The elimination of solvents, reduction of waste and faster time to press are the key to carbon footprint reduction for flexographic printers and converters. Asahi Photoproducts is showcasing its progress towards carbon neutrality for flexographic platemaking at LabelExpo Americas 2022 with its AWP-DEW CleanPrint plates which are well down the path toward achieving carbon neutrality.
In addition to displaying the complete line of CleanPrint plates suitable for high-quality label printing, Asahi is also unveiling its new water recycling unit, a breakthrough in sustainability and water conservation for flexo plate production.
The new water recycling unit is targeted for larger Asahi plate processing systems. It features an innovative filtering system that recycles up to 75% of the water used in plate processing, with only the remaining 25%, in the form of a slurry or sludge, to be disposed of. Forty percent of the additive used in the water wash remains in the filtered water, reducing the amount of additive required for processing subsequent plates.
Asahi AWP CleanPrint water-washable flexographic plates are processed without VOC-based washout solvents and deliver a faster time to press than VOC solvent-based plates. The plate technology’s ability to deliver high-quality print performance is a result of its engineered photopolymer chemistry design. The water-wash technology also features a low surface energy plate resulting in fewer press stops for plate cleaning for significantly improved press efficiency and reducing press waste.
Asahi says all of these elements make them the most sustainable flexographic plates in the industry. In addition, AWP-DEW CleanPrint plates deliver extremely high-quality print due to their precise registration and ability to deliver perfect printing balance between highlights and solids and full support for fixed colour palette printing.
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Asahi’s new water recycling unit features an innovative filtering system that recycles up to 75% of the water used in plate processing
