Miraclon – the new home of Kodak Flexcel solutions – has received a 2019 InterTech Technology Awards for its Kodak Flexcel NX Ultra solution. This international awards program, sponsored by Printing Industries of America (PIA), recognizes technologies that are predicted to have a major impact on the graphic communications and related industries.

“The judges recognized the breakthrough and transformative nature of Miraclon’s technology, as it enables the shift to solvent-free flexo plate processing,” says Jim Workman, vice president of PIA’s Center for Technology and Research.

This marks the fourth InterTech Technology Award within an 11-year period for Kodak Flexcel NX technology.

“The Flexcel NX Ultra solution provides packaging printers with another method for producing high-performing Flexcel NX Plates” explains Zaki Ali, chief technology officer, Miraclon. “An aqueous plate making system with newly-patented Kodak Ultra Clean Technology, the Flexcel NX Ultra solution allows the preparation of a press-ready plate in under one hour while removing the hurdles and challenges that have plagued aqueous platemaking solutions for the last 25 years.”

Ali and his R&D staff, based in Oakdale, MN, USA, have been permanent fixtures of the team behind Kodak Flexcel’s evolution from the early development of the Flexcel NX System. With a long string of patents to their name that protect the proprietary technology that has helped to transform the capabilities of flexo printing, Ali himself is affectionately known as the “grandfather of NX,” the company says. The prolific team was recently awarded its fourth US patent associated with the Flexcel NX Ultra solution, which is the first US patent directly assigned to Miraclon since the formation of the company just four months ago.

The InterTech Technology Awards judges were unanimous in their opinion that Miraclon’s technology will be the catalyst for more prepress providers and printers to convert to aqueous flexo platemaking. “At Miraclon, we are committed to delivering technology solutions that drive efficiency, consistency and quality in flexo printing,” says Ali. “The Flexcel NX Ultra solution checks all those boxes and more.”