Asahi goes to drupa with strong sustainability message

Asahi Photoproducts, a pioneer in flexographic photopolymer plate development, has confirmed it will be focusing at this year’s edition of drupa on three themes: sustainability, printing excellence as well as automation and digital transformation.

From the sustainability angle the company will feature how its helping plate makers and printers along its philosophy of the Road to Solvent ZERO while reducing water and energy consumption and improving productivity and quality on press. Asahi’s AWP-DEW and AWP-CleanFlat water-wash plates are certified Carbon Neutral in collaboration with The Carbon Trust. In addition, visitors to the Asahi stand will learn how they can save up to 85 percent of wastewater usage using the AWP-Loop water recycling unit.

The company will be also displaying a full range of flexographic plates, including introduction of new plates. Designed for printing on paper, corrugated and recycled film.

Asahi will also share with visitors the ultimate in automation for flexographic platemaking: CrystalCleanConnect, co-developed with Esko and Kongsberg, a system, which reduces the platemaking process from 12 steps to one, reducing labor, minimizing potential for error, and resulting in a press-ready plate. An additional digital service we are offering is our remote technical support based on either smart glass or smartphone depending on the customer preference.

‘Since our company was founded more than 50 years ago, we have been developing sustainable printing plate materials such as our liquid APRTM resins which are processed with water,’ said Dieter Niederstadt, Asahi’s technical marketing manager. ‘Our goal, and that of our parent company Asahi Kasei, is to bring to market products that create for life and living and a more pleasant working environment.

‘With the majority of flexographic platemaking still using solvent-wash processes, we will also be helping visitors to our stand at drupa understand how easy the Road to Solvent ZERO is, making their operations more sustainable and offering a more pleasant ambient environment for workers. The first step is to switch to reduced solvent plates, such as Asahi’s AFP-R CleanPrint plate, which reduces solvent usage by 30 percent with no need to make any additional equipment investments – simply switch plates and you are on the Road to Solvent ZERO.’