Narrow flexographic printing applications in the development of flexible packaging

Flexible packaging products in the flexographic printing market are generally printed on a wide-format flexo printing machine. This is mainly due to the following two reasons: First, the wide-format flexographic printing press has a higher resistance to printing. Can meet the requirements of mass printing. Second, the size of flexible packaging products is generally relatively large. Expanding size is about 0.6m.

but. Judging from the current situation, more and more flexible packaging products are gradually being printed using narrow-format flexographic printing equipment. This is inseparable from the current market's increasing demand for short-run prints. Compared with wide flexographic printing equipment. Narrow flexographic printing equipment is more flexible in the short print market. It is easy to meet production requirements. However, for narrow flexographic printing. There is still a long way to go in order to achieve a level of balance with wide-format flexographic printing in the flexible packaging field. Mike Lawrence, customer service manager of Mark Andy's printing press, believes that although narrow flexo printing has a relatively small market share in flexible packaging (as opposed to wide flexo and gravure printing), it has good The development prospects show a continuous growth trend.

Some people think that the gap between wide flexographic printing and narrow flexographic printing is gradually narrowing, but Dan Doherty, deputy director of production at the Prairie State Group in the United States, believes that the gap between the two is still quite large. He believes that in order to succeed in the field of flexible packaging, a narrow-format flexographic printing company must fully realize that the production of flexible packaging products requires the development of different skills and different ways of thinking in the field of flexible packaging. But this is not an easy task.

Insiders pointed out that the growth of flexible packaging market has promoted the development of narrow flexo printing. Jak Ob Landberg, deputy director of marketing at Nilpeter, said that the gap between wide flexo printing and narrow flexo printing is disappearing but the market demand is growing. With the increase of end-customers' demand for short-lived jobs and fast delivery. The annual growth rate of sales of Narrowbots flexographic printing equipment is expected to reach 20%. and. Investing in narrow-format flexographic printing equipment is also an effective way to increase the flexibility of printing companies.

FedericodAnnunzio, Managing Director of Italian GiDue Company, pointed out that wide-format flexographic printing and narrow-width flexographic printing have their own advantages. The former can better meet the needs of customers and specific products. The latter brought the -re innovative production model and enhanced the printing company's service level in the short-run printing market.

The flexible packaging market continues to grow
The latest research report of the US Freedonia Group shows that the average annual growth rate of the flexible packaging market in the United States exceeds 4%. It is expected that the sales volume of flexible packaging products processed in 2009 will reach US$14.4 billion. The Freedonia Group also predicts. Demand for stand-up bags in the U.S. market will increase at an average annual rate of 66%. It is expected that sales will reach 5.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2009. This will bring opportunities for many newly established companies. At the same time, the market's demand for bags with high barrier properties and repeatable opening and sealing will also increase. The increase in demand for ordinary bags is small. It is estimated that the average annual rate is only 25%. Before 2009, the average annual increase in the use of flexible packaging for food in the United States is 43%. The average annual increase in non-food flexible packaging is 37%. LesIie Gutland, vice president of Logotech in the US, pointed out that in the past 10 years, the flexible packaging market in the United States has maintained a steady growth trend. It can even be said that it has achieved great success on a global scale. Although the flexible packaging market in the United States will continue to face competition from the label and rigid packaging market, it is foreseeable that the flexible packaging market will continue to grow in the future.

For the flexible packaging market will continue to grow. Marco Calgani, vice president of Omet, Italy, also agreed. He believes that various new film materials have been launched. The continuous innovation of printing technology and various creative designs will greatly promote the development of flexible film packaging.

DckChesnut, head of the American WRChesnutEngineering Company, pointed out. Many flexible packaging products do not need to be printed at all. When we talk about the expected growth rate of the printing industry, we must make it clear that this is just a prediction for the part of flexible packaging that needs to be printed in the flexible packaging market. He also further stressed that the market share of flexible packaging in the future may also gradually expand. At least maintain the current level.

The United States Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) believes that the US soft packaging market prospects are very broad, and the market's annual growth rate is expected to reach 3% to 4% in the short term. The FPA also pointed out that the continuous development of high-barrier film materials, soft-packed flexible packaging bags with re-openable and sealed shrinkable packaging, etc., has also played a positive role in promoting the flexible packaging market. At the same time, FPA) fR letter can provide more opportunities for the flexible packaging market with the improvement of the flexible packaging design level and the suitability of printing materials. and. The flexible packaging industry will continue to develop to adapt to market changes and meet the needs of consumers.

With the development of the flexible packaging industry, a number of innovative technologies have also emerged, such as the ability to replace glass or hard metal cans of high-temperature cooking bags (also known as "soft cans") to control the gas or humidity in the package modified atmosphere packaging (MAP ) High-barrier flexible packaging materials, aseptic packaging, and food packaging bags for microwave ovens with self-discharging capabilities.

Why choose flexible packaging
Flexible packaging has many advantages, so there are many commodity manufacturers are willing to choose soft packaging as the packaging of goods.

