New flexo press manufacturer targets entry level buyers

Flexographic Trade Services (FTS) has opened machinery manufacturing operation Legacy Press Company, LLC to cater to the needs of the 70 percent of the industry that it said is running out of options when it comes to affordable narrow web flexo printing equipment. 
 
FTS said more than two-thirds of the narrow web flexo market can be ran on most shaft driven presses, with only 15 percent needing a more modern shaft driven press like the Mark Andy 2200 for quality production requirements. In a further 10 percent of the market, jobs can be produced on a quality shaft driven press with high-tech add-ons such as re-registration equipment, screen heads or digital numbering and print units. Only five percent of the narrow web industry need high-tech presses. 
 
However, modern narrow web flexo printing equipment manufacturers are designing increasingly complex machines that average sized print shops cannot afford, and which require specially trained technicians should any issues arise, resulting in further costs and downtime that much of the market can’t absorb, FTS claims.
 
Legacy Press Company will offer the Legacy 10 (LG10), a 10-color, 10-inch narrow web flexo printing press costing under US$400,000. The LG10 will has the ability to go from a six-color to a 10-color press or a two-color to a 10-color in minutes, which FTS said will allow owners to have two six-color presses to run the majority of their work and have an 8-10-color press when needed.
 
FTS president Art Fields said: ‘The sad truth is that equipment manufacturers are designing and building equipment for five percent of the narrow web industry needs. This is why Legacy Press Company, LLC was created to ensure that there will always be a simple, affordable, shaft driven press available to the narrow web flexo industry. 
 
‘The Legacy 10 or LG10 will be the most mechanically advanced narrow web flexo printing press produced.’