About Us
Fulflex Flexographic Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Moore Company, is a world leader in the manufacturing of polymeric printing plates and materials. Our ability to customize both natural and synthetic compounds provides unique and specialized solutions for the challenges faced by today's printing industry. Our Laserflex series of products are designed for fast, clean, distortionless imaging providing the Flexo industry with excellent print quality and problem-solving capability.
Fulflex Flexographic Systems has developed a series of comprehensive print solutions. Our capability and versatility in natural rubber and synthetic elastomers allows us to offer a wide range of materials that meet specific printing needs. Whether it's a requirement for solid coverage or a new polymer to deliver on the below the surface dot printing capabilities of Direct Digital Laser Engraving, Fulflex materials provide the highest print and dot quality available.
Fulflex Flexographic Systems is a key subsidiary of The Moore Company, of Rhode Island, a private, family-owned American company with businesses in textiles, specialty elastics, battery components and molded products for the marine industry. By offering constant innovation in design, the highest quality of manufacturing, and customized product delivery systems, The Moore Company helps customers meet the present and future demands of their markets. In addition to Fulflex Flexographic Systems, The Moore Company family includes:
The worldwide leadership of Fulflex grew out of a strong commitment to research.
Fulflex provides specialized engineering and research chemists capable of troubleshooting difficult
printing challenges. We work with our customers to determine the right formulation and material
construction necessary to deliver on required specifications.
Fulflex's advanced production methods and stringent
quality control makes us the company of choice for customers who demand the best that the printing
industry has to offer.
Core Technology
Technology Review
The Computer to Plate Laser Engraving process is a true direct-to-plate system that allows for the transfer of a digital image directly to sheet polymeric plates or design rolls. The CTP Laser Engraving process is simpler, more direct and faster than the Digital Photopolymer process wherein an image is first laser “written” to the surface of the photopolymer plate. After laser imaging of the photopolymer plate surface it is then conventionally exposed to UV light, processed with a suitable solvent, oven dried and finished, the CTP Laser Engraving System delivers a finished press-ready plate or roll directly from the engraving system with total production times on the order of 1200-1500 sq.in./hour (30”x 40” plate).
Application
- Flexo printing
- Flexo Coating
- Flexo Embossing 2D / 3D
- Flexo hot foil stamping
- Web offset flexo stations for patterned coatings
- Dry offset printing
System Description
The system consists of a Laser engine, an engraving bed and computer work station with process control software which controls the engraving process, steps and repeats images as needed, establishes plate distortion and registration parameters, etc… . Engraved material is removed through a vacuum extraction and collection system that may also be coupled with carbon absorption and thermal oxidation capabilities.
There are three types of Laser System devices offered for direct engraving:
- Standard CO2 Single Beam – The original system used converts a digital image
into a series of “on/off” signals switched at speeds on the order of 10 KHz (10,000 cycles/sec).
The laser is switched on for producing the shoulders and relief depth specified. The deeper the
relief, the more power required, subsequently the slower the engraving time. When the laser beam
is switched off, the printing surface results; i.e. no engraving. Standard systems are generally
capable of consistently reproducing a tonal range of 3-97% up to 85 line process screen.
- High Speed CO2 Single Beam – This advanced, most direct and fastest system
converts a digital image into a series of “on/off” laser beam signals at extremely high switching
speeds of 500 KHz (500,000 cycles/sec). Power levels range from maximum (full relief depth) to
zero (print surface) to produce the relief and shoulder angles desired. Since design detail capabilities
are dependent upon the switching speed of any laser system these systems have the finest detail
reproduction. High Speed CO2 lasers today are routinely engraving dot patterns with a tonal
range of 1-97% on 120 line process screens with demonstrated capability of engraving this tonal
range on 133 line screens. Plate dot sizes are verified through measurement with video measuring
microscope systems.
- Sealed Multi-beam – This recently introduced system takes a modularized approach. By employing multiple laser beams finer control of dot imaging is now possible. This system design is more efficient and compact which has resulted in excellent reliability. These sealed C0 2 laser systems are capable of consistently reproducing a tonal range of 3% – 97% on 175 line process screen.
Process Description
The Computer to Plate engraving system will accept digital image files from most pre-press workflows in use today. Once the image is prepared by a pre-press system, proofing can be accomplished in one of two ways:
- Films can be output for production of analog proofs.
- The image can be sent directly to a digital proofing device for output of proofs.
Dot gain compensation and step & repeat parameters can be introduced at the Laser workstation. Enhancements available for the systems are capable of doing copy changes, position changes and color trapping. The engraving parameters such as shoulder profile, relief depth, rotational and lateral engraving speeds together with information as to whether plates or design rolls/sleeves are being used are input prior to engraving. Typically a test wedge is engraved into the material being used to serve as a quality control measure.
The format of the Laser engraving systems available is typically up to a roll size of 20” diameter and 120” in length.
