Asahi Photoproducts and Esko Join Forces

Asahi Photoproducts and Esko Join Forces to Educate Chinese Market on Flexo Platemaking in Harmony with the Environment

Tokyo, Japan & Brussels, Belgium, November 20, 2020. Asahi Photoproducts, a pioneer in flexographic photopolymer plate development, today reported it extended its relationship with Esko through an agreement to install Esko plate imaging solutions in the Asahi Tech Center in Suzhou, near Shanghai. The agreement, which was entered into during All-in-Print China, will result in the installation of an Esko CDI Spark 4260 and an XPS Crystal 5080 in the Center.

These industry-leading plate imaging solutions are supported by an Asahi AWP 230W plate processor using Asahi AWPTM CleanPrint water-washable plates to complete the industry’s most balanced flexographic platemaking solution in harmony with the environment, delivering the highest possible quality for China’s demanding flexo customers.

“Asahi Photoproducts has worked together with Esko in China for a decade and this agreement takes the relationship to a new level in our ability to serve the rapidly evolving flexographic market in China,” said Yuji Suzuki, Asahi’s Senior Manager of Customer Technical Service.

Suzuki points out that high-end print quality is increasingly required in China, and many repro houses in the region still have difficulty making plates that deliver the best print quality. “One thing we will be doing in our Tech Center with the new equipment,” he says, “is creating test plates for potential customers so they can see for themselves that we can deliver the quality they need. We will also use the facility to do training and seminars for customers and potential customers.”

Esko will also have access to the Tech Center, offering the possibility to Asahi’s customers to learn more about how the Esko plate imaging system functions with Asahi’s AWPTM CleanPrint water-washable plates. “We are pleased to continue to grow our partnership with Asahi, especially in the highly competitive Chinese market,” said Rocky Zhou, General Manager for Esko in Shanghai. “The solutions being installed at the Asahi Tech Center will benefit both of our businesses as we work to continue to bring the latest state-of-the-art flexographic solutions to this region”.

Increase Your Software Knowledge With Free Esko E-Learning

Good training offers many benefits to your company. It enhances your skills and increases your productivity – thus increasing return on investment.

Take a look at Esko software e-Learning.
All the content is available for free and you can follow it whenever you want.
All you need is an Esko ID. Don’t have an Esko ID yet?

Click here to get it.

E-Learning Advantages

  • Study at your own pace and at any place
  • No travel cost
  • Return to the training as often as you like
  • Get to know Esko software products before installation

Start Your E-Learning Journey

When you have your Esko ID, you're all set to start!

Introducing the new Kongsberg Motorized Roll Feeder

Get 100% accurate cuts on high volume soft signage jobs!

Eliminate inaccurate cuts on soft signage jobs due to wrinkles, stretch distortion or imperfectly rewound rolls. The Motorized Roll Feeder from Esko is a wide format roll feeder with active material feed for the Esko Kongsberg C64 cutting table.

This is the only solution in the soft signage industry that guarantees perfect cut results on tensile materials; from the very first cut through to the end of the roll.

Benefits you won’t find anywhere else

  • Consistent wrinkle-free and straight feed
  • Always in perfect registration with the print
  • Capable of handling heavy rolls up to 300kg/660lbs

See The Motorized Roll Feeder In Action

Incredible Deals On Esko Demo Units!

ESKO DEMO UNITS FOR SALE

LOW HOURS, GREAT CONDITION – LIKE NEW!

CTGA is offering incredible, limited time, spring blowout deals on Esko Platemaking Equipment. Previously used as demo units, these machines have very low hours, are in excellent like new condition, and can be yours at a great discount saving you lots of money on this state of the art equipment from Esko!  Don’t miss this opportunity, contact CTGA today to learn more about these exciting deals!

CONTACT CTGA TODAY AND SAVE!
If you’re interested in taking advantage of this amazing opportunity during our Spring Blowout Sale on Esko Demo Equipment, Contact CTGA today and speak with one of our sales reps.  Don’t miss this limited time special offer!

CTGA: Celebrating 20 Years Of Being Your Source For Quality Flexo Plates

It Began With A Simple Goal

For 20 years now, CTGA has been a top source for Flexo Plate Material and flexographic printing products and equipment in North America.

