TRESU Group, Germany, recently demonstrated the productivity, speed, and efficiency of its Flexo Concept press for corrugated packaging when it collaborated with Sappi, South Africa, to test the ultra-white and strength properties of the specialty paper manufacturer's Fusion® topliner.

Designed specifically for use with and on corrugated board, Sappi Fusion is an ultra-white virgin fiber topliner for bag-in-box and gift-box packaging applications. Fusion features an extremely bright white and flat surface after lamination. Prints and all types of print finishing are reproduced with a high level of quality, and brilliance. Fusion consists of primary fibers, providing advantages in addition to whiteness and glue savings. With precise folds and no discernible breaks, homogeneous packaging and displays can readily be constructed. In addition, Fusion is fully ISEGA-certified for direct contact with food. Fusion's ISO whiteness values of up to 125 make it ideal for food, beverage, and cosmetics applications.

To demonstrate these benefits, TRESU Group and Swedish converter FrontPac worked together to respectively print and produce samples of three-layered gift boxes featuring Sappi's 180 gsm, high-white Fusion topliner. The topliner was printed at TRESU's Technology Centre in Kolding, Denmark, using five colors plus UV spot-varnish, then cut into sheets inline on TRESU's Flexo Concept press. Running at speeds of 400 m/min., the press maintained precise register while achieving 175 lpi with minimal calibration or waste.

The sheets were then delivered to the Malmö (Sweden)-based printing house FrontPac, where they were litho-laminated on to a 110 gsm E-flute liner and a 180 gsm inner board and converted into gift boxes. 

Wiebke Perrey, marketing communication specialist at Sappi, noted that "with their proven expertise in high-performance presses for folding cartons, TRESU was the natural partner in our mission to demonstrate Fusion's aesthetic benefits and potential for supply chain savings. The TRESU Flexo Concept press exploits Fusion's printability to the fullest. The result is a pristine corrugated package presentation with flexographic quality that is indistinguishable from offset, and produced in a simplified workflow."

TRESU's Flexo Concept is a high-speed flexo press for web applications between 900 and 1,400 mm wide, with a wide range of complementary print and converting processes according to customer needs. These can include cold-foil, laminating, embossing, rotogravure, and rotary sheeting. Configured as either a roll-to-roll or roll-to-sheet press, the concept provides a high performance, single-pass solution for a host of high end packaging applications.

Allan Sander, VP, TRESU Solutions, said that "our collaboration with Sappi has enabled us to demonstrate the Flexo Concept's versatility as a web-fed single-pass inline solution for many high-end board converting applications. We are delighted with the outcome of this project."

Each of the Concept's flexo stations comes with TRESU's sealed chamber doctor blade systems that ensure direct, uncontaminated, and pressure controlled ink transfer, resulting in optimized drying efficiency, uniform ink deposits, and higher gloss values. Setup times are reduced thanks to long-life doctor blades that are exchangeable in one minute. 

Martin Enocson, managing director, FrontPac, said that "Fusion has generated strong demand from our customers in such diverse markets as bag-in-box beverages, luxury goods, cosmetics, and automotive parts. It brings stunning looks on the shelf and runs smoothly on the filling line. We're excited by this collaboration as it gives us the chance to show this paper's potential for strong branding and reduced system costs."