Fujifilm North America
Corporation, Graphic Systems Division has recently installed Clarity Water
Washable Flexo Plates at Universal Products, Inc., a Goddard, Kansas-based
printer of labels and specialty graphics.
Since their founding in 1977,
Universal Products has always been dedicated to quality and service, and
remains committed to their customers. Universal Products answers the vinyl
graphic needs of customers, representing every industry in the US. Their 150,000 square foot facility supports
nearly 300 employees.
Universal Products has a large
presence in the marine market, and a vast majority of decorative graphics they
print will appear on numerous brands of boats, including high-ticket wakeboard
boats. Additionally, their products are
also found on the sides of construction and agriculture equipment, including
tractor and combine housings. Within the
flexographic/roll label side of the business, they are printing food labeling,
consumer product labeling within the power tool market, as well as many other
consumer market labeling applications.
Universal was interested in
reducing plate making time to improve their productivity, and Fujifilm’s new
Clarity Water Wash Flexo Plates offered the highest flexo print quality, at the
fastest production times; while significantly lowering cost-in-use compared to
thermal, solvent or other water-wash technology.
“Clarity is 75% faster compared
to our previous plate making system,” said Ron Cowhick, flexographic
supervisor, Universal Products, Inc. “Clarity provides a much cleaner
print. The plates are more durable, not
brittle. This processor is user
friendly, and we really like the way it works. If someone is still using the
old plate-making method, I highly suggest they change,” added Cowhick.
“The primary reason that drove us
to implementing a change in our current plate making equipment was that we were
interested in reducing the time it takes to make plates. We’ve realized in the past several months that
with Clarity, we have greatly reduced the process time compared to what we were
getting before,” said Phillip Weitzel, president, Universal Products, Inc. “We
also wanted a better dot-architecture, due to the amount of process work we are
doing, and the quality of the process work, and with Clarity we’ve benefited
from this as well. It didn’t take us too long to see the advantages of Clarity,
which allows us to be more competitive, allowing faster turn-time, this equates
to more business for Universal Products.”
“The chemicals used to make the
plates are environmentally friendly and responsible; the soap solution is safe,
and it’s literally safe to dispose of down the drain, we’ve had it tested. We
are no longer using solvents, it’s better for our employees, and we are seeing
a tremendous savings in solvent disposal and recycle costs,” said Weitzel.
Clarity’s innovative water wash
chemistry does far more than simply eliminate the need for solvents and wicking
cloths - it delivers longer runs while producing a consistent 200lpi at 4400dpi,
and a 1% process dot structure for print quality never before seen with
flexo plates.
David Treadwell, production
manager, Universal Products Inc., shared his thoughts on Clarity. “The print quality with Clarity
is better than what we had previously, and the Clarity plates are running
longer than what we had previously, and Clarity overall is a much better
quality product,” said Treadwell. “Everyone in the shop loves this new system;
we look forward to increasing our run speeds.”
Since solvents are not necessary
to process Clarity plates, a strong solvent odor is noticeably absent from
their facility, and allows for a more environmentally-friendly atmosphere.
Universal Products relationship
with Fujifilm started on the screen side of the business, and their facility is
now home to many products distributed by Fujifilm, including, screen mesh, all
screen inks, emulsions, flexo ink and consumables including the Clarity plates
and plate making materials.
“Fujifilm not only has the
equipment, but they also have a full line-up of consumables to back it up,”
summarized Weitzel.
Visit Fujifilm at Labelexpo,
booth # 5621, to learn more about Clarity, and see how this technology, among
others, will change how you print labels and packaging. Forever.
