Neuefeind GmbH of Ochtendung, Germany, is a provider of technology services encompassing all aspects of the flexographic packaging process, far in excess merely of pre-press and platemaking. The family-run company employs 20 people and in terms of turnover, its business divides into roughly 60% direct printing on corrugated board, 20% pre-print corrugated and 20% flexible packaging.
Neuefeind operates a FLEXCEL NX Wide 5080 System from Miraclon, which allows flexo platemaking in formats of up to 1270 x 2032 mm. Customers in various sectors of the packaging printing industry profit not only from the higher print quality that comes from production with FLEXCEL NX Plates but also from improved efficiency, productivity and stability on press.
Left to right: Peter Schreier and Sven Neuefeind.
Depending on the job and the printing application, Neuefeind can supply both press-ready FLEXCEL NXC Plates for printing on corrugated and FLEXCEL NXH Plates in different thicknesses for other uses.
According to Sven Neuefeind, Technical Director and Quality Management Officer, customer feedback regarding the plates is positive, and indeed many customers are reluctant to accept anything else. DIGICAP NX Patterning, which enables maximum control and stable ink transfer in combination with Advanced Edge Definition (AED), is decisive criterion when it comes to getting the most out of the FLEXCEL NX Plates. Neuefeind confirms that choosing the optimum DIGICAP NX surface pattern really can make all the difference. The company has its own selection strategy here, which was developed especially for this purpose and takes account of the press parameters.
When asked where the advantages of the FLEXCEL NX Solution lie for printing on corrugated, Peter Schreier, Customer Service Director, mentions the example of a longstanding customer who does most of their business in the premium segment with coated top liners. “Our FLEXCEL NXC Plates were the catalyst for that client’s tremendous leap in press productivity because they permitted significantly longer cleaning intervals, even with fine screens of 150 to 175 lpi. The customer is similarly excited about the plates’ printing results, notably in the highlights.”
Numerous customers in the corrugated sector have testified to the FLEXCEL NX Plate technology’s other positive effects – the higher ink densities and better opacity on coated top liners, the improved ink laydown during overprinting and the option that is opened up thanks to the different DIGICAP NX surface patterns of selectively controlling the ink volume transferred on presses with only one set of anilox rollers but corrugated print jobs with varying types of top liner.
