Operating since last October, the two ThermoFlexX Catena-E 80 LED platesetters represent the first step in a partnership that enshrines an increasingly strong collaboration between XSYS Italia and Nu-Maber, a historic flexo prepress service in the northeast of Italy: the company has embraced the digital evolution to improve its efficiency while offering sustainable products
Nu-Maber has recently celebrated 40 years of activity in the flexo printing sector, and has always been a company that has made one of its main distinguishing features the innovation and the desire to experiment with technological novelties, even at the cost of being a voice out of the chorus. Nu-Maber is a flexo prepress service based in Roncade (Tv), with 50 employees, 30 graphic workstations, 5 digital CtP, 2 automated lines for the production of photopolymers and 2 laser systems for direct imaging of sleeves and cylinders, in a production area of almost 5000 sq. m, where about 16.000 orders are managed annually with all the prerogatives now indispensable to sustainable production: two photovoltaic plants; one solvent recovery and distillation system; Co2 emissions are controlled with a 24-hour continuous cycle.
Important numbers, which make Nu-Maber one of the leading flexo prepress companies in the Italian market for food, non-food, hygienic sanitary, beverage, tissue, label, shrink sleeve, gift wrapping papers, paper bags and corrugated cardboard sectors, that is the whole range of packaging that can be printed today with flexo.
Today the company is managed by Livio Simionato, a partner in Nu-Maber together with Diego Di Muro, son of Giancarlo Di Muro who passed away last year. So people change and with them the technologies, always keeping up with the times, but Nu-Maber’s philosophy to be a pioneer towards new directions, experimenting with new materials and new production technologies does not change. Throughout its history, which has gone hand in hand with the evolution of flexographic technology, Nu-Maber has deepened its knowledge, studied and used various technologies on the market, consequently today in its production department there are systems from different suppliers. The company with a very strong technological know-how has become an advisor, and this aspect is considered the heart of the relationship with the customer, in order to be able to distinguish itself and to be able to suggest to the customer possible alternatives to what is already on the market, convincing them often to trust and indeed to involve them in the experiments, stimulating their attention and curiosity. “We are in an industry where quality is now taken for granted, and today thanks to the available technologies everyone is able to offer a certain standard, so I believe that what makes the difference is the relationship of trust that you create with the customer, who should be involved in the process of research and development in order to be able to refine processes that can meet their needs. For example, the strategic choice to include the two laser systems for sleeve production was brought forward when we were able to demonstrate to customers that they could use them in combination with photopolymers in their longer productions, managing to find a cost balance, without compromising the quality of the final result”, Livio Simionato says.
The choice of a double ThermoFlexX Catena-E 80 LED installation with ProServX software
The relationship with XSYS, in particular with Roberto Malagù, sales manager of the Italian branch of the German supplier of flexographic printing technologies and plates, is a long-standing one, and has been consolidated over the years, testing and experimenting with the new photopolymers gradually introduced to the market by BASF, then Flint Group and now XSYS, which has always found in Livio Simionato and Nu-Maber an extremely attentive and receptive partner to new developments.
“Questo rapporto consolidato e basato fino a poco tempo fa esclusivamente sui prodotti consumabili, è stato certamente determinante nell’evoluzione della partnership nel momento in cui anche in XSYS abbiamo sviluppato tecnologie innovative per la produzione di lastre flexo”, racconta Roberto Malagù di XSYS Italia. Prima di confermare l’investimento, una delegazione di Nu-Maber è stata accolta in visita presso la sede XSYS di Wilstaett in Germania dove, grazie al nuovissimo demo center, è stato possibile approfondire ogni minimo dettaglio e testare la macchina con propri lavori. “In quell’occasione, Nu-Maber ha potuto toccare con mano tutto quello che c’è dietro la ricerca e lo sviluppo delle nostre attrezzature, riuscendo ad avere una visione completa non solamente sui ThermoFlexX Catena-E 80 da loro poi effettivamente acquistati, ma anche sull’intera linea Catena+, il Santo Graal per la produzione di lastre flessografiche. Una linea di produzione completamente automatica che parte dell’imager ThermofleX abbinato all’espositore Catena E a sua volta connesso al lavaggio, forno, finissaggio e stacker Catena WDLS. Sono consapevole di aver avviato un percorso che in futuro potrebbe portare Nu-Maber a decidere di implementare le nostre soluzioni all’interno del loro reparto produttivo”, aggiunge Malagù, sottolineando che anche questa volta il service di Roncade si è reso protagonista della prima doppia installazione nel mercato italiano.
