Lemorau focuses on finishing equipment modularity

Founded in 1987, Lemorau was introduced to a global audience in 2013 while exhibiting at Labelexpo Europe 2013. This was its first presence at an international exhibition and helped the company focus on global growth. This led to sales in markets around the world and it now counts customers in 56 countries. Italy is noted as a particularly good market for its systems, while Kuwait is its newest addition. 

At the same time, the digital printing market has continued to grow. Since 2013, the number of digital press vendors, press penetration, print volumes, quality, speed and application range have all grown. This gives Lemorau scope to scale up yet further with its portfolio of technologies dedicated to finishing digitally-printed labels. To help facilitate this, the company moved into a new facility last year. It has also moved its product portfolio forward to offer a wider array options to suit various applications and requirements. 

An open house at its new facility on the outskirts of Porto provided Lemorau with the opportunity to showcase its array of finishing systems. On show were the ICR 3 inspection slitter rewinder; a CRM table-top slitter rewinder; an EBRM+ rotary/ semi-rotary table-top finishing machine; compact MEBR+ digital finishing machine; CTA 1500 automatic core cutter and CT 1500 manual core cutter; and ER 400 roll lifter. 

At the center of this showcase was a larger, fully modular version of MEBR+. This digital finishing line, destined for a customer in Spain, showcased web guiding, multi-station flexo printing, cold foil and semi-rotary die-cutting. Other modules are available depending on the customer’s requirement. These include rotary die-cutting, turnbar, booklet label module, corona treatment, UV flexo varnish, lamination station, hot/cold foil, screen printing, web cleaning, turret rewinding, razor slitting, waste rewinder and more. Inkjet modules can be integrated alongside the flexo stations for combination printing. A water-based, CMYK module or a 4-6-color UV inkjet module can be specified. 

Modular MEBR+ machines can be 250mm, 330mm or 400mm wide, and have a 700mm unwind diameter, going down to a maximum 600mm rewind diameter (one shaft)/350mm (two shafts). A maximum rotary speed of 200m/min (blank labels) and 120m/min (die-cutting to register) can be achieved. In semi-rotary mode, a speed of 40m/min can be achieved (die-cutting to register), dependent on plate size. Meanwhile, 80m/min semi-rotary die-cutting is available as an option.

Modularity on show 
Following unwinding and web guiding, the first flexo station on the machine shown was printing black on the reverse of the liner, before the web was turned and two further stations printed spot colors onto the preprinted label. This was augmented with cold foiling before magnetic semi-rotary die-cutting, waste removal and rewinding. 

Die-cutting demonstrated RotoMetrics’ RotoRepel technology, a no-stick treatment that minimizes adhesive pick-up and transfer. It won the Award for Innovation at last year’s Label Industry Global Awards. RotoMetrics UK sales director Neil Lilly identifies the technology as providing RotoMetrics with a genuine point of difference in the competitive, often price-driven, dies market.

How to differentiate with your digital printing and finishing in an increasingly commoditized market is a similarly perplexing conundrum. There are a number of competing technologies vying for prominence, albeit in a growing market. 

Inkjet or toner? Off-line or in-line? How do you identify innovations that will benefit your production? Complex finishing lines certainly provide one way to create standout digitally-printed labels, and Lemorau has thrown its hat into the ring with the development of a fully modular version of its MEBR+.

Lemorau CEO Pedro Teixeira says: ‘Customers are increasingly looking for complex finishing for their digitally-printed labels. With our modular platform, we are able to cater to their exact requirements. None of our systems are sold “out-of-thebox”: each modular MEBR+ system is built to the customer’s specific demands, so giving them the exact tools they are looking for.

‘We have reorganized our production, with a focus on the software and mechanics at our facility. We have outsourced the making of frames and the individual components. This means we can provide quick turnaround times and ensure tailored and precise systems arrive at our customers.’

Lemorau CFO Susana Teixeira reiterates that these systems provide the scope for Lemorau to compete on a much bigger scale. ‘Digital finishing is a very competitive market. While perhaps we are known for our more compact systems, our new fully modular MEBR+ concept shows our customers and the market what we are capable of and what we want to achieve.’