Special materials need smart design solutions

Expert Srl’s design team always loves challenges, so they could not miss a recent opportunity they spotted to better serve flexo printers.  Expert has just launched a gearless flexo stack press in the Czech Republic, destined for a market niche where the nature of the substrate is critical.  A non-woven textile carrier for an insulation product which is too thick to allow a conventional flying splice to be effective.

The mechanical resistance of the substrate means that the only effective cutting mechanism is a rotating circular blade which slices across the web, requiring the movement of the web itself to stop momentarily during the cut.  So that the print process is not disrupted, we have added two accumulators to the unwind and rewind sections which act as compensators during the cut-and-splice sequence.  These are known as the ‘transverse cutting’ winder and unwind which allow production speed to continue unhampered, even with unusual materials.

Many of Expert’s customers handle heavy gauge substrates which are resistant to cutting, particularly in the industrial sector but also producers of fashion shopping bags, sportswear, and reusable bags for supermarkets.

Relishing the challenges presented by the market, Expert’s design focus coupled with many years of experience in the field is what makes the difference for our customers.  Our emphasis on user-friendliness ensures that operators of Expert presses appreciate the digital touchscreen interface and compatibility with industry 4.0 systems.