FlexoExchange

07/01/2025

The struggle to find and retain skilled press operators is real. Instead of sending employees away for training, consider a solution that builds your team's skills right in your own facility. Our hands-on training programs provide real-world skills without interrupting production. Invest in your workforce with tailored training options that fit your schedule and needs. Say goodbye to constant hiring and hello to a more skilled, satisfied team.
https://conta.cc/3PwM8wd

Email from FlexoExchange Hands-on training, your press, live production - real world skills.   Can't keep (or find) good press operators? You're not alone.   What's the Answer? We all know what doesn'

16/10/2024

Estimating Flexo Ink Consumption: Calculator vs Reality

Last week, I corresponded with a fellow flexographer about the complexities of calculating ink consumption. He noted that different calculators produced varying results, which led me to explain that accurately predicting ink consumption for a given image and anilox volume is difficult. In fact, it’s more like “voodoo”. That’s why my approach combines using a calculator with tracking and analyzing actual consumption data over time. Let me expand on that here. READ THE FULL POST HERE:

Last week, I corresponded with a fellow flexographer about the complexities of calculating ink consumption. He noted that different calculators produced varying results, which led me to explain that...

03/10/2024

Corona Treater Indicator Light: Are you sure yours is set up correctly?

Ever found a stack of printed rolls ruined because the corona treater wasn’t running? I’ve been there, and it’s not pretty.

My first flexo press was in line with a blown film extruder, producing newspaper bags, printed or unprinted. It was a non-stop process, with film feeding directly into the press and onto a turret rewinder. When I wasn’t printing, I was extruding unprinted film for any one of 36 bag machines. We stayed busy.

Corona treatment was crucial for printing, and I quickly learned the pain of walking into work to find rolls with ink that wouldn’t stick. Back then, treaters made a high-pitched "eeeeeeee" sound when running, and a light bulb at the extruder indicated whether they were on or off. Every press I've operated or seen since has some kind of treater indicator.

But here’s something interesting: some treaters have lights that indicate when the treater is running, while others use lights to warn when the treater is off. Which setup is better?

If the light signals the treater is on, a bulb going out prompts the operator to investigate whether the treater is off or the bulb just died. Either way, it's a signal to check. However, if the light warns only when the treater is off, a burnt-out bulb might go unnoticed, leaving you at risk of printing on untreated film. This is problematic.

For many of you, this seems obvious—you wire the light to show when the treater is on. But if it were universally understood, every system would be set up that way. Yet, not all of them are.

So, if you want to avoid quarantined rolls and ink that peels off with tape, make sure your light is set up to come on when the treater is on. It’s a simple step that can save a lot of trouble.

How are your treaters wired? Have you ever faced issues with corona treating? Share your thoughts or tips in the comments!

Remember, the right setup can save you from a lot of headaches. Happy printing!

11/09/2024

𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺

Being a pressroom supervisor is not easy. There are countless details to manage—presses that need to run, operators with varying levels of experience, tardiness, absenteeism, last-minute changes to the schedule, and so much more. I could easily list another twenty challenges, but you get the point.

In a multi-shift pressroom, one issue that can quickly escalate if left unchecked is the condition in which a press or its surrounding area is left for the next shift. No operator wants to start their shift with a floor that hasn't been swept, impression cylinders covered in ink buildup, missing roll stock, disorganized workstations, or ink viscosities that are off. These frustrations can build up and, if they become frequent, can lead to conflicts among colleagues.

One method I've found effective in addressing these issues is conducting a shift change tour with the overlapping supervisors. Together, they walk the pressroom, discussing the status of each workstation and noting the overall condition of the area. If any problems are identified, the incoming supervisor points them out privately to the outgoing supervisor, away from the press. This allows the outgoing supervisor to address the matter calmly with the responsible operator the next day, in private.

This approach helps prevent hard feelings between operators and ensures the responsibility for maintaining the pressroom environment falls where it belongs—on the supervisors, who are better equipped to handle these discussions. It also keeps the pressroom clean, organized, and ready for action. Often, operators are hesitant to confront their colleagues about the state of the workspace, leading to unspoken frustrations that build up over time.

Pressrooms are like families; each one is unique. This approach might not be right for every pressroom, but in my experience, it works well in many multi-shift operations, helping maintain a clean, productive environment while keeping the peace among operators.