“This well-established relationship, based until recently exclusively on consumable products, was certainly decisive in the evolution of the partnership at the moment when we also developed innovative technologies for the production of flexo plates”, says Roberto Malagù. Before confirming the investment, a delegation from Nu-Maber was welcomed at XSYS headquarters in Wilstaett in Germany, where, thanks to the brand new demo center, it was possible to delve into every detail and test the machine with their own work. “On that occasion, Nu-Maber was able to see first-hand everything behind the research and development of our equipments, being able to have a complete view not only on the ThermoFlexX Catena-E 80 which they then actually purchased, but also on the entire Catena+ line, the Holy Grail to produce flexo plates. A fully automated production line that starts with the ThermofleX imager combined with the Catena E CtP, connected to the Catena WDLS washing, baking, finishing system and stacker. I am aware that I have started a path that in the future could lead Nu-Maber to decide to implement our solutions within their production department”, adds Malagù, pointing out that once again the Roncade-based service has become the first company with a double installation in the Italian market.
Moreover, thanks to the two new ThermoFlexX Catena-E80s, Nu-Maber will be able to test the whole range of plates proposed by XSYS for all flexo printing application sectors, from flexible packaging to labels, which represent the main outlet sectors of the Veneto-based service, not forgetting corrugated board, which accounts for about 10% of sales.
“In particular, it will be interesting for Nu-Maber to be able to test the plates of the revolutionary nyloflex eco series, made from renewable raw materials to improve the footprint of the plates throughout their life cycle and also allowing a reduction in processing time, energy and solvent consumption, to contribute to a more sustainable future for flexo printing while maintaining excellence in terms of print quality and performance. Very important issues for both brand owners, service and printers”, adds Malagù, confirming the great focus on research and development, both of technologies and materials to be able to offer customers maximum efficiency.
To complete the installation package at Nu-Maber, ProServX software was also provided for seamless integration with Nu-Maber’s digital infrastructure, which is the basis on which further technologies can be developed and inserted in the future, completing the line. “We advised Nu-Maber to also include the software, which was presented at Drupa, because we are convinced that it is a very useful tool for a company like Nu-Maber, which is increasingly digitized and interconnected both internally and externally, and this tool will allow them to connect directly to the company’s ERP, simplifying the flow of data and improving productivity. In addition, thanks to ProServX, which it is almost superfluous to mention complies with the dictates of Industry 4.0, it is possible to have a real-time overview of the status of the equipment, to organize predictive maintenance and remote diagnostics, as well as to keep track of the entire production process in case of any errors or disputes”, adds Cristian Marchesini, Technical Service of XSYS Italy.
LED imaging technology guarantees stability and reproducibility
Nu-Maber has been using the two new LED platesetters for a few months now, a useful learning period for operators to become thoroughly familiar with the new equipment but equally important to carry out tests with some customers as well, whose initial feedback is very positive. “LED exposure technology offers great stability in production, guaranteeing our customer repeatability of the result. We know that neon imaging is not the future of our industry, so we decided to make this investment today so that we can offer customers the best of the state of the art in flexographic photopolymer imaging. I believe that in the industry there is sometimes an exaggerated and extreme search for detail or desire to amaze, almost as if we were talking more about works of art than packaging, which often translates into an unnecessary increase in costs; on the other hand, from the dialogue with printers, it has emerged that what they are most interested in is being able to have repeatable results over time, while obviously maintaining the high quality standard that is now essential to stay in the market, and today with the plates and production technologies we use, we are able to meet this demand. Also because printing presses have to produce at high rates, so stability is the key requirement to guarantee the required volumes at competitive costs”, Simionato concludes.
Flexo24: web to plate in 24 hours, a unconventional but winning choice!
In 2018 Flexo24 was born, a service within Nu-Maber that, following the web-to-print model, is able to receive files and image flexo plates with guaranteed delivery within 24 hours. “Flexo24 is the answer we wanted to give to some of our customers who had expressed their intention to include a prepress department within their company as well, since they have graphic designers who can prepare files for plate production. So we came up with this idea, and once we submitted it to our clients, we realized that it could become an interesting service that would not take away work, but it could become an excellent opportunity to offer an innovative, economical and efficient service. We came up with this platform, which receives orders automatically and, without the need to open the files, inserts them into the production workflow, with the maximum guarantee as regards privacy and security, so much so that today this service is also used by our competitor services without any problem”, says Diego Di Muro, who personally followed the birth and development of this service.
