CMM Opens: Creo Esko Imaging Upgrades Push Flexo
- Published: April 14, 2003, By Teresa Koltzenburg, Senior Editor
CHICAGO, IL, USA—Converting Machinery/Materials (CMM) International 2003 opened this morning in an unusally warm and sunny Chicago. While foot traffic was moderate on the four-day show's first day, there are unconfirmed reports of large equipment sales.
Prepress providers Esko-Graphics and Creo both are launching new products at CMM.
Esko-Graphics
announces the launch of a new line of Cyrel digital imagers: CDI Advance. According to the co. (which used to be Barco Graphics), the CDI Advance is the result of customer-driven development, "whereby the quality and reliability of the CDI installs is combined with the requirement of creating a modern and ergonomic working environment for the operators." Adds Jürgen Andresen, marketing director, packaging hardware at Esko-Graphics, "It allows for more ease of operation and dual use of plates and sleeves, assuring the highest quality level. These were firm requirements from our customers, to which we gladly respond."
Esko-Graphics says the CDI Advance will be available in three productivity levels: the CDI Advance 15 (1.5m/hr); CDI Advance 25 (2.5m/hr); and CDI Advance 40 (4.0 m/hr). "The eight-beam optics guarantee the finest details on the flexo plates," says the prepress manufacturer. "The other area of major improvement is related to the ergonomics of the digital imager. Surveys have indicated the loading and unloading of larger formats of plates and sleeves deserved more attention to create better and easier handling, be it manual or automated. The CDI Advance is equipped with a loading table that can be mounted either on the front or the back of the machine, hence creating the best possible accessibility for the operator," adds Esko-Graphics.
For more information about the CDI Advance and other prepress products, visit Esko-Graphics at esko-graphics.com, or if you're at CMM this week, visit booth 2252.
Creo
reports it's showing, for the first time, the next generation ThermoFlex imaging device with sleeve imaging. Says Creo, "The first of the new ThermoFlex devices is being installed this month. It images variable repeat sleeves, yet retains the ability to image digital flexographic and rotary letterpress plates and film with formats up to 52 x 80 in. (1321 x 2032 mm)." Adds the mfr., "This design provides flexiblity for trade shops and converters that run digital plates, digital plates on sleeves, and continous sleeves, depending on the requirements of a specific customer or job."
According to Creo, the new ThermoFlex includes semi-automatic changeover from plate imaging to sleeve imaging and accommodates sleeves with repeats up to 42 in. (1050 mm) and lengths up to 72 in. (1829 mm) both in continuous digital photopolymer sleeve and digital plate-on-sleeve formats."
Other prepress products Creo is showcasing at CMM include its MaxTone screening solution, hybrid AM product that "overcomes highlight and shadow reproduction limitations"; Prinergy Powerpack, its PDF-based integrated and automated workflow-management systems designed for packaging converters and trade shops; Spotless color tools, which "simulates spot-color inks with Staccato-screened, process-color builds, giving spot-color performance on a process-color budget"; and its Synapse Insite, "the Internet portal into prepress that shortens production cycles and reduces cost."
Learn more about these Creo products at creo.com, or visit them at booth # 2748.
Learn more about CMM at cmmshow.com.
