Economy and ecology – these are among the main challenges facing all manufacturing companies today. New equipment means greater reliability and efficiency, no machine downtime, less energy consumption – all the things that lead to greater success.
“The future will force all plants to change to LED systems anyway, so it is better to do it sooner rather than later” – believes Marek Cichy, CEO and director of self-adhesive label printer Etyflex, who decided to install a GEW AeroLED curing system. The equipment for the Kraków facility was supplied and implemented by Profex elektronik in February 2024.
Opportunities and needs
Etyflex sp. z o.o. specialises in the production of self-adhesive labels using flexographic technology. Production is based on a modern machinery stock consisting of six narrow-web flexographic machines, four of which print using UV technology and another two using water-based technology.
The company also has its own graphics studio and a CtP prepress for making photopolymer plates. This equipment makes it possible to carry out printing in up to 10 colours with various enhancements such as embossing, gilding, silvering, rotary screen printing or lamination.
The company’s operating philosophy is based not only on modern technology, innovation and attention to the quality of the work commissioned, but also on maintaining very good relations with customers, conscious technological care and the experience of both the management of the printing house and the specialists responsible for the work performed.
The origins of Etyflex and its exposure to flexographic technology date back to 1993, when it operated as a small division of the Leyko Printing House, producing self-adhesive labels on rolls. Since 2004, the company has been operating in the market as an independent organisation, serving numerous clients from a wide range of sectors, including cosmetics, household chemicals and food.
“Manufactured runs range from several thousand pieces of a single design, and the process of making them is often complex. The sequence of the individual processes is very important, so each printing unit must be able to fix traditional UV ink and UV LED ink.” – Marek Cichy emphasises.
‘Sunshine in the wallet‘
“We are seeing ever-increasing customer demands for label aesthetics and innovation, as well as a growing demand for personalisation and sustainability. Etyflex is responding to these trends by investing in cutting-edge technologies. Our aim is not only to adapt to these changing market needs, but also to optimise production. For, like any company, we aim to reduce costs and increase the plant’s efficiency, hence the strong emphasis on reducing electricity consumption and, of course, the decision to modernise the GEW equipment,” – says the director of the Kraków printing plant.
He adds that, although it has been too little time since the installation of the AeroLED system to accurately analyse energy consumption rates, the meters are already recording significant drops, and the ammeter readings at full power on the machines look very promising.
Sensible planning
The four flexo machines in the fleet were previously equipped with GEW systems. On two of them, the VCPs were very worn out, their use was generating considerable costs, and ensuring their operation required the regular attention of the maintenance staff. The investment project therefore involved their complete replacement.
The other two systems – E2C – which were less worn, were upgraded to LED solutions, using some of the components previously used, enabling Etyflex to use GEW’s patented ArcLED technology. In this way, four GEW AeroLED systems were installed using new LED cassettes, and worked alongside the previously used cassettes from the E2C system.
One of the main criteria for Etyflex’s choice of the new GEW solution was the ability to use mercury-lamp-fixed and LED UV inks on all its print units independently and without restriction. Among the expectations associated with the installation of AeroLED was also an increase in production speeds on machines with a greater guarantee of complete UV ink fixation. Important for the Kraków printing plant were also issues of environmental impact – a significant reduction in the emission of ozone produced by the mercury lamps and a reduction in the amount of electricity consumed, which fits in perfectly with the ecological aspects increasingly demanded by customers.
They have the power
The AeroLED is a high-powered UV system used for print curing, coating and finishing applications up to a maximum width of 60cm (it is also compatible with the ArcLED system from GEW). Using the same fan and exhaust duct layout as the standard E2C design, customers have complete flexibility to switch between conventional UV and LED curing at any station.
Thanks to the high cooling redundancy, no additional filters are required, making maintenance a breeze and upgrading to AeroLED solutions more cost-effective than ever. What’s more, “any customer using GEW’s RHINO/RLT power units can switch to LED in a matter of hours with a simple UV cassette swap and software update,” says Roman Swoboda, CEO of Profex elektronik, an authorised distributor of GEW solutions.
In the AeroLED system, air is drawn in by a single central exhaust fan located away from the printing system. There is no need for integrated fans or electronics in the lampheads, eliminating high noise levels and the risk of failure. The design and protection of the lamps ensures their performance and long-term reliability.
“Thanks to the efficient design of the optics, the AeroLED provides energy savings of up to 70% compared to conventional UV curing systems. In addition to significantly reduced operating costs, switching to LED solutions is able to free up a significant amount of mains power, which can be successfully used to install further machines and thus increase production capacity. Another advantage of LED is the predictability and stability of UV radiation during the curing process, which translates into consistent production quality. The AeroLED uses RHINO power and control for the highest reliability with Industry 4.0-approved remote IoT monitoring as standard.” – Roman Swoboda adds.
A broad perspective
Marek Cichy concludes: “Among our priorities are maintaining the highest quality of service, adapting to new technologies, sustainability and responding to changing market trends such as personalisation, innovative refinements or minimising environmental impact. Given the dynamic growth of the company and the packaging industry, which includes labels, we intend to monitor new technologies and consider possible further investments to remain competitive. Profex elektronik’s strong commitment to the entire investment process – from consultancy and quotation, to installation and all logistics, to implementation – and the promising production results from the first weeks of operation of the AeroLED systems have reinforced our conviction that this was a good choice. In the long term, we count on this to be another element of Etyflex’s success in a dynamically changing market.”
To learn more about AeroLED2, GEW’s latest air-cooled UV LED curing system, go here.
To read the original article in Polish, go here.
Or to contact our Polish distributors, go here.
