Sun Chemical makes multi-million dollar plate investment

Sun Chemical is to open a new flexographic printing plate manufacturing facility in Concord, California, and will upgrade its existing site in Ohio with a US$5 million investment.

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The new facility is designed to provide the highest quality packaging graphics through the latest in plate manufacturing technology.

Sun Chemical's site in Concord will feature all new equipment for the manufacturing of the HD plates, including an Esko HD CDI laser imager, a MacDermid LUX laminator and DuPont’s DigiFlow/DigiCorr systems as well as the Esko Digital Flexo Suite pin mounting system.

The new 25,000 sq ft facility will open on July 15.

Further, Sun Chemical will be upgrading its Maumee, Ohio facility by adding a mirrored digital HD sheet photopolymer system. 

The Concord and Maumee facilities offer two different methods for producing flat-top dot technology – the MacDermid Lux system and the DuPont DigiFlow/DigiCorr system.

The MacDermid Lux system utilizes a membrane laminator for an oxygen barrier and the DigiFlow/DigiCorr system uses a nitrogen flow environment to create a flat-top dot.

In addition, both facilities are equipped with Esko Advanced HD MicroCell technology to achieve higher ink densities, reduce or eliminate pin-holing, and improve print quality in the shadow areas.

Combined, the two investments represent a US$5 million outlay.

Kreg Keesee, vice-president of Sun Chemical Graphic Services, said: ‘Demand is growing for the high-end graphics in packaging and we want our customers to not only benefit from Sun Chemical inks and coatings, but also from our HD platemaking capabilities.

‘Our investment in the Concord facility shows that we are serious about this business and that we are determined to bring the best products and services to our customers to help them achieve the packaging graphics that brand owners demand.’

Lee Luckey, general manager of the SunGraphics division of Sun Chemical, said: ‘HD is still relatively new to the market, but it is growing quickly due to the CPG demands for higher-end graphics.

‘Our Concord facility is designed to improve what we can provide with HD all the way through the entire pre-press and platemaking process.’

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