We started this business with a simple goal, to supply our clients with the highest quality flexo plates, and help boost flexographic printing to the top of the printing industry.  To accomplish this goal we partnered with Asahi, a company we saw having the foresight to innovate flexo plates and bring improved quality, productivity and sustainability to flexo.  It was the best decision we could’ve ever made, as Asahi plates have taken Flexo by storm since then, and achieved a new level of success for our clients who use them.

From there we built out the rest of our product catalog with products and equipment from the top brands in the world, Esko, Glunz & Jensen, Tesa, Techkon,  Beta Industries, CGS Oris and our own Green Dragon line.  Together with our complete line of Asahi flexo plates and equipment, we believe we offer the best and most comprehensive product catalog in the business.  And, our clients’ success over the years backs that up.

Asahi Flexo Plates

The outstanding performance of Asahi Flexo Plates is the result of over 30 years of technological development in the field of photopolymer plates for flexo printing. In that time, Asahi has grown to become a leading manufacturer of digital and analog printing plates for the flexo market. They’ve achieved this by setting the highest standards in product development and manufacturing, while continually breaking new ground in advancing technologies to improve print quality, cost-effectiveness and environmental sustainability.

AWP-DEF

Asahi AWP Water Wash Flexo Plate

AFP-TOP

AFP-DSF

Introducing Green Dragon Products By CTGA

We Carry The Top Brands In The World

ESKO

TESA

Techkon

GLUNZ & JENSEN

BETA INDUSTRIES

CGS ORIS

Year-End Deals On Esko Demo Units!

ESKO DEMO UNITS FOR SALE

LOW HOURS, GREAT CONDITION – LIKE NEW!

CTGA is offering incredible, limited time, year-end deals on Esko Platemaking Equipment. Previously used as demo units, these machines have very low hours, are in excellent like new condition, and can be yours at a great discount saving you lots of money on this state of the art equipment from Esko!  Treat yourself to an early holiday gift this year, and contact CTGA today to learn more about this exciting opportunity!

CONTACT CTGA TODAY AND SAVE!
If you’re interested in taking advantage of this amazing opportunity during our Year-End Sale on Esko Demo Equipment, Contact CTGA today and speak with one of our sales reps.  Don’t miss this limited time special offer!

Flexo Simplified: Reduce lead times & boost flexo quality

Reposted article from esko.com

Flexo average run-lengths are getting shorter, and the industry needs ways to produce shorter print runs more effectively, while less lead time.

Flexographic plates need to be available immediately and the press planning needs to be flexible to accommodate for a changing schedule.

As flexo must be at par with gravure, digital and offset printing, only the highest flexographic plate quality and consistency is good enough. That’s why the new flexo plate making workflows are highly automated so they become easier to adopt.

Work faster and reduce errors: prepress & project management

There’s a suite of fully integrated tools available to optimize every step in your flexo workflow, from first customer contact to delivery of goods – not just the imaging part. From project management, over prepress, to effective color management, Esko’s flexo solutions help you shorten your lead times and maximize press uptime. Work faster, and smarter and reduce human handoffs.

Removing complexity through automation: CDI Crystal XPS

The flexo plate making process consists out of many complex and manual steps. This not only takes time, it also offers ample opportunity for human errors. With the CDI Crystal XPS, making flexo plates finally becomes a coordinated, linear process. Esko’s CDI Crystal Imagers and exposure units offer superb and consistent results that were only achievable in offset or gravure before.

 

Read the complete article on esko.com

ASAHI PHOTOPRODUCTS TEAMS WITH ESKO TO BRING IMPROVED OVERALL EQUIPMENT EFFECTIVENESS (OEE) TO FLEXO PLATEMAKING

Tokyo, Japan & Brussels, Belgium, May 24, 2018 – Asahi Photoproducts, a pioneer in flexographic photopolymer plate development, today announced it will be attending EskoWorld for the first time. Asahi will be located in the Innovation Center at the show, scheduled for 5 to 7 June at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio, Texas.

“In our fast-paced and rapidly evolving industry, efficiency, waste reduction and speed to market are critical,” said Stephan Doppelhammer, Asahi Photoproducts Europe Business Development Manager. “By partnering with Esko, we bring together solutions from two world-class companies to create a faster, more efficient and more consistent workflow in flexographic platemaking. Esko Equinox is ideal for converting separations to fixed palette printing, while Esko’s Crystal technology reduces the number of platemaking steps required and is making the process more consistent. By adding Asahi’s AWP™ water washable plates with Clean Transfer Technology to the mix, Asahi and Esko customers can take OEE to a brand-new level of efficiency while boosting print quality and reducing their environmental footprint.”

