Italian reprohouse Inci.Flex has become the first operation to automate its flexo platemaking process with Esko’s new CDI Crystal 5080 XPS. With expertise in the flexible packaging, corrugated and label markets, Inci.Flex focuses on quality production. The company chose the CDI Crystal 5080 XPS to enable it to produce a flexo result that competes with gravure in a fast, cost-effective printing process.

Vincenzo Consalvo, CEO and Owner, says, “We want to be able to compete at the forefront of gravure quality with flexographic plate making. The CDI Crystal 5080 XPS will enable us to do that. We know it will also allow us to deliver a highly automated process. That goal has always been of key interest to Inci.Flex. We are always looking for ways to reduce human error that benefit the whole operation as well as shortening our production cycle time.”

Pascal Thomas, Esko’s Director Flexo Business adds, “The CDI Crystal 5080 XPS introduces parallel process steps that lead to 30% faster access to plate, as well as fewer manual steps and less requirement for operator intervention with the automated merge and transfer of LEN files. It is a simple and more consistent system.”

The latest investment by Inci.Flex is a continuation of a decades-long relationship with Esko that has been based on their joint vision and common execution of strategic developments in flexographic platemaking. As a result, Inci.Flex already runs two CDI Spark 5080s with Full HD Flexo, a Kongsberg XN 22 cutting table with the Digital Flexo Suite, as well as PackEdge, Artpro, Plato, DeskPack, Studio, Automation Engine, Imaging Engine and Color Engine.

The newly launched CDI Crystal 5080 XPS flexo platemaking system innovates flexo platemaking by uniquely and simultaneously exposing both sides of a flexo plate using UV LED heads. It also combines imaging and exposing. This results in 50% fewer manual steps, 30% faster access to plates and 73% less required operator time.

It has been designed to address the over-riding market pressures driven by smaller lot sizes and a growing number of SKUs. This requires fast plate turnaround to address this increasing demand for product versioning. It also brings higher quality to flexo, delivering better consistency, plate after plate, and is simple to use for operators at all skill levels.

The ease of job management is further enhanced with Automation Engine’s new Device Manager. It allows operators to see the status of jobs enabling the prepress department to prioritize and manipulate the queues to the imaging device.