A US Patent has been awarded to Nu Tech Coatings, of Johnson City, TN, USA, for a polymer application utilized on existing or newly manufactured flexographic print cylinders. A 0.375″ polymer coating is applied directly to a plate cylinder, which allows a flexo plate to be mounted with 0.005″ tape. The coating acts as a shock absorber and eliminates plate to substrate impression as a variable in the printing process. Nu Tech calls them Performance Enhancing Cylinders (PEC).

“As a result of this ability to overimpress the plate without the usual negative consequences, make-ready times are dramatically reduced, press speeds are increased, substrate waste and press downtime are substantially improved,” says Jim Wyman, managing partner. “As an added benefit, gear marking and banding are virtually eliminated, further improving quality and run yields.”

“With more than 1,000 coated cylinders in use daily by 150 printers, this is no longer a novelty,” says George Brunst, also a managing partner of Nu Tech Coatings. “We have seen a recent increase in orders from pharmaceutical printers, due to the demand for zero defect printing, and our PEC product helps them achieve that. Our vision is to help narrow web printers to be the quality leaders in the markets they serve, while simultaneously helping reduce their cost.”

Nu Tech’s products are distributed by Print Products Inc., of Fernandina Beach, FL, USA, and will be available also in the near future from Sarni Flexographics, Milford, CT, USA. For details, contact Jim Wyman at [email protected].