Miraclon launches Flexcel Prime Plate. This new flexo plate, which, according to the American manufacturer, required years of research, features two major changes: a surface that facilitates mounting and dismounting and increases plate longevity, and a technology that reduces ink build-up on the plate during printing.
"It's been more than a decade since Flexcel NX technology enabled the benefits of modern flexography, with better process control, increased productivity and more durable flexo printing." says Emma Weston, Miraclon's Marketing Director. "With Flexcel Prime, users benefit from new performance while continuing to work according to their usual workflows. We've improved them, without changing them."
Firstly, the Flexcel Prime plate incorporates a formulation called Lift Resist. This modifies the chemical structure of the plate to reduce curvature and facilitate mounting or re-mounting on the cylinder. The plate also requires lower printing pressure, which extends its life and stabilizes production behavior.
Secondly, Miraclon's flexo plate features a new surface, called Stay Clean, which is said to limit ink build-up during printing. Combined with the PureFlexo micro-texturing already used on Flexcel NX plates, this surface keeps the plate cleaner during the print run and reduces press stops for cleaning, according to Miraclon.
What's more, the adhesion removal and light finishing (UVC) step is significantly reduced, from around twenty minutes to around five, according to Miraclon. The new plates feature a sharper black and white contrast to facilitate visual checks. And thirdly, operators peel the film from the plate rather than the plate from the film, which simplifies delamination, especially for large formats.
Flexcel Prime plates work in existing Flexcel NX systems. Printers can use Flexcel NXH and Flexcel Prime plates simultaneously, without modifying profiles, curves or workflows.
Flexcel Prime Plate is already in use at over 30 sites in 14 countries. Users have completed over 5,000 commercial jobs during the validation phase.
