Miller Graphics installs ThermoFlexX 80
The recent advancements in digital flexo plate production made by Belgian manufacturer ThermoFlexX are attracting interest around the world.
Miller Graphics, a leading European supplier of pre-press services to the flexo market, has invested around one million Euros in the new plant, which offers design, artwork, repro and platemaking services.
– Algeria is a fast growing market, says Hubert Sampré, Miller Graphics managing director in France and Maghreb. There are several major food producers in the Bejaia area and because of this there are also some very important packaging printers. Bejaia, between Algiers and Annaba, was an obvious site for our new factory. It’s still early days, but our rapidly increasing order book has already proved that there is a huge need for high-quality pre-press services, delivered quickly and at a competitive price.
– The ThermoFlexX 80-S, with its 1,270 x 2,032 mm output capacity and 5,080 dpi exposure resolution, is capable of meeting all of our customers’ plate size and quality requirements. In addition, we can expose whatever flexo plate a printer is used to working with and in thicknesses up to 6.35 mm.
The extensive research and development work carried out by ThermoFlexX during the last two years has focused on pushing forward the boundaries of productivity, quality and effectiveness in the field of flexo plate production. This has resulted in a string of industry-leading features being incorporated into the ThermoFlexX imager series, including the world’s highest exposure resolution and fastest exposure speed.
ThermoFlexX supplied Miller Graphics with a Xitron RIP and workflow along with its Multiplate software, which allows the operators at Bejaia to ‘mount’ many jobs on to one plate in order to reduce wastage – a major theme throughout the ThermoFlexX range.
The latest version of Multiplate can support multiple imposition sheets plus different resolutions on the same sheet, and can be integrated with workflows and ERP systems as well as external equipment such as cutting tables and mounting devices.
Because of the large plate size potential offered by the ThermoFlexX 80, Miller Graphics has purchased a ThermoFlexX Flextray system and this enables easy transport and automatic loading of flexo plates that would otherwise be difficult to handle.
– The demand in Algeria for ever higher quality of printed products, particularly in flexible packaging and labels, is continuous, says Hubert Sampré. We’re delighted with the results we are achieving from the new imager and associated software. Miller Graphics operates fifteen subsidiaries across eleven countries but this is the first ThermoFlexX imager in the group, so there are a lot of eyes watching how it performs. We’re certainly very happy with the investment.
Xeikon Prepress, a division of Xeikon International, has a long lasting reputation of manufacturing high quality Computer to Plate equipment. For the flexographic market, Xeikon Prepress offers digital platemaking systems under the ThermoFlexX brand name.