Innovative colour sheet-fed gravure printing press for high quality pack pr
A pleasing appearance stimulates consumer buying decision
ATEX-certified air motor lifts and lowers the ink sumps
It’s all down to the packaging. Most consumer purchasing decisions are made on the spot, in just a couple of seconds. The design, shape and presentation of the pack make the difference - guiding consumers towards making their selection from the overflowing retail shelves and multiple products so prevalent in today’s market.
The machine engineering company H.C. Moog GmbH has been developing and building sheet-fed gravure printing presses for the production of high-quality packaging materials.
But what actually is gravure printing? Gravure printing means that the printing elements are in the form of etched depressions - known as cells - nowadays generally produced by laser onto the printing form (cylinder or polymer plate). Before printing, the entire printing form is dipped into the ink bath, and excess ink at the surface of the print cylinder is then removed by a doctor blade. Only the ink for printing remains on the cells. The impression roller then presses the material which is to be printed (paper, cardboard or film) onto the image carrier. The contact pressure and force of adhesion transfer the ink to the material. The depth and screen width of the cells define the colour intensity; the graphic quality is excellent and in high resolution.
The latest MOOG1 TBR Compact 740/1040 is a multi-functional machine providing the maximum sheet format of 740 x 1040 mm, and a maximum output of 12,000 sheets per hour. It permits sheet-fed gravure printing on conventional gravure cylinders as well as on digital photo-polymer plates.
The gravure specialists designed new ink sumps to transfer the ink to the print cylinder. There are three types available for different ink quantities. “We achieve the optimum mixture with minimum ink quantities, which makes the products more environmentally sustainable when recycled, while also reducing printing costs,” said Achim Kurreck, as he outlined the positive features. To adjust the height of the ink sumps, the manufacturer needed a drive that can be deployed in a potentially explosive atmosphere.
The choice they made was an air motor from DEPRAG SCHULZ GMBH u. CO from Amberg. A 400 watt BASIC LINE vane motor was installed on the ink sump at the very heart of the printing mechanism. With a nominal speed rating of 60 rpm and a basic torque of 63.6 Nm it adjusts the height of the ink sump.
