Flexographic Technical Association’s (FTA) annual INFOFLEX exhibition takes place May 6-7 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA. Themed “Find Your Fit. Expand Your Brand,” the event will house 1,850 attendees on a mission to discover new solutions to meet their customers’ demands.

Equipment and product demonstrations will take place throughout INFOFLEX 2019, and will cater to all segments of the package printing industry: flexo, digital and hybrid presses, plate mounters, plate cleaners, inspection systems, solvent recovery systems, ink pumps, imagesetters, anilox laser engravers, anilox washup systems, virtual reality diagnostic tools and more.

Taking center stage will be Mark Andy Inc at booth 731, with live demonstrations of the Digital One. This entry-level digital label press designed specifically for micro/short-run work utilizes CMYK dry-toner technology combined with a flexo print station for decoration and inline diecutting. Since its release, over 100 machines have been installed across the globe, with users reporting the ability to take in 35% more work and an 18% cost reduction in overtime, material waste, and consumables. The press is composed of a digital CMYK toner printing and a flexo deck for spot colors, laminates, adhesives or varnishes. With a pay-as-you-go model, the press is designed to be an affordable solution for converters looking to expand into digital labels. Live demonstrations of Digital One will be happening on-demand throughout the entirety of INFOFLEX. Jobs coming off the press will showcase VDP and cold foil embellishment all inline.

Jerry Henson, Digital Sales Director, Mark Andy, states, “We are excited to again, be participating in INFOFLEX this year and to bring Digital One to INFOFLEX for the first time. Visitors to Booth 731 will have the opportunity to see the digital hybrid press in action and ask questions to our experts on-stand."

Eaglewood Technologies will kick off its partnership with Anderson & Vreeland (A&V) at INFOFLEX 2019. A&V will offer Eaglewood’s full line of anilox cleaning solutions for every flexographic printer. Live demonstrations of the newest Sitexco SL 1.5 Anilox Cleaning System will be in booth 300 while A&V will be showing videos of all Eaglewood systems in booth 419. The SL 1.5 is one of Eaglewood Technologies’ award winning systems. Each Eaglewood system is safe, intelligent and effective at cleaning ink and coatings of all types. The Sitexco SL 1.5, seen at INFOFLEX can clean multiple rolls simultaneously, has an RFID reader option and digital microscope available.

Tower Products, Inc., a manufacturer of environmentally sensitive pressroom chemistry for the offset and flexographic printing industry, will exhibit its full line of environmentally sound and low VOC cleaning technologies at INFOFLEX booth 639. Tower Products manufactures a full line of plate, anilox, parts washing and general-purpose cleaning technologies as well as and has a full contingent of UV/LED products. The Tower booth will be staffed with knowledgeable technical representatives to explain these products and their applications in the flexographic pressroom.

At INFOFLEX 2019, Tresu will exhibit in booth 738 flexographic ink supply and machine system solutions, including integrated printing units for converting lines as well as the Flexo Innovator press, meeting the quality, efficiency and high output demands in labeling, packaging and industrial manufacturing. Also featured will be Tresu’s ancillary program – including ink supply systems and chamber doctor blades – which automatically regulates the supply of ink and coating media to the press, enabling clean, consistent print results, with improved uptime, reduced waste, faster printing speeds and minimal manual input.

The F10 iCon ink supply system from Tresu provides stable and controlled ink circulation by maintaining precise flow, pressure and viscosity levels at predetermined values. The system provides significant material and time savings by automatically returning remaining ink to the bucket at the end of the production run, and thorough, simultaneous chamber cleaning in a matter of minutes.

Representatives from Flexo Wash will be on hand to discuss all cleaning and productivity needs. Flexo Wash products extend the life of anilox rolls and sleeves, gravure cylinders, flexo plates, flexo plate sleeves, press parts and rotary screens, while decreasing the make-ready down time between job runs. Flexo Wash provides “Leading Cleaning Technology” and the company says it’s the only one in the world to offer cleaning systems for every need.

Phoseon will showcase the latest UV LED curing solutions for flexographic printing applications at the upcoming INFOFLEX 2019. Visitors to the Phoseon exhibit, booth 204, will learn how Phoseon LED technology is a perfect fit for flexographic applications due to the ease of integration and high intensity output achieved through optimized LED thermal management. Users of Phoseon LED curing systems can process a variety of materials, including thin and heat-sensitive substrates, at maximum production speeds with low-input power. The FJ605, a self-contained air-cooled UV LED curing lamp for flexographic applications, delivers substantial curing energy with an advanced digital control interface and is available in lamp lengths that cover the gamut of narrow and mid-web presses.

Trelleborg’s printing solutions operation will be present at INFOFLEX and will be part of a pool of industry experts on the booth of Parmarco, its US distributor for flexo. Damien Leterrier, Axcyl Sales and Application Manager at Trelleborg’s printing solutions operation, says: “We’re really excited about joining our partner Parmarco at the InfoFlex show in New Orleans this year. We’ll be there to share our deep knowledge of the industry and our advanced plate mounting sleeves technology alongside other key partners to Parmarco. Modern flexo presses incorporate highly sophisticated technology and consumables have to match this level of sophistication if the printer is to achieve the full potential of a press. Today, suppliers have to be true partners, providing expertise in how to choose and implement the most effective solution for any particular situation. By talking to the industry experts that will be present on the Parmarco booths at INFOFLEX, customers will be able to identify the optimum solution for their flexo printing needs.”

