Sticking to the point

15 November 2011



With the global labelling market back to volume growth for the first year since 2007, equipment manufacturers and converters alike are viewing the future with renewed confidence, reports Sam Cole


According to a recently published industry survey: Labelling Markets: European Market Study & Sourcebook 2011 (AWA Alexander Watson Associates), the global demand for labels was an estimated 43.4 billion m² – 6% up on the previous year. With European demand having shown a steady decline in growth rate over the period 2006-2009 – and an actual decline in volumes in 2009 – this represents the first real growth in four years. Looking further forwards, the industry can expect to maintain this resumption of an upwards trend, with AWA forecasting an annual increase of 3% through to 2015.

Europe accounts for just over 30% of the worldwide labelling market: approximately 13.25 billion m², of which 42% of demand goes to pressure-sensitive labels (PSLs). The bulk of the balance is taken up by glue applied (36%) and heat shrink sleeve (11%). In-mould labelling (IML) amounts to 400 million m², and is forecast to grow at around 3% per annum; ahead of glue but marginally lagging behind PSLs.

Contributory factors helping to drive the upwards demand curve are the relative low cost with which labelling can be replaced or versioned to reflect altered retail marketing conditions, and a continuing reliance upon secondary packaging applications such as barcodes to support food safety and pharmaceutical compliance issues.

Avery Dennison is claiming its new 70 micron facestock Fasson PE-LG as the thinnest conformable PE film label currently available for the food market. The PE-LG’s new S4020N adhesive is said to ensure excellent initial tack and very strong adhesion below 5°C and can be used with many substrates, including HDPE, PP, PE and nylon films.

Fasson PE-LG resists wrinkling and retains its looks over time, helping to keep brand image viable during low-temperature storage. Available in white and clear, it is a stand-out solution for premium foods such as freshly packed meat, sliced sausages and cheese.

Avery Dennison’s new patent-pending Shrink PS is also engineered to withstand wrinkling, but during the vacuum-shrink process for a range of fresh meat, poultry and dairy products. It is one of a new range of solutions being developed via the company’s recently initiated collaborative innovation strategy, with a custom-built applicator provided by Tronics.

Harlands has fulfilled a similar role in the development of Avery’s ‘Curve Appeal’ system and Fasson Curvy film wraparound solution targeted at the health and beauty products sector. Able to accommodate complex shapes and delivering up to 30% more available space for text and graphics, the system facilitates striking design for enhanced on-shelf impact.

Exemplifying the ability of overlaminated film to refresh an existing product’s brand image, UPM Raflatac has introduced its Linen and Pearl PP textured embossed film in a variety of thicknesses. Over-laminating gives better resistance to water and chemical spills, improves mechanical and thermal stability, and helps to create an impression of higher print contrast and colour intensity.

Prepress innovation

What goes on the material is, of course, largely determined ahead of its going into production. Two years on from introducing its HD Flexo plate technology – and now with 382 certified users worldwide – EskoArtwork’s new inline UV exposure unit for Cyrel Digital Imagers now offers flexo printers the flexibility to select the type of print dot – either round-top or flat-top – according to the specific job requirement.

“With the Inline UV2, flexo can now generate a flat-top dot structure in a digital workflow, ensuring the solids are best in class due to its very high ink density,” claims Esko’s VP flexo business Juergen Andresen. “Until now, this was only possible in an analogue workflow, where a film layer over the plate had to be used to eliminate the oxygen during UV curing.”

Equally innovative in raising flexo standards closer to gravure, Kodak has commercialised its Spotless software solution, which, when used in conjunction with Flexcel NX plate technology, is said to cut costs and increase efficiency through the reduced use of spot colours.

“Hitherto, flexographic printing has been an artisan process, with so many variables driving so many different levels of quality,” says Reproflex3 joint MD Andrew Hewitson, whose repro house has been the principal beta test site.

“The Spotless process provides faster makeready, less waste, closer colour match and overall repeatable controlled print. It’s a genuine game change,” he continues.

“With Spotless enabling a flexo printer to deliver colour consistency comparable with digital and only take up 4-6 heads within the press, that leaves the remaining stations free for inline finishing, which digital isn’t able to achieve. The net result is that the opportunity to deliver a low-cost product if you get the flexo prepress right is far, far greater,” he claims.