Many benefits are derived from the laser engraving process. With design rolls/sleeves there is no concern about color to color registration since all colors are engraved “in the round” on the roll/sleeve to be used in the printing press. When engraving plates problems such as plate distortion, print surface cupping and color to color registration associated with conventionally produced rubber or photopolymer plates are minimized. Laser engravers, by their nature, will provide better definition in fine positive and reverse type. Important to process printers is the inherent definition achieved in the shadow end of process images which are important to achieving maximum tonal contrast.
Engraving Materials
The Computer to Plate Laser Engraving System is designed to engrave a variety of materials. These lasers are used in the production of Anilox, Rotary Screen and Embossing rolls. Following is a brief review of the materials typically used as Image Carriers:
- Design Rolls/Sleeves – Most frequently used in the wall covering, gift wrap
and confection wrap business design rolls/sleeves are ideally suited to laser engraving. Polymeric
compounds applied, cured and finished on the rolls or sleeves should have a TIR (Total Indicated
Runout) of +/- 0.001” for use in printing line and copy and +/- 0.0005” for use in process printing.
- Polymeric compounds (though often referred to as “rubber”) have been specifically
developed to achieve optimum engraveability and print performance. When purchasing covered rolls
or sleeves for use in this process it is important to specify that they will be laser engraved
and must be constructed with materials specifically manufactured for this process.
- Laser Engraveable Polymeric Plates – As above, polymeric compounds supplied in fully cured, sheet form are specifically developed to achieve optimum performance in engraveability and printing. Sheet thickness tolerances should be within +/- 0.0005”. Today's engraveable polymerics are compatible with the wide array of ink systems and solvents currently used in flexographic printing.
Plate Engraving Materials
These products are fully cured polymeric materials with a dimensionally stable layer incorporated into the plate construction. The plate type and thickness will dictate where the dimensionally stable layer will be placed within the construction during manufacture.
Various compounds have been developed to suit the variety of printing applications in the flexographic printing process. Specifications for currently available materials are:
- Plate Thicknesses: Commonly used thicknesses from 0.045” to 0.250”
- Thickness Uniformity: +/- 0.0005 within a sheet (roll)
- Sheet (Roll) Size: Up to 50” x 300” Image Reproduction: Laser system dependent (see System Description )
Press Ready Image Carriers
Currently, the Computer to Plate Laser Engraving System is the only true direct-to-plate system available which delivers an image carrier to the pressroom with no interim processing steps once the image has been delivered to the plate printing surface. Both line work and tones graphics are engraved into the material along with the shoulder support and relief depth in one pass. The process is controlled through Laser calibration and diagnostic programs. Because there are no additional downstream processing steps once engraved, the image carrier is delivered directly to the press thereby reducing variables which could influence subsequent printing quality.
Dot Size: The Myth
There is a popular myth in the flexo industry that Direct Digital Laser Engraving can not produce high-quality process plates. At issue is the belief that you can't engrave a process dot smaller than the laser beam diameter. Part of this myth comes from the flexo plate-making technology that uses film or mask, which is a negative process. The reality is much different. Because direct ablation is a positive process the dot size that can be engraved is in fact smaller than the diameter of the laser beam, yielding plates and sleeves at 175lpi.
Smallest Ablated Spot
So how does the laser spot size relate to the size of an ablated feature on the printing plate? An optical engineer will quote a spot size as the diameter within which 86.5% of the power of beam is contained (see figure 2a). This is the 30 m m spot size for a CO2 laser often quoted. Although technically correct, this is misleading as it reveals nothing about the size of spot that will be ablated. This depends on the hardness of the material and power in the laser spot. To explain how a direct ablation system can ablate a feature smaller than this 30 µm spot size, figure 2b shows how the spot size varies with power for one particular material. Luscher Flexo's FlexposeDirect system incorporating a CO2 laser can produce a minimum ablated spot size of around 15 µm. 99% tonal dots can therefore be ablated at 150 lpi and above. Many production companies around the world are successfully using CO2 direct ablation systems to produce flexo and letterpress plates and sleeves at 150lpi or above.
Direct Ablation: A Positive Process
The figure below shows a schematic of a flexo plate being produced using a film or mask method. Using the mask ablation method, the laser ablates the black layer away where a print surface is required . It may therefore be termed a “negative process”. The diagram demonstrates that the surface diameter of a process dot will always be approximately equal to the size of the hole ablated on the black layer. Therefore the minimum size of a surface feature will be equal to the diameter of the laser beam.
In contrast, the next figure demonstrates that as a “positive process” i.e. one where material is removed where a print surface is not required , process dots at the highlight end of the tonal range can be “sculpted” from successive passes of the laser beam. In this way, using a CO2 laser with a “beam diameter” of around 30 m m, and typically 7-9 passes of the laser beam per dot, 1% dots at 150 lpi and above can be ablated directly onto a flexo plate or sleeve.
Research
At Fulflex, we are driven to create new technology that will help improve the printing quality of our customers. We are constantly improving through innovation and looking for ways to delight our customers and exceed their needs. Fulflex research works closely with the other Fulflex business groups to develop the products and technologies that our customers demand and give them a competitive advantage in the printing industry.
Some of our current research projects include:
- Dual Durometer plate construction
- 3-D Embossing
- Elastomeric hot foil stamping
