The 2024 Drupa exhibition, which attracted worldwide attention, has come to a perfect end. As the global packaging and printing industry technology development vane, eight years after the drupa2024, gathered the top cutting-edge technology, the world's first-class enterprises to compete on the same stage, once again staged a variety of advanced printing process of the peak showdown. Packaging Frontier also organized a Drupa delegation of 40 people to visit the exhibition.
For this exhibition, what are the gains and experiences of colleagues in the soft bag industry? Packaging frontier hereby set up "I see Drupa" this column, welcome all visitors and exhibitors to speak freely, you see in the exhibition the most touched and inspired equipment, technology and experience, thinking, harvest on our platform to communicate, promote the development and progress of the soft bag industry.
Today's first appearance is Dalian Jutong plastic Products Co., LTD. General manager Shi Peibo, let's take a look at his eyes of Drupa!
First, the equipment and technology that are most interested in Drupa exhibition
I am most interested in flexo printing and digital printing equipment and combined printing, which is also the main tone and future development direction of the entire exhibition.
01, say flexo printing first!
In the European and American markets, flexo printing occupies an important position, which has a great relationship with their more attention to environmental protection and the functionality of packaging, the exquisite degree of printing requirements are not high in China, I personally feel that the domestic packaging printing is excessive packaging, a set of 8 or 9 colors, plate making complex, long cycle, large ink consumption, printing energy consumption is also large, not environmentally friendly, I think we should learn from Europe and the United States.
This Drupa, flexible printing plate, plate material, equipment and so on are on display, such as: screen technology, such as ESKO launched the Quartz version based on the Crystal platform, the introduction of 2000lpi new screen, greatly improving the flexographic imaging speed and printing quality; Second, plate making equipment is highly automated. For example, the ThermoFlexX Catena+ exhibited by Xsys can realize the whole process of plate making without manual intervention, which can improve quality and reduce waste. Third, the domestic satellite (CI) flexographic printing equipment has made a major breakthrough, and the printing speed of the new generation of CINOVA.S of aerospace Huayang can reach 600m/min, and the drying efficiency and automation performance are comprehensively improved.
02, say digital printing
Digital printing has developed at a particularly fast pace in recent years, which has a lot to do with its need for plate making, suitable for personalized, customized printing, and short single printing, which is very suitable for multi-variety small batch plastic soft bag orders. For example, the 200K digital printing press brought by HP this time, its predecessor is Indigo 25K, and the comprehensive production efficiency has increased by 45%.
The whole production process is very smooth, from Indigo 200K printing directly into the compound, bag making, very convenient, and the machine is small and flexible, occupies a small area, can greatly save the plant space.
The combination here has a combination of printing processes, such as offset + flexo printing, such as the EB electron beam offset press seen in Comeci Company is a 7-color offset combination of a flexo printing unit, and the gravure + flexo printing unit displayed by Xi 'an Fine Da Company.
There is also a production line that integrates the entire production process and directly produces the finished product, such as the DIGITAL MASTER 55, which integrates multiple processes such as printing, decoration, quality control and die cutting, which not only guarantees faster delivery speed, but also realizes better costs.
Second, which company's exhibits have left you the deepest impression and touch?
I was particularly impressed with WH's Alphaflex-W&H Alpha Flexo printer. At the exhibition, I had an in-depth exchange with them. Their current concept of manufacturing equipment is worth learning from, that is, to make customized products standardized, modular and easy to operate, automated. For example, the plate roller cleaning and change all realize automation, the purpose is to reduce costs and reduce the dependence on employees and adapt to the needs of small batch order change quickly, so that most customers can afford to use it well.
Equipment is the basic standard, there are special requirements, only to install personalized configuration, standardized mass production can shorten the cycle of their manufacturing equipment, and large-scale accessories procurement can also reduce equipment manufacturing costs. There are also domestic Shaanxi North people with the same idea, this year their sales performance is very good, they are also a lot of equipment into standard models, improve production efficiency, stable product quality, to achieve a breakthrough in sales performance, because there are personalized needs of equipment after all relatively small, standard models can meet the needs of most customers.
Third, after the exhibition, do you think the future of the soft bag industry will develop in which direction?
From the perspective of energy conservation and environmental protection and digital upgrading and automated production, I am very optimistic about flexo printing, digital printing and combined printing processes. Because flexo printing has high efficiency, fast plate making and flexibility, digital printing does not need plate making and can adapt to the diversified needs of customers. Compared with gravure printing, this kind of process is easier to achieve automated production and digital workshop transformation, and gradually realize unmanned factories in the future. Gravure printing because of plate making, plate change, plate adjustment, the complexity of the plate process, coupled with a number of different color units, each color group of ink adjustment and other complex processes, these are dependent on employee experience, and waste of time is also very long, there are certain limitations, to achieve standardized, automated production more difficult.
Fourth, where do you think the gap between domestic and foreign equipment? Compared with foreign equipment, in what way has domestic equipment made progress?
Domestic equipment innovation speed, high manufacturing efficiency, cost-effective advantages, the development momentum is very good, but compared with foreign equipment, the gap mainly lies in the details, such as the mechanical accuracy of the equipment, tension control system, accessories processing precision and control system automation level.
Five, the Drupa trip to bring you harvest
The parking lot outside the pavilion is also covered with green grass
Visiting Drupa exhibition is mainly to see the future development direction and trend, the development of the future printing and packaging industry has a clear understanding, and the packaging frontier organization of this delegation to travel together, met a lot of colleagues in the industry, along the way, we get along very well, mutual exchange, mutual help and love, this is the biggest harvest of this trip.
Our company is currently in the plant expansion stage, the future also involves the problem of plant planning and purchase of equipment, then we will choose the right machine according to the development of the company and the matching with other equipment. Flexo printing and digital are also being considered.