Voice of the Customer

Gateway Packaging, a leading high-end printer/ packaging converter and the largest pet food packaging provider in North America, recently restructured its entire platemaking process with Asahi Photoproducts solutions as the core element. The company performed extensive testing that led up to the final decision. “When running the Asahi AWP™ Clean Transfer plates,” explained Tharrin Akers, the company’s Prepress Manager, “we were able to run the press at a 17{402c2385650ceb937fc5dfccd4761ceed5dd330756c4d730d625389f210d2cf9} higher speed – 1,640 feet per minute (from 426 m / min. to 500 m / min) – and only had to stop for plate cleaning once. And that only required cleaning two plates, consuming 20 minutes. The result was a total production time of 7.2 hours instead of 11 hours in the past and an astonishing 53{402c2385650ceb937fc5dfccd4761ceed5dd330756c4d730d625389f210d2cf9} improvement in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) over our previous process.”

Clean Transfer Technology: The Details

A feature of many of Asahi’s flexographic printing plates, Clean Transfer Technology enables a clean ink transfer and prevents ink accumulating on the plate surfaces and shoulders in screen areas. This leads to fewer cleaning intervals and reduced press downtime, as well as significant quality improvements. Precise plate register achieved with Asahi AWP™ plates ensures very high quality process printing with a fixed color palette, minimizing the need to use and manage spot color inks.

Clean Transfer Technology allows a kiss-touch printing pressure setting. It makes use of low plate surface tension, made possible by a specially engineered Asahi polymer chemistry, to inhibit liquid flow. The ink forms a globule, with a large contact angle and high pinning point. This results in a cleaner and more homogeneous ink transfer from plate to substrate, helping flexographic printers meet the ever-increasing quality demands of their customers.

Looking To Bring Platemaking In-House?

If you’ve been considering bringing platemaking in-house, Correct-Touch Graphic Arts can make it happen.  Not only do we carry platemaking equipment, supplies and plate material from the top brands in the industry, but we also provide you with a one-stop resource for consultation, installation, maintenance and service.

When you work with CTGA we become your partner in the success of your business! Contact us today and get started.

CTGA IS WITH YOU FROM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY
  • We will consult with you to determine the optimum room size, layout and ventilation requirements
  • We will offer ways to reduce VOC’s in the plant
  • We will work with you to determine the most cost effective equipment
  • We will install your equipment for you
  • We will test various plate materials to determine what works best on press
  • We will train your plate making staff in the proper steps to make a great plate
  • We will show you how to print better, by optimizing the printing plate process
  •  We will work with your pre press provider to optimize art files, using the latest screening technologies and press characterization software. 
  •  Will help you fingerprint all of your press lines, ink sets and substrates as part of bringing the Asahi plate in house 
  •  Provide ongoing training to platemaking and pre press personnel

Esko CDI – For Superior Quality

For plates and sleeves, for letterpress and flexo plates: whatever your type of business, Esko has the most advanced digital flexo solution.

CDI imagers

Esko CDI Digital Imagers offers superb results that before were only achievable in offset or gravure. There is a CDI for every need: from narrow web label printing, to flexible packaging and wide format corrugated printing; from one color printed corrugated boxes to highly sophisticated multi-color packaging and even security printing. Check CTGA’s full range of CDI imagers here.

HD Flexo and Full HD Flexo

The new quality standards for flexographic printing! HD Flexo and Full HD Flexo combine high resolution imaging with advanced screening.

 

Digital Flexo Suite

Achieve significant cost savings through automated flexo plate optimization. The Digital Flexo Suite is a collection of Esko’s plate making software, designed especially for the needs of the packaging industry.

Read more about the Digital Flexo Suite…

Flexible package printing

Flexible packaging printing goes hand in hand with flexo printing. The list of flexible packaging that is commonly printed with flexo is endless: shopping bags, food and hygiene bags, sacks, milk cartons, beverage cartons, flexible plastics, self adhesive labels…

Smaller print runs? Flexo is the answer.

Print runs are getting smaller and smaller. This trend comes from the fast moving consumer goods and retail business. Companies in this business continuously need to engage the consumer with appealing, customized, seasonal or even personalized messages. For some packaging converters, this present a problem: gravure is too expensive on smaller runs. Flexo offers the perfect solution: with HD Flexo, flexo printers can now rival the quality of gravure, but with less prepress costs.

1 2