One of the advantages is that flexible packaging technology has expanded the diversity of product packaging and decoration effects to bring about a new kind of visual and tactile effects, and the packaged products can stand out among many commodities. Due to Da Shao, consumers often pay attention to the appearance of the packaging when selecting goods, and the soft packaging delicate patterns and bright colors. Can greatly stimulate the consumer's desire to buy and promote the sale of goods.

Providing more convenience to consumers is another reason why commodity manufacturers choose flexible packaging. For example, food consumers in metal cans must use tools to open metal cans and eat the rest of the food when it is eaten. On the contrary, if you use reusable and sealed flexible packaging bags for food. It is very convenient for the consumer to reseal the remaining food after each serving.

Conducive to environmental protection is also one of the factors that make commodity manufacturers use flexible packaging as a commodity packaging. At present, some environmentally friendly film materials have been introduced on the market. And it is easy to recycle, and the soft packaging made of these films can well avoid environmental pollution. of course. There are many benefits to using flexible packaging. For example, to reduce the volume and weight of commodity packaging, to facilitate storage and transportation, save logistics costs; have a good shelf display effect of good visibility of goods: you can use high barrier composite materials, with good oxidation and moisture, moisture resistance , It can protect goods from external pollution and extend the shelf life of goods. Soft, not broken, easy to transport and load. Can effectively save storage and transportation costs; can also install zipper nozzle and laser cutting easy to tear mouth, compared with rigid container packaging. Soft packaging has a higher price/performance ratio. Dan Doherty, Deputy Director of Production at PrairIeState Group thinks. Compared with carton packaging. Soft packaging is more cost-effective. He uses frozen fish packaging as an example to illustrate that when using carton wrapped frozen fish, usually the fish is wrapped in transparent plastic film and then put into the carton. The use of flexible packaging does not require a carton. Saves material and saves production time.

Application of flexible packaging
Flexible packaging has a wide application area. According to the US FPA statistics, the US food industry is the largest application market for flexible packaging. Accounted for 55% of the total flexible packaging market followed by the non-food retail market (including health care, pet food personal care products and other industries) about 19% followed by consumer product packaging (including home storage bags, garbage bags, household films and foils Volume, etc.). About 10% of industrial product packaging (involving chemical products, agricultural products, construction materials, automobiles, etc.) accounts for about 9%. The share of the pharmaceutical industry is about 7%.

It is undeniable that food packaging occupies a very important position in the United States flexible packaging industry. This is mainly due to the fact that flexible packaging can improve the visual appearance of foods and extend the shelf life of foods. Time. Liquid chemical products, household daily necessities, cosmetics and other industrial products also occupy a large share in the flexible packaging market. For example, the use of motorized lubricants with flexible packaging and mouthpieces is very desirable. It is convenient for consumers to access and save.

Frank VacCa, President of American EagIe Flexible Packaging Co. mentioned. Many commodity manufacturers usually use flexible packaging when producing test samples so that they can send samples to customers through letters or magazines.

According to the US FPA survey statistics. Different types of flexible packaging account for different market shares, among them. Film packaging bags and stand-up bags account for about 81% of the market share. About 9% of various metal foils and their processed products account for about 10% of paper bags and multilayer composite bags.

In the field of food flexible packaging, the most widely used is a variety of packaging bags, followed by winding packaging (in this article refers to direct tightly wrapped or wrapped in the surface of goods such as ice cream packaging). However, the amount is far less than the former. At the same time the amount of film used for pallet packaging is also increasing. Can be used to package fast food, cut meat and other goods.

There is a big difference in the popularity of flexible packaging in different countries and regions, which is related to their geographical locations in countries where natural resources are scarce. Small bags are more prevalent. For example, the sales volume of small bags in Europe exceeds that of North America, but soft packaging in North America is also gradually moving in this direction. In addition, the wealth of a country will also affect the choice and application of packaging, such as in poorer countries and regions, commodity producers and consumers do not want to spend money on expensive packaging. in fact. For a suitable product market, flexible packaging should be a relatively low-cost way to display better packaging.
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Soft Packaging Challenges
In the past, narrow-format flexographic printing was mainly used for label printing and succeeded. For narrow flexographic printing companies, it is necessary to complete the transition from label production to flexible packaging production. First of all, we must have a deep understanding of the flexible packaging market because different film materials have different functions and should be selected according to the specific requirements of customers and products. In addition to the appearance quality, the requirements for flexible packaging are also very important in terms of sealing and barrier properties.

Secondly. Composite processes are also a considerable challenge. There are many materials involved in the composite processing process, whether it is metal foil or various thin film materials. Each has its own characteristics and processing requirements. The most important thing is that various materials must undergo rigorous testing. Only qualified materials can be used for production, otherwise it may cause quality accidents. However, compared with large composite flexible packaging processing enterprises. Most of the narrow flexo printing companies lack perfect laboratory and supporting equipment. It is difficult to complete the inspection work. This is also a learning process for narrow flexo printing companies.

Again, the printing inks used in composite flexible packaging should be carefully selected. Most of the flexible packaging on the market today requires composite processing. Therefore, inks that are compatible with the composite process (either online or offline) must be used during the printing stage. but. Narrow soft