V-Shapes, an innovative supplier of vertically integrated products and services for convenient, hygienic and sustainable single-dose packaging, announced the launch of the V-Shapes AlphaFlex fill and seal packaging/converting machine for on-demand production of its unique single-dose sachets that can be opened with a single gesture using one hand. This compact, professional-grade system features high quality synchronized printing on both sides of the sachets, Powered by Memjet DuraFlex® and ColorGATE Packaging Productionserver. This unique machine now brings vertical integration of high volume production of single-dose sachets on site, speeding time to market and eliminating the need to outsource printing or accomplish it as a separate offline step.
“The introduction of AlphaFlex takes our solution to the next level in a way the market has never seen before,” says Jesper Gustavsson, Business Development & Founding Partner of V-Shapes. “As promised, we have now integrated in-line printing into our six-lane ALPHA machine enabling packaging converters/fillers to accomplish the complete manufacturing process of our unique single-dose sachets under one roof with a compact footprint with full color branding available on both sides of the sachet, in line, on demand and with the industry’s highest quality. We are grateful for the collaborative efforts of both Memjet and ColorGATE in helping us bring this sophisticated and very unique configuration to market.”
AlphaFlex represents the first inline execution of Memjet’s DuraFlex® multicolor A3+ printheads and water-based pigment inks, as well as the first dual integration of the Memjet DuraFlex printing system into a single device. The advanced features and color management capabilities of the ColorGATE Packaging Productionserver, a RIP and color management solution for industrial packaging printing, are also a key element of this breakthrough product.
“The marriage of these technologies into a single, high-performance system is a testament to the skill, knowledge and dedication of the respective R&D teams,” says Russell Boa, Senior Vice President of Sales – North America and EMEA at Memjet. “Memjet DuraFlex was selected because of its compact footprint and 1600 dpi printing, as well as the ability of its inks to dry quickly on inkjet receptive substrates and compliance with food safety regulations. The V-Shapes AlphaFlex is a truly transformational product in this market segment.”
“ColorGATE, unlike many other RIP and color management vendors, has focused on industrial markets for the past decade, making this additional collaboration with V-Shapes and Memjet perfectly in line with our strategies and capabilities,” said Oliver Luedtke, Chief Marketing Officer at ColorGATE. “The bespoke Output Management Set we developed for V-Shapes’ Vs dflex nearline printer has been enhanced to accommodate the dual printing technology incorporated into AlphaFlex and brings all of the appropriate ColorGATE capabilities to the system for the utmost in printing productivity and quality.”
In the AlphaFlex configuration, each printing module prints a single side of the single-dose sachets inline, synchronized with each other, and precisely married for die cutting, filling and sealing. Buffers are used to ensure alignment of printing speed with the manufacture of sachets by the Alpha six-lane machine. This is an achievement unique in the marketplace brought about by the talented V-Shapes engineering team, in collaboration with partners Memjet and ColorGATE.
“The prototype AlphaFlex is currently installed in our Bologna factory,” Gustavsson added, “and is performing per our expectations. We are looking forward to placing AlphaFlex systems in customer sites by the end of the summer. There has already been extreme interest in AlphaFlex from both converters and brand owners who see this as a way to diferentiate themselves as well as to achieve faster time to market and faster time to revenue in a highly competitive and rapidly evolving marketplace”.
