Teachers and students at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC have been sharing the positive effects on their flexographic projects after the arrival of a Melanie DUO Anilox Cleaning system from Alphasonics USA. 

The donation of the equipment comes after a chance meeting between students and the company’s vice president Christopher Jones, following a presentation on Ultrasonic Anilox Cleaning Systems at 2017’s FTA INFOFLEX exhibition.

Jones says: “I completed a small presentation at the ‘Solutions Theatre’ in Phoenix last year and ended up in a really positive question and answer session afterwards.  Following this, two very enthusiastic CPCC students came to our booth and were so keen to learn even more. I was really impressed by their knowledge, eagerness and drive for the industry and for the projects they were completing.  Myself and Alphasonics are extremely passionate about nurturing and encouraging young talent in this industry and I wanted to contribute to their development by giving them the very best in cleaning technology.  It all went from there.  We’ve ended up with a great relationship with the Harper Campus at Central Piedmont and we’re looking at what we do next to help and assist these bright young minds in their development.”

Upon donation of the equipment, Jones also held an informal session on the importance of anilox cleaning and how the right equipment, coupled with a cleaning regime will ensure the very best production quality.  The aim of which is to gear them for the world of work and to ensure they embark on their careers with best practices firmly in mind. 

Zachery Blackburn, lead instructor on CPCC’s Graphic Arts course, notes that the system has brought a whole new dimension to the campuses equipment and the students who use it.  He says, “It’s been a great opportunity for students, firstly, because it’s just so easy to use.  One of the things I think is exciting is that we have old aniloxes that haven’t been throughly cleaned or resurfaced for years and it’s been maintained by novices so the buildup on the rolls is considerable.  Whats really cool about the Alphasonics you clean see it cleaning as it’s happening… years and years of contamination coming out of the roll and within minutes they come back to life.  When it’s done, it looks an prints like it’s just out of the box which means much more predictable colour and much better results.  Students being able to see what a clean anilox looks like puts them on the right path for their careers and creates a cleaner culture.”

Students themselves have even written messages to the company thanking them for the donation and to show the positive usage of the system. Alphasonics plans to attend the Harper Campus to continue education on the importance of anilox cleaning through demonstrations and educational presentations throughout the academic year.

“Our relationship with CPCC will only serve to benefit the future of this industry and we’re only too happy to contribute. The students I’ve met are a credit to the college and to our industry so I feel we are duty bound to give them a helping hand. If the next wave of flexographic professionals are learning the right way to work and learning the importance of quality cleaning equipment, then I’ll do whatever I can to bring that through both now and in the future,” says Jones. 

The CPCC staff and students are now gearing towards their new semester which includes their upcoming design and print projects and also their participation in next year’s Phoenix Challenge.

Alphasonics will be exhibiting their full range of pressroom cleaning products with Advanced Ultrasonic Technology at this year’s LabelExpo Americas in Chicago.  They can be found at Booth 3010.