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18/10/2016: CRON builds on drupa success at All In Print with enhanced and expanded star products

Two key products, successfully launched at drupa 2016, will take pride of place on the CRON stand in Hall N2, stand N2A239 at the 6th All In Print exhibition in China. Both have been enhanced by feedback gained from the initial showing.

CRON EZcolor, an intelligent printing solution which digitally controls ink values, will have its debut in the Chinese market with expanded functionality which brings a seamless workflow from job creation to automatic print production.

"EZcolor had a fantastic reception at drupa,” states Derek Sizer, Regional Director for CRON. “The product’s objective is to dramatically improve the competitiveness of conventional offset over digital print for fast turnaround and short runs. Working in conjunction with CRON’s automated CTP and workflow solutions EZcolor makes a sea change in pressroom efficiency and paper-waste reduction."

EZcolor is extremely easy to use due to its creative design and intuitive operation. The heart of the system is an enclosed manifold which replaces the ink duct on any conventional offset press. Being enclosed, the EZcolor system eliminates ink contamination and the problems associated with open fountain systems of viscosity changes through solvent evaporation.

Inside the EZcolor enclosure, high performance, micro-pumped ink jets exactly meter ink directly onto the first forme roller. Control of the jets is via CIP3/CIP4 data working in conjunction with an Expert database which predicts the exact ink demand under specific printing conditions. The resulting control over ink volume, to a tolerance of +/-1%, keeps a balance of ink-feed and consumption, hence ensuring a higher colour consistency on all printed jobs and immediate compliance with ISO standards.

The full benefits of EZcolor are realised by the new Pre-Print Automation System which integrates all elements of the digital workflow to provide ‘one-click’ printing. The system handles all incoming documents providing press scheduling, imposition, error correction, CTP-ready output and the control of ink values for immediate press start up and efficient product delivery.

The total package is completed by a Lean Production Management System which promotes optimum workflow efficiency, maintaining dynamic interaction across a local area network of all production units, automatically calculating the time taken for each assignment as well as the expected finishing time. Using ‘kanban’ principles, the system identifies and eliminates workflow bottlenecks so that problems can be solved before they have an impact, thereby optimising job production and providing ultimate productivity and competitiveness.

The new CRON HDI Flexo CTP solutions are designed to help label and packaging printers meet the demands for higher quality, lower costs and increasing pressure on environmental issues. All of this against a backdrop of demands for faster-turnaround and pack-flexibility requirements for special offers and seasonal changes.

The new CRON HDI Flexo units are available in a variety of formats from 900mm for label applications to 1600mm for general packaging work. They are compatible with all digital photopolymer plates, ablative films and polyester-based letterpress plates.

Three versions of each model are available to enable users to tune production to their particular needs with high performance "H" variants having a maximum resolution of 9600 dpi and a speed of 3.2 square metres per hour. The exposure platform has been adapted from CRON’s latest magnetic linear drive system which has gained much praise in the offset CTP market for its ability to image accurate and high quality dots from 1-99%.

To reduce plate waste, HDI Flexo platesetters have a unique laser guided system for plate positioning and automatic loading. There is also an option for partial imaging or four-color mixed-separation output to improve imaging efficiency and reduce plate costs. As the flexo plate exposure is an ablative process, all HDI Flexo units are fitted with high volume suction fans to safely remove dust particles to an on-board sealed storage system, eliminating any potential contaminants.

"Using tried-and-tested technology, HDI units provides fault-free, high quality flexo imaging at a fraction of the cost from the competition,” comments Sizer. “Whether it’s a first venture into flexo CTP or a replacement for existing equipment, the new CRON HDI units will simply make our customers more profitable!"

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