tesa tape to showcase Twinlock and Softprint in Chicago

tesa will be running an on-site consultation station at its booth for prospective customers to determine, based on their individual and specific printing needs, which plate-mounting technology would suit them best. The company will have an on-site mounting station to demonstrate how the Twinlock and Softprint technologies work.

tesa Twinlock is a reusable, self-adhesive, and compressible sleeve that provides consistency in high-quality printing, while reducing waste and carbon footprint. By eliminating the need for plate-mounting tape with mounting the printing plate directly on the sleeve, companies can reduce tape waste, CO2 emissions caused by frequent tape deliveries, and time from buying, storing, mounting, and de-mounting plate-mounting tape. 

After printing and plate removal, the tackiness of tesa Twinlock can simply be re-activated, making the sleeve ready for the next job. tesa adds a layer of polyurethane (PU) foam, a stabilization film layer, and a layer made from a polymer that is formulated to retain its adhesive qualities to your preferred sleeve type. The special chemistry and thickness of the PU foam layer ensures consistent compressibility, eliminating the need for on-press machine adjustments. The PU foam also compensates for vibrations occurring on the press and smooths out the effects on unbalance within the printing press. 

tesa offers three different hardness levels, from soft to hard, for different print motifs, as well as different thickness coating layers to deliver a sleeve that exactly fits your needs.

tesa Softprint, on the other hand, is a plate-mounting tape that bonds to sleeves, cylinders, and plates as securely as possible during printing to eliminate plate-edge lifting or bubbling. 

tesa doesn’t apply stress to the foam during Softprint manufacturing. This is important because when the foam cells are untouched and undamaged, the foam is better able to absorb bounce from the sleeves that can leave chatter, or gear marks. It’s also more resilient. tesa’s foam will compress and return to the same thickness over and over – from the first impression to the last. That means you’ll get beautiful results, from fine screens to deep solid areas, whether the job is a few thousand or a few million feet long. 

tesa Softprint FE-X EA is specially developed for easy tape handling to reduce waste, save time, and further improve productivity in your print room. Micro channels within the adhesive ensure effortless air removability during plate mounting and printing. The state-of-the-art FE-X adhesive reliably holds the plate edges down while making the plate-demounting process quick and painless. The improved surface makes product handling even more convenient. 

‘We’re thrilled to be back at Labelexpo Americas,’ said Chuck Doyle, head of sales and marketing, FP&P for tesa tape North America. ‘The flexible packaging and label industry is constantly changing, and we’re excited to exhibit our Twinlock and Softprint products that can get our customers out ahead of the innovations and trends disrupting the space.’