Platemaking Like Never Before:

Plants &
Processes
Cyber Graphics in Memphis, TN
Platemaking Like Never Before:
Invest in Productivity and Get a Whole Lot More
By Dan Rosen
RESEARCH IN ACTION
• Consumer product companies are requiring
implementation of even more sustainability efforts
in the supply chain, and they demand more vivid
graphics, faster turn-around, and lower cost
• Cyber Graphics, a leading prepress provider
based in Memphis, TN, partnered with Flint Group
Flexographic Products to explore the very best in
platemaking technology
• A three year project resulted in the recent installation
of Flint Group’s nyloflex® APP (Automated Plate
Processor) into Cyber Graphics’ Memphis facility
• While automatic platemaking isn’t new, the nyloflex® APP system is able to run 16 plates back-to-back
without operator handling and gets finished plates
out in record time
• A reduction in energy consumption was also seen, as
two 52-in. X 80-in washers, plus one dryer could be
taken off line after installation of the nyloflex® APP
equipment
• Customers report about a 25 percent reduction in the
number of distillation cycles needed to reclaim their
solvent
Until the 1990s, making a flexographic printing plate was
a labor intensive and sometimes unpleasant process. In
the early days, rotary washout units were the norm in North
America. While low cost and easy to service, these systems
struggled with their ability to handle large sized plates. Exposure, washout, drying, and light finishing were often tricky
to control, and the plates they produced were of inconsistent
quality. Around 1990, the industry saw the introduction of several large format (52-in. X 80-in.) processors that incorporated
plate washing and rinsing and delivered a dry-to-the-touch
plate. A few years later, those same processors were modified
with automatic drying and light finishing, integrating complete
plate processing into a single unit.
Subsequently, most of the innovation subsided. The new
systems that were developed were mostly tweaks of older
technology. The platemaking equipment market slowed
significantly with consolidations and cost cutting trends. As a
result, many of the platemaking systems we see in the North
American market today are more than 10 years old and some
of them even exceed 15 years of age.
Times are not getting any easier for the flexo platemaking
businesses. Platemakers are being required to hold finer
and finer detail on photopolymer plates; customers for these
plates are even more price sensitive, and the competition in
platemaking is becoming more globalized. Consumer product companies are requiring implementation of even more
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sustainability efforts in the supply chain, and they demand
more vivid graphics, faster turn-around, and lower cost.
Faced with these challenges, Cyber Graphics, a leading
prepress provider based in Memphis, TN, partnered with
Flint Group Flexographic Products to explore the very best
in platemaking technology. Starting with focus group discussions, an analysis was made of the pros and cons of the
current platemaking equipment options available today. The
culmination of a three year project resulted in the recent installation of a nyloflex® APP (Automated Plate Processor) into
Cyber Graphics’ Memphis facility.
“We’re always looking ahead to find the latest in technical
developments, especially from Europe,” stated Rick Parker,
director, operations and technology, Cyber Graphics. “Our
customers expect us to create value through innovation. That
sometimes means finding a better workflow and also investing
in new production infrastructure. If we were to start resting on
our laurels, that would be the time we’d start falling behind.”
Echoing the need for innovation in the plateroom, Edwin
Woods, director, Cyber Manufacturing Site was part of a
large team that oversaw the complete renovation of the Cyber
Graphics plateroom, with the new nyloflex® APP system as its
Rick Parker, Steve Dearing and Edwin Woods of Cyber Graphics led a
team charged with identifying a new lean workflow and investing in
new production infrastructure, which brought innovation to the Cyber
Graphics plateroom.
Automation at Cyber Graphics includes utilizing design files to cadcut and label each plate. Shown at right: Nancy Griffin, plate maker,
Cyber Graphics.
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2012
centerpiece. “We basically started with a clean slate when it
came to redesigning the room layout,” explained Woods. “For
us, lean manufacturing ultimately means getting more from
less. We streamlined everything from the way raw plate material is brought into the room, to how it gets Q.C.’d, and how
we ship those finished plates to our customers. And along
the way, we needed to reduce the handling of materials and
improve the consistency of every single plate we made.”
Woods continued, “ Ultimately, we envision flexo platemaking as becoming almost hands-free, as is the case in other
prepress technologies. We’ve developed proprietary systems
including the automated cut-down and labeling of each plate,
along with standard operating procedures and inspection
systems to ensure we consistently produce the best quality
plates possible.”
But there is nothing new in automated platemaking. Where
has the new nyloflex® APP system been able to improve the
process?