Please feel free to share your thoughts or ask questions in the comments and have a great day!

03/09/2024

Low-Hanging Fruit in the Flexo Pressroom: Precise Lateral Plate Mounting Positions

It has been my observation that too many press operators make far too many lateral (side-to-side) adjustments to plate cylinders during press setups. The time and material wasted during these adjustments account for a sizable portion of overall downtime and waste.

As flexographers, we understand the importance of accurately positioning plates horizontally for each job. Yet, in most pressrooms I visit, plate mounters face unnecessary challenges in positioning plates. Sometimes mounters even measure, calculate, and draw their own reference lines on plates, often leading to discrepancies that result in avoidable time and material waste.

By mounting every plate with precision relative to the press center, lateral adjustments can be few and minor. Achieving this consistency requires close collaboration between prepress, platemakers, plate mounters, and press operators. It is well worth the effort.

The goal for the team should be to create precise reference marks on plates for precise, consistent horizontal positioning. The plate mounter’s responsibility is to adhere strictly to these marks and mount the plates accurately. If the mounter notices a discrepancy, or if the press operator needs to move any cylinder laterally by more than a millimeter, there may be an error in mounting or a discrepancy in the position of that plate’s reference mark.

Minor lateral adjustments on press will always be necessary, but if your team ensures that these adjustments are minimal, you may see a significant reduction in setup time and material waste.

Here is a rule of thumb: If the press operator needs to move any cylinder laterally by more than a millimeter, investigate.

Please feel free to share your experiences or ask any questions in the comments below.

21/08/2024

Change the Anilox if You Must But, Please, Follow Through

When I started printing, the last thing I wanted to do was change an anilox roller in any of the wide web presses I operated. Anilox rollers were heavy and cumbersome, often taking up to an hour, each, to change.

Over time, wide web presses adopted anilox sleeves, and narrow web presses introduced their smaller, more manageable anilox rollers. This made changing aniloxes on most presses much
easier. As a result, many operators became accustomed to adjusting anilox volume to alter color strength.

Under today’s guidelines and best practices, a flexo press undergoes a thorough optimization process. According to the FTA’s FIRST methodology, we:

 Optimize
 Fingerprint
 Characterize
 Produce and improve

When optimizing aniloxes, we determine the appropriate line count, volume, and cell angle for various conditions—such as coating, large solids, fine type, vignettes, and 4-color process printing. We conduct tests to achieve the thinnest ink film possible that still provides adequate color strength without issues like pin-holing or other defects caused by insufficient ink film thickness. If we deviate from these standards, we risk disrupting the delicate balance required to print predictably, consistently, and to a high quality standard.

In a production environment, deviations from standard practices are sometimes necessary to get the job done. If this means changing an anilox to adjust color strength, it's crucial to follow through by investigating the underlying cause. This should involve collaboration with prepress and ink blending teams. The final determination and solution should be a coordinated, comprehensive, and scientific process that informs—and gets input from—the entire production system.

Frank Burgos
Flexo Consultant, Trainer

14/08/2024

Tracking Narrow Web Label Die Mileage

How to track die wear has been a repeated question among my clients and colleagues over the years. The conversation has always ended at the question, though....

01/08/2024

If you've felt the frustration of being a small flexo label printer who knows they can improve press throughput with technology but can't afford the time needed to implement it or the tens of thousands of dollars to get started - we've designed something just for you.

40 years of experience working in and consulting for flexo printers has taught us a thing or two about what most pressrooms need. It's not "better press operators" (although an educated and skilled workforce certainly helps). In most cases, it's better communication, better control of the data so results are repeatable and something that's easy to implement and work with.

Meet Label Shop Live!

Learn more at: www.labelshoplive.com

12/05/2021

New job opening posted on FlexoJobs.com for press operator, several shifts. Visit www.flexojobs.com for more details and apply.

01/12/2020

New Job Opening for Flexo Press Operator with 2 years experience operating a press. Missouri. More Details at: www.FlexoJobs.com

17/09/2020

In this video, I discuss how I look at color measurements and decide which ink bases to add to adjust or “tone” a color

Most ink companies, but few printers, have technology that will tell them exactly how much of what to add. The concepts in this video should help you decide what ink base to use with greater confidence in your selection