15 years of laser expertise
HELL has been supplying the market with highly sophisticated
laser technologies for 15 years. Having previously focused exclusively on
manufacturing electromechanical engraving for rotogravure printing, the
Kiel-based company moved into the flexographic printing market in 2000 with the
HelioFlex series for CtP laser imaging of photopolymer forms. Launched in 2005,
the Cellaxy enables gravure customers to use single-pass or multipass laser
engraving on a variety of metals. The first PremiumSetter for direct laser
engraving of elastomer flexographic printing forms followed in 2006. Optics and
high-power lasers have now also become a fundamental part of the company’s core
knowhow.
Maintenance-free high-power fiber laser with high-tech
optical head
Fiber laser technology is the key component of both the
Cellaxy and the PremiumSetter series. It is ideal for high-precision
applications at high engraving speeds. HELL took this technology to a whole new
level in a joint development with laser manufacturer IPG, delivering the
ultimate in beam quality and stability for precise direct engraving of gravure,
embossing, and flexographic forms.
The CW (continuous wave) fiber laser emits an unpulsed (i.e.
continuous) laser beam – this is vital for highly productive laser engraving.
The wavelength of 1070 nm lies in the infrared range and the focused beam
supplies the energy required to remove the material with absolute precision.
With a 600 W beam, the IPG fiber laser is one of the most powerful in its
class.
The exit developed jointly with IPG and the
latest-generation maintenance-free optical head specially designed by HELL get
the very best out of the fiber laser. The high-quality components and the optimum
optical setup complete with water cooling ensure excellent beam stability over
the entire engraving time. This means that the optical system’s lenses are
completely stable despite having a high-energy beam passing through them.
Consequently, beam focusing and thus spot size remain constant under all
conditions. What’s more, a new kind of plug & play interface between exit
and optical head results in an exceptionally service-friendly system.
The Twain principle of equipping the direct engraving system
with a second optical head enables a further doubling of the production speed.
It consists of two optical heads splitting the layout across the cylinder. In
the PremiumSetter S3000, the four-beam option will consist of two optical heads
(each on its own laser carriage) with two laser beams each.
Depending on the material, the 600 W fiber laser engraves an
area of 0.37 to 0.6 m⇢/h. The productivity is correspondingly higher with two beams (0.74 to
1.2 m⇢/h at 1200 W)
and four beams (1.48 to 2.4 m⇢/h at 2400 W). These figures are pure engraving speed without
using the FastForward functions that additionally enhance the machine
performance.
PremiumSetter S3000 development project
The PremiumSetter S3000 will set new standards in direct
engraving for high-quality flexographic printing and will outperform all other
direct engraving machines. With up to four laser sources, resulting in a total
output of 2400 W, the S3000 will engrave a far larger format. It will support
printing form widths of up to 3000 mm – as the name suggests – and printing
form circumferences of up to 1400 mm. Users will benefit from HELL’s in-house
synergies between gravure and flexographic printing – not only in terms of
optics and laser, but also with regard to hardware. The machine bed, linear
drive, bearing blocks, automatic hood, and Twain principle are today used in
other HELL products, while the laser, optics, electronic control system,
software, job ticket workflow, brush, suction device, and filter technology are
all tried-and-tested components of the S1700.
HELL Gravure Systems GmbH & Co. KG., Kiel (Germany)
develops, produces, and sells systems and solutions for flexographic and
gravure printing form manufacture throughout the world. HELL products ensure
maximum durability and reliability – from mechanical engineering and software
to professional application support, all components come from an expert source.
Again and again, the ongoing exchange of information with users and the
company’s great affinity with innovations produce outstanding product
developments. Implementing customer oriented solutions is always a key focus.
