Page 37 - FINAT Yearbook 2012

Maldwyn Nicolas-Jones
productivity improvements’. These can be achieved during both ‘external’ activities (conducted while the machine is running) and while undertaking ‘internal’ tasks which can only be accomplished when the machine is stopped. He concluded that new presses offer four times the productivity of old presses; and advised delegates that, to successfully implement Lean principles in their own businesses, it is important to ‘get everybody on board’, and to standardise.
thin film liners
‘Thin film liners have a lot to offer in a lot of different ways’, observed Kocher + Beck’s Sales Executive Maldwyn Nicolas-Jones. However, they certainly pose new challenges for diecutting – ‘but,’ said Mr Nicolas-Jones, ‘if you get the parameters right, you get fantastic results – high-speed conversion, plus cost and environmental benefits’. He discussed today’s advanced technologies, their cutting unit requirements, and adjustable anvils, and introduced alternative technologies. The limits to which film liners can be downgauged from the kiss-diecutting viewpoint were also discussed (Mr Nicolas-Jones believes that ‘19 micron will be the limit’ for conventional diecutting)..
functional durable labels
Durable labels – destined to survive in situ for the life of the product – were examined by Trevor Hinchcliffe, European Product Manager, 3M. These purely functional information carriers, designed primarily for keeping people safe, are extensively used in industries such as automotive (where 70-80 different labels may be applied per vehicle), electronics, appliances, and chemical drums. The application substrates and durability requirement make stringent demands on label substrate (usually film) and adhesive, as well as on label print; and often involve UL label standards recognition. These are therefore high-value, performance labels where short runs and just-in-time printing are the norm. ‘In five years’, Mr Hinchcliffe predicted, ‘75% of 100,000- label print runs or under will be run digitally.’
uv led curing
The latest developments in UV LED curing solutions were highlighted in the presentation from Integration Technology’s Sales Director, David Johnson. Compared to traditional arc
lamps, UV LED systems offer elimination of ‘burn time’ and the need for chilled rollers to cool the web; considerably reduced power consumption; no need for consumable spare parts; a safer wavelength; and no ozone generation. Despite its high capital cost and the fact that it is still an evolving technology, UV LED curing is, said Mr Johnson, ‘definitely the future. Comparing the traditional arc lamp with UV LED is like comparing chalk with cheese.’
Rüdiger Hagendorn
the global packaging project
‘The Consumer Goods Forum, with its Global Packaging Project (GPP), is,’ says Jules Lejeune, FINAT’s Managing Director, ‘a key enabler for the future of “good” packaging, and FINAT is a committed participant in this important initiative.’ The Consumer Goods Forum’s Senior Business Consultant, Rüdiger Hagendorn, addressed seminar delegates on the topic of strategic and organizational implications for the supply chain of the GPP and the common sustainability language − initially in a packaging context − that it has developed. Bringing together a strong collaborative team spanning the world’s leading brand owners, retailers,
Trevor Hinchcliffe
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FINAT YEARBOOK 2012 |