Bristol printer Philtone has fitted a Compact Foilers cold foiling system to its Speedmaster XL106.
The CF10000 PM will improve production of carton board packaging where foil is in high demand to boost on shelf impact and sales. When in use one unit applies an adhesive to the substrate which is then pressed against the roll of foil on the following unit, transferring the foil at press speed.
“In theory it could run at 18,000sph,” says Philtone sales director Steve Spencer. “In practice we run at 14,000-15,000sph. We can either leave it as silver or overprint with UV inks.”
The press the UK designed and built foiling system is fitted to is a five-colour XL106 that Philtone installed in 2016. It will be put to use on a specific job, says Spencer. “We have a substantial contract for cold foiling and needed to bring the capability in-house.”
To fulfil that requirement, Philtone looked far and wide before discovering the solution was to be found in Taunton, only a few miles along the M5. “We discovered the solution for on our doorstep, though we hadn’t heard about them previously. They have been brilliant with the installation and training.
“It gives us a niche and opportunity that others cannot reach. It appears on greetings cards, which we do not produce, and you see foil being used in healthcare packaging and compared to hot foil, this is fully recyclable.”
The installation was followed by a steep learning curve. This is reduced by some of the technology on the press including Siemens drive and control technology that manages tension control and maximises foil usage while a roll loading system eliminates the need for a crane or other handling equipment.
Philtone needed to understand the optimal settings for the adhesive and substrates interacting with blankets and pressures. Now the company can move from jobs requiring foil to straight running and back again in the same shift. “Once everything has been set up and in balance, which took a bit of a painful trial and error process to get right, it is a brilliant technology,” he adds.
Compact Foilers CEO Tim Self adds: “Our units are designed to be retrofitted to all makes of printing press. We take care of the installation, any modification, and all control integration to maintain the integrity and safety of the press. The modules match the high production speeds and operate in complete harmony with the latest sheet fed offset presses, leaving the operators to focus on their normal duties.”
Philtone is joining an exclusive club in the UK with on press foiling capability. As well as packaging and greetings cards, the technology has applications in vouchers, invitations, and certificates. It is packaging where this has the greatest potential. Products that are enhanced by foil have 80% more consumer appeal and a 25% lift in shelf off take, according to research among shoppers.
