A large part of all flexible packaging materials – such as liquid packaging boards or plastic films – are printed using the flexographic printing process. This also applies to labels and corrugated cardboard, where flexible printing forms (clichés) are used. With its plate mounting solutions, tesa meets the high requirements for the best possible print quality and process efficiency. One for all, so to speak, because following the acquisition of Twinlock in 2018, tesa is the only company able to offer its international customers both: double-sided adhesive tapes as well as tesa Twinlock printing sleeves.
Tesa Twinlock technology consists of a classic printing sleeve or a printing cylinder of any manufacturer. In the first step, these are covered with polyurethane foam. In a second step, a special polymer coating follows, on which the printing plate is later mounted. The particular advantage is that the adhesion level and compressibility of the tesa Twinlock sleeves are permanently retained. They can be re-used after a short cleaning process. In addition to environmentally-friendly reusability, the innovative concept ensures cost-efficient and consistently high-quality print jobs.
Tesa is constantly developing and adapting specific product lines for flexographic printing to meet the increasing demands of the industry. For example, tesa Softprint double-sided plate mounting tapes consist of high-quality foams for optimal printing results. They are divided into two thickness categories: 380 μm is mainly used in label printing, 500 μm in packaging printing. The specially developed adhesives enable secure bonding and easy handling.
People like to say that paper is patient. Yet, it often needs to be processed quickly. And tesa has a solution for this as well. During the ‘roll-to-roll flying splices’ – in some cases, web speeds can reach up to 2,000 metres per minute – the beginning and the ending paper web must be securely bonded together. For more than 20 years, tesa EasySplice has proven its innovative strength in the printing and paper industry. tesa EasySplice ensures the reliable splicing of paper or film webs during production and later in further processing and printing.
Caption:
Twinlock sleeves can be re-used after a short cleaning process