With brand owners and retailers continuously developing new packaging strategies – the pace of change in the Tag & Label market has never been faster. Ulrich Kretzschmar, product and business development manager of Flexible Dies at RotoMetrics explains why.
Great for the environment, challenging for manufactures, new thinner formulations are targeting the reduction of resource consumption, liner weight, and waste. Face materials, liners and adhesives are getting thinner and lighter. While this development is a necessary sustainability consideration, it produces a challenge for many parties in the value chain. Now, printing, converting, and label applicator equipment require more sensitive web handling. Cutting dies must deliver an extremely uniform liner strike to avoid excessive liner penetration and the subsequent risk of the liner breaking.
The real challenge, though, is with the label converters. They not only have to get the right components, but achieve perfect balance and process control. It’s more than just the die. It’s a flawless magnetic cylinder and an anvil with smooth surface and concentricity – all at the correct size. Undersized rolls can flex or bend resulting in uneven liner strike or lifting labels. It is recommended to inspect and audit all components on a regular basis. – As your die supplier, RotoMetrics will help you with that.
A well maintained die station with cutting pressure monitoring and lubrication system is critical. And more importantly – and often ignored – a heat management system throughout the press to guarantee consistent cutting results across the entire run length. Results can vary with every degree of temperature change! RotoMetrics response to this need is the AccuStrike adjustable clearance anvil. AccuStrike Anvils allow operators to adjust bearers independently or in unison for unparalleled control over die strike and changes in liner thickness. If you want to stay ahead of the game, investing in an AccuStrike pays back in no time.
Additionally, it’s not just about face materials and liners. Adhesives also have a role. There are several RotoMetrics die coatings available that can avoid adhesive build up on the blade or deal with exposed adhesives.
Also important is keeping an eye to the future of your ever evolving industry. RotoMetricss maintain a close relationship with the key suppliers of materials and dedicate R&D resources to guarantee the perfect cut even before the material is released into the market place. This is the kind of service you should require from your supplier to stay not only current, but ahead of the game. You need more than a tooling supplier. You need experts who are constantly learning and evolving to support you more by knowing more, by leveraging innovation, and perfecting it, every step of the way. We at RotoMetrics have the world-class team of engineers, master technicians, specialists and application advisers to help your business excel. We are available when you need us – where you need us.
As important as valuing innovation, is a demonstrated record of success. RotoMetrics has 25 years of experience in manufacturing flexible dies. We offer dedicated solutions for all label applications, including digital. Today, most of our customers work in both the traditional and the digital printing world. The Accu-Series of flexible dies and our supporting adjustable anvil offerings cover all your converting requirements. Whether cutting paper, laminated paper, or synthetic face materials, we have the die you need. Our #1 Customer Favorite AccuPrime with a 60-degree blade angle can be the ‘universal’ die for almost everything especially when used in combination with an adjustable anvil such as an Adjustable Clearance Anvil (ACA) or AccuStrike. Additionally, the AccuStar UltraFilm die (the RotoMetrics ‘All-Star’) features exact precision tolerances to convert the most challenging films and liners including .00092″ and .00075″ PET liners. RotoMetrics offers the most complete portfolio of flexible die solutions designed to provide optimum performance on any substrate with category leading support and service to help you unlock the power of precision.
We know what it takes to optimize label converting, and we offer the tools, knowledge, resources and people to help our customers unlock the power of precision at a great value.