Steve Renfrey and Andy Lee from Poly Products with their new Flexowash 2500
Finding a way to clean and manage the condition and performance of an anilox library is a crucial part of any printing process. Jet Technologies are proud of our successful decade-long history with Flexowash cleaning systems, and have been providing the printing industry in the Asia Pacific region with dedicated anilox cleaning technology for both wide and narrow web clients for many years now.
Jet Technologies was recently approached by one of our clients, Poly Products, to find the perfect solution to their anilox cleaning, whilst making a significant difference to their print productivity and consistency. The solution that Jet Technologies’ Wes Scott Technical Sales Manager was able to provide Poly Products was a FW 2500 machine, from our close partners Flexowash.
Jet Technologies were confident that this machine would be a perfect fit for Steve Renfrey and the Polyproducts team as it has proven to be a safe and effective way of cleaning Anilox rollers for many of our customers for many years. After installing the FW 2500, Steve and his team were astounded at the fantastic results they received in cleaning their anilox library, which had previously been cleaned using manual cleaning methods that were nowhere near as effective.
One huge benefit of the FW 2500 to Poly Products was that a number of rollers in their library that had been earmarked for replacement (due to no longer delivering the amount if ink required), were once again delivering the required ink lay down, saving them significant costs and allowing them to extend the life and condition of their anilox rollers. For Poly Products, this represents a great outcome when considering the average cost of replacing a roller is in excess of $5000.
The FW2500 also offers users ease of use, as it will automatically clean and dry a roller within a 15 minute cycle and will not cause any damage or wear to rollers. After a quick wipe down of excess ink a roller can then be placed straight back into the machine. Many of the other types of cleaning methods are far less efficient, not only taking more time but also adding unnecessary wear to the cells. The FW2500, on the other hand, is automatic and can be used daily if necessary, allowing for a safe and deep enough clean and remove the dried ink particles that prevent rollers from performing at their best.
Overall, Poly Products is incredibly impressed with the results of their new machine, which has made a marked impact on the efficiency and utilisation of their anilox library. According to Poly Products’ Steve Renfrey: “Any flexo printer, whether using water based, solvent or UV inks, should have a unit like this if they are serious about delivering consistent results to their clients. This helps dramatically minimise the need for colour adjustments on future repeat runs which is a common factor with poor cleaning and management of anilox libraries”.
With the use of machines such as the FW 2500, printers are able to gain increased productivity, which has become critical to sustaining a competitive edge in such a highly competitive and challenging market. Both Jet Technologies and Poly Products are incredibly pleased that the FW2500 has proven to be such a perfect solution for their anilox cleaning needs. With the FW2500 as part of their production process, Poly Products can now be ensured that their aniloxes will be maintained in excellent condition.