Meanwhile, gravure itself is benefiting from RK Print Coat Instruments’ new GP100 compact benchtop device for the production of high quality proofs using gravure inks of press viscosity. Incorporating a microprocessor controlled servodrive that offers a high degree of controllability with variable printing speeds of between 1-100m/min, it is claimed ideal for R&D, computer colour matching and the production of presentation samples.

Continuous improvement in flexo prepress is mirrored within the actual production process. With its shorter web path and faster response times for register adjustment, the new Gallus EM 430 S is designed to minimise waste while optimising productivity.

Edale launched its FL-350 servo-driven press by announcing the first installation at UK-based Douglas Storrie Labels. Equipped with the latest pre-register, auto register and print length control features, the FL-350 is designed to achieve the highest print quality while ‘dramatically’ reducing job change times and set-up wastage.

Also new to the European market is Nilpeter’s 570mm web width FA-6, which can run with both UV-curing units and hot air driers for cartonboard and film packaging applications, as well as labels.

With UPM Raflatac estimating that digital print now accounts for as much as 20% of the label sector’s annual output, three press manufacturers are extending their reach to establish a stake outside of a predominantly flexo remit: Gallus via Heidelberg’s recently commercialised Linoprint systems; Edale through its collaboration with Agfa Dotrix; and Nilpeter with its single-pass Caslon press.

The latest digital inkjet system to enter the market is EFI’s Jetrion 4900. It prints 4-colour and highly opaque white UV inks in a single pass, and by integrating in-line laser finishing provides an end-to-end solution, says EFI Jetrion general manager Sean Skelly. “It’s ideal for label converters looking to transfer high cost, short and medium-run jobs to digital systems, from print file straight through to finished roll with no additional plates, dies, changeovers and makeready labour needed. By just migrating existing flexo jobs, the system can easily generate savings of more than €1,000 a day.”

Inkjet still lags some way behind what these days can best be described as ‘conventional digital’, with technology leader HP Indigo occupying a 76% share of the digital labelling market with more than 1,400 systems installed worldwide. Two new full-colour presses look certain to reinforce that already commanding position: the WS6600 running at 40m/min (30% faster than the WS6000), and the entry-level WS4600 at 21m/min.

The WS6600 has an inline priming unit enabling the use of untreated substrates for the first time on an Indigo press, and a more opaque version of HP’s proprietary white ink. Upgrades for existing WS6000 and WS 4000 users will be available early next year.

Diecutting of liner as thin as 12 micron – half the current industry minimum – has been achieved in collaboration between Avery Dennison and Gallus, who are claiming it as one of the most significant advances in diecutting in decades.

With conventional kiss-cutting, the die can cut through the liner and cause operational and quality problems during converting and dispensing. The new ThinStream technology, however, separates the facestock from the liner before diecutting, cuts the label shape through the adhesive below 0ºC to prevent it from sticking and then reassembles the label.

Although silicon release liner is more expensive than facestock, there’s no real appetite within the industry for a viable linerless solution for promotional full-colour labels; not least in view of the significant investment already made in using traditional diecut labels on the reel. That’s becoming less the case in secondary applications, says Etiquette Labels director Tom Bunce, who now distributes the Italian TT-PA EVO 150 linerless system in the UK.

“As linerless material has to be a special grade of PP, there’s no real cost differential compared with conventionally supported labelstock. However, whereas a standard 300mm diameter reel of self-adhesive labels diecut on a liner would give you about 450 linear metres, the TT-PA Evo 150 can apply a reel of 1,500m, so downtime is a fraction of what it’ll be on a conventional applicator. It also minimises obligations under the Packaging Waste Directive.”


Andrew Hewitson of Reproflex3 Andrew Hewitson Edale: FL-350 flexo press Edale EFI: Jetrion 4900 digital inkjet press EFI UPM Raflatac: PP embossed film UPM Raflatac Etiquette: Flexo printed label for Marmite XO Etiquette Etiquette: Flexo printed labels for Belton Farm Etiquette 2 Etiquette Labels: TT-PA linerless label applicator Etiquette 3 HP Indigo’s WS6600 digital label press WS6600 Avery Dennison: ThinStream diecutting technology ThinStream

Edale Edale
UPM Raflatac UPM Raflatac
Etiquette 3 Etiquette 3
Andrew Hewitson Andrew Hewitson
Etiquette Etiquette
EFI EFI
ThinStream ThinStream
WS6600 WS6600
Etiquette 2 Etiquette 2


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