About the Company
Nu-Maber, located in Roncade in the district of Treviso in Italy, was founded in 1978 as a photolithographer, producing vulcanized rubber plates, quickly progressing to the production of conventional plates. Nu-Maber was the first company in Italy to begin processing digital plates and began direct laser engraving of polymer and elastomer sleeves and rubbered cylinders in 2007. In 2010, the company began processing water-washable flexo digital plates. Nu-Maber has 50 employees and 30 graphics workstations. Its customers are primarily involved in the production of food packaging, diapers, labels, shopping bags and tissue.
Challenge
As an innovative and forward-thinking company with many firsts in the Italian market, Nu-Maber wanted to stay current with the latest trends in flexography in order to deliver plates to its customers of the utmost quality, while also taking into consideration the environmental footprint of the platemaking operation.
Solution
For digital flexo platemaking, Nu-Maber has installed four Esko CDI HD platemakers and the 116PD plate developer from Asahi for processing AWPTM-DEF water-washable flexo plates. The company has installed the first fully automated line in Italy for plate processing, including an in-line water-wash unit. To maintain its focus on innovation, 75% of the company’s equipment is less than three years old.
Results
Nu-Maber has been able to grow its business in both narrow web and wide web markets using Asahi AWPTM water-washable plates, for printing on paper and plastic substrates using both solvent and water-based inks. “Our customers are very happy with the excellent printing quality they are able to deliver with the Asahi plates,” said Livio Simionato, Nu-Maber’s CEO. “The quality that can be achieved with Asahi’s AWPTM plates is higher than what can be achieved with solvent-based plates, and they are much more environmentally sustainable, which is important to both Nu-Maber and our clients. In addition, the Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer that is a hallmark of these plates results in a cleaner overall printing process with fewer press stops for plate cleaning, improving pressroom productivity for our customers.” Nu-Maber also uses TOPTM and TSPTM solvent plates from Asahi. Asahi Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer is a flexographic plate technology unique to Asahi, specifically engineered with low plate surface energy to transfer all remaining ink to the printed substrate. These plates feature very high plate resolution designed for fine text and minimum dots fading out to zero, allowing a larger broader total color gamut to be achieved, particularly in highlight areas, providing more design flexibility and enhanced graphic quality. Its cleaner and more homogeneous ink transfer from plate to substrate helps flexographic printers meet their customers‘ ever-increasing quality demands. “We are working hard to educate our customers about the value of Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer,” Simionato continued. “We want to make sure we partner with them to provide the best possible plate solutions that will drive their productivity and their profits with no sacrifice in quality.” “We are proud to be partnering with Nu-Maber,” added Dr. Dieter Niederstadt, Asahi’s Technical Marketing Manager. “Innovative companies like Nu-Maber are working hard to keep flexography viable in an ever-changing market, and their customer education efforts are critical. We are pleased that our plates have been able to contribute to their success and that of their customers.” Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer is also ideally suited for Fixed Color Palette printing using a fixed set of 4 to 7 inks and requiring precise plate-to-plate registration, a printing process that is growing in popularity among packaging converters and brand owners alike. Some experts estimate that fixed color palette printing using seven colors can match as many as 90% or more of the 1,838 named Pantone spot colors, reducing ink inventories and improving efficiencies.
For more information about flexographic solutions from Asahi Photoproducts that are in harmony with the environment, visit www.asahi-photoproducts.com.
