, Apex Sleeve Technologies, for the production of ‘Tigersleeve Blanks’ sleeves.

Tigersleeve Blanks are direct laser engravable and are made of a patent-pending new material called Paulomeer, which the company describes as a third generation material after elastomer and photopolymer for manufacturing printing sleeves. It is claimed to combine the good ink transfer of elastomer with the advantages of photopolymer, and is suitable for all kinds of applications and substrates.

Recent customer trials, where Tigersleeves were set in together with Apex’s patented Genetic Transfer Technology for manufacturing metering rolls, reportedly lead to a significantly higher quality of flexo printing, comparable to gravure.

Ronald van de Meer and Paul van Middelkoop have worked in the printing sleeve industry for more than 25 years. The Tigersleeve Blanks range consists of thin and classic sleeves as well as the configuration of compressible cushion adaptor sleeves. Production will start on May 1 2011 in Borgentreich, Germany. 

Pictured l-r: Martien Hendriks, sales director, Apex Group; Ronnie van de Meer, managing director, Apex Sleeve Technologies; Marian Waterschoot, general manager, Apex Group; and Paul van Middelkoop, technical director, Apex Sleeve Technologies

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