US press manufacturer Mark Andy has hosted a special production shift to demonstrate the potential benefits of hybrid printing platforms in comparison to conventional flexo production.
This saw a Mark Andy Digital Series HD HighSpeed 1200 hybrid press operated by a single operator for a standard eight-hour shift. Across the shift, 10 jobs encompassing 25 SKUs were completed, with 873,000 finished labels produced.
The press used for the demonstration was a 7-colour model operating at 480ft/min (146m/min). Printing was done at 1200dpi resolution, with two flexo printing units positioned before the digital engine to lay down double white while the remaining four process colours (CMYK) and two special colours (Orange and Violet) were applied digitally. Embellishment and additional converting steps were also carried out in a single pass. Steve Bull, Senior Print Specialist, Mark Andy, oversaw the simulated shift.
Mark Andy has reported that, when compared with conventional flexo, the hybrid press setup reduced total production time by 83%, make-ready time by 91%, and material waste by 88%, resulting in a 28% reduction in production costs.
According to Mark Andy Product Manager Ben Luly, “Converters aren’t simply looking for faster presses. They’re looking for ways to produce more jobs, manage increasing SKU complexity, and reduce the time and resources required.
“By combining digital flexibility with flexographic printing and inline converting, we’re able to reduce the steps required to complete a job and significantly improve overall production efficiency.”