At Booth 511 and 513, Trelleborg will be discussing its mounting sleeves offer presenting the advanced carbon fiber technology which reduces press bounce and allows higher productivity. Pamarco will also show laser engraved anilox with EFlo and ThermaFlo technology.

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP), an authority in sustainable printing certifications for print manufacturers, will exhibit at INFOFLEX.  "We're looking forward to meeting many flexographic printers, print buyers and suppliers at this year's INFOFLEX," says Doreen Monteleone, D2 Advisory Group/FTA Representative on the SGP Board. "They all have a critical role to play to ensure a more sustainable print supply chain. We welcome them to stop by booth #838 to learn about the many benefits of embracing SGP's mission and how they can join the many other flexographic community members as SGP Printers, SGP Brand Leaders and SGP Patrons."

During INFOFLEX 2019, Sun Chemical will highlight its full portfolio of inks, coatings, and adhesives designed to enhance pressroom efficiency, produce flexible packaging that pops off the shelf, and improve eco-efficiency. “Not only do our customers need solutions that help packaging stand out on the store aisles, increasingly we’re seeing consumers and retailers push brands to supply goods using bio-renewable packaging and/or showing a concerted effort to improve eco-efficiency in manufacturing or printing processes,” says Anthony Renzi, Vice President, Product Management of Packaging Inks, North American Inks, Sun Chemical. “During INFOFLEX, Sun Chemical will display solutions that achieve both objectives. We’ll highlight our new line of bio-renewable inks and show how our other products can help converters achieve their sustainability goals and improve pressroom efficiency, all while maintaining the desired shelf standout.”

Visitors to booth 501 will learn about Sun Chemical’s SunVisto AquaGreen water-based inks that are formulated with significantly higher levels of bio-renewable sourced resin content compared to other previous market offerings from Sun Chemical. The water-based inks deliver the required critical performance attributes needed across a range of paper packaging applications to meet the needs brands have for truly sustainable packaging in quick service supermarkets and restaurants. Booth visitors will also learn that Sun Chemical manufactures products designed to both improve eco-efficiency in the pressroom and deliver value that benefits the brand owner and consumers. For example, Sun Chemical will launch a new UV LED product range for narrow web printers that is designed for sensitive packaging, low odor, and migration compliance. The series of inks and coatings cure at high speeds and meet the needs of an evolving marketplace where printers are transitioning to LED curing printers which use less energy.

Apex International, the world’s largest anilox manufacturer, is exhibiting at INFOFLEX. At the show, visitors to booth 529 to can meet with technical experts from the globally leading anilox supplier to learn more about: Apex Anilox Sleeve, touted by Apex as the most durable and consistent sleeve in the market; Apex's wide range of anilox engravings to fit any of needs; ReadyRoll Narrow Web Stocking Program; and GTT 2.0 – what Apex says is the only anilox certified to run in conjunction with Bellissima DMS, Hamillroad Software’s award-winning screening technology.

GMG is focusing on GMG OpenColor 2.2 at INFOFLEX, the most recent version of the past FTA Technical Innovation award recipient – and color-accurate prototypes using Epson SureColor S80 Series printers at booth 831 during FTA INFOFLEX 2019. "GMG provides brand owners and converters color management to assure their packaging preserves consistent and accurate color—one of their most significant flexo pain points,” states Monteiro. "Many systems create prototypes that only resemble the final product. With the Epson SureColor SC-S80600, coupled with GMG OpenColor and GMG ColorProof software and its complete line of prototyping substrates, users can finally create prototypes that look and feel exactly like the final product. A wide variety of different prototyping substrates is available, including multiple shrink films, folding carton materials, metallic films, adhesive backed substrates, clear materials—and even transfer films for making prototypes on the actual press materials. GMG can deliver the complete package: the digital printer, the software, the substrate, inks, and installation. With our complete prepress color and workflow solutions, GMG always enjoys showing printers the many ways we can improve both job quality and production efficiency,” summarizes Monteiro. “Not only is it achievable—but it’s easy to do. We look forward to demonstrating how GMG tools can make the color management process so much simpler.”

Contiweb will demonstrate how packaging print providers and converters can grow their businesses and obtain higher margins with its flagship Contiweb Thallo. Visitors to booth 429 can learn how they can quickly and cost-effectively produce smaller jobs using the Contiweb Thallo. Using the web offset press with variable cut-off dimensions, packaging print providers can produce premium quality prints that ensure brand owners can stand-out from the crowd with attention-grabbing packaging. For those seeking to sharpen their competitive edge, the Contiweb Thallo is equipped with variable web tensions, enabling print providers to not only print on film, paper and cardboard but also foil. This opens the door to a wider array of applications including flexible packaging, wrap around packaging and shrink sleeves.

Attendees will also discover how they can uncover further print line efficiencies using Contiweb rewinders. Designed with uptime in mind, many of the rewinders are fully automatic at full press speed. This ensures perfectly rewound reels without interrupting production. "INFOFLEX is the ideal backdrops to showcase how businesses can enhance their operations by securing greater production efficiencies and expanding their application offering,” says Chuck Irons, Vice President for The Americas at Contiweb. “Our advanced solutions are engineered to achieve this and so much more including ensuring high-quality accuracy and repeatability at every stage of the process.”