DUPONT™ CYREL® DIGIFLOW The Next Great Advance in the Evolution of the Digital Workflow

DuPont Packaging Graphics www.cyrel.com/eu

WhaT Is DUPONT™ CYREL® DIGIFLOW? DuPont™ Cyrel® DigiFlