Asahi Photoproducts is displaying its full range of flexographic plates and CleanPrint technology at its stand. Asahi has brought to Brussels its AWP-DEW water-washable plates, the first to use the company’s CleanPrint technology designed to kiss touch printing pressure.  

Lighter pressure allows printers to achieve constant print quality during the production run, as well as extending plate life thanks to the Asahi-engineered photopolymer chemistry. It reduces the surface energy and enables better ink transfer to the substrate. The technology also has the beneficial effect of reducing ink filling-in the mid-tone area during the printing run, leading to fewer cleaning intervals and less press downtime, according to the company.

“Since Asahi first brought to market its innovative flexographic plate technology, which enabled complete release of ink onto the substrate for a cleaner image and fewer press stops for plate cleaning, our thoughts about the value of the technology have evolved. Our customers are ecstatic about the quality of print they can deliver while also achieving as much as 50% less make-ready time and 30% or more improvement in OEE,” says Dieter Niederstadt, Asahi’s technical marketing manager.

“Not only do we continue to improve our plate quality and performance, but we have also learned from our customers that the value of the technology goes way beyond the quality and productivity benefits it enables. Not only does it eliminate the need for volatile solvents in the platemaking process, speed up the process to consume less energy and deliver the same high quality and press productivity (OEE) our customers have come to expect, but the technology reduces make-ready times and waste, as well as the amount of time the press needs to run. All of these benefits add up to a much cleaner platemaking and flexographic printing process than can be achieved with any other plates on the market,” adds Niederstadt.