“Speed and ease of servicing,” reports Steve Dearing,
manufacturing project leader, Cyber Graphics. “Simply
put, the new plate processor can produce a typical .067-in.
plate in about 40 percent less time when compared to other
systems we’ve worked with. It is able to run 16 plates backto-back without operator handling and get finished plates out
in record time. That makes the difference between a job that
ships today and a job that sits until tomorrow.”
Dearing added, “Previous automated systems were a lot of
work to keep running properly. The design of the new plate
processor reflects a lot of our requirements when it came to
making the system easier to operate and maintain.”
When asked for some examples, Dearing cited the following points:
• Horizontal transfer of the plate through the entire process
(no flipping or hanging in the processor)
• Easy visual inspection of the plate right after washout with
see-through panels all around the machine to monitor
the processing operation
Sludge! Or lack thereof. The nyloflex® APP system pre-washes the
black layer off of digital plates, so carbon build-up like this does not
get into your process.
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Transparency is not just a business term - the nyloflex® APP system allows operators to visually monitor the process.
• A detailed color interface panel with internet connectivity
for diagnostics, plus another input panel at the back of
the machine for retrieving finished plates
• Tool-free brush replacement that takes minutes instead
of hours
• A cleaner washout system that pre-washes the black
carbon layer from digital plates without getting the rest of
the processor dirty
• A more ergonomic design: loading and unloading of
plates below chest-level, safer than having to use step
stools to access finished plates
When asked to comment on the key performance indicators
that interest platemakers in the automatic plate processor technology, P.J. Fronczkiewicz, product manager, Flint Group, said,
“In the U.S., we are currently benchmarking the key benefits of
the nyloflex® APP in partnership with Cyber Graphics.”
“The company in Europe where the first automatic plate
processor was installed already has more than one year
of experience with the nyloflex® APP. The plate department
headcount requirements were reduced by two people, and
the three shift operation was consolidated into two shifts,”
Fronczkiewicz continued.
The firm also reported a reduction in energy consumption,
as two 52-in. X 80-in. washers, plus one dryer could be taken
off line after installation of the nyloflex® APP. Energy savings
also came from the plate processor, which operates much
more efficiently.
“That’s because it has separate drying chambers for every
two plates, meaning a smaller volume to maintain tempera-
Table 1
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rotec®
nyloflex®
nyloprint®
nylosolv®
Automation &
Standardization
Benefit from automation and
• Increase your productivity
• Minimize process tolerances
ture,” added Fronczkiewicz. “Platemakers really get excited
when they realize the nyloflex® APP also uses less solvent
than other platemaking systems. That’s due mainly to the
viscosity control design used by the nyloflex® APP to manage
solvent replenishment. With this technology, our customers
report about a 25 percent reduction in the number of distillation cycles needed to reclaim their solvent.”
Additional benefits of this technology are shown in the
Table 1.
“It is a big investment,” concluded Parker. “We could have
continued to use older equipment or looked for something
that was lower cost upfront. But we have to consider the big
picture when it comes to labor, productivity, energy and maintenance. Most importantly, we had to find a way to respond
to our customers’ needs for the fastest turn-around, while
still maintaining premium quality. With all those things being
considered, investment in the nyloflex® APP equipment was
the obvious choice for us.” n
• Improve plate and print quality
• Enhance workflow efficency and consistency
Highest automation in flexo for
standardized flexo form processing
nyloflex® Automated Plate Processor
About The Author: Joining the flexographic industry 25
years ago, Dan Rosen works with Flint Group Flexographic
Products, a supplier in the field of photopolymer plates and
sleeves, in the position of sales director for National Accounts. As a contributor to FLEXO
Magazine and speaker at the FTA
and FPPA, Dan has experience in
manufacturing, technical service, sales and marketing. Based
in northern Illinois, he can be
reached via email at dan.rosen@
flintgrp.com.
nyloflex® is a registered trademark of Flint Group.
• Fully automated processing line for flexo plates, including
washer with digital layer separation, dryer and light finisher
for excellent results with nyloflex® printing plates
nyloflex® In-The-Round Technology
• For the perfect In-The-Round processing:
nyloflex® ITR Equipment – ideal in combination with
nyloflex® ITR Thin & Classic Photopolymer Sleeves and
rotec® H/C Adapters
Also interested in packaging inks?
Benefit from our broad product portfolio – worldwide.
Flint Group
Flexographic Products
T +1 704 504 2626
[email protected]
All names marked with ® are registered trademarks and Rely on us.SM is a service mark of Flint Group.
The round brush system in the nyloflex® APP system provides a
glossy finish on the plate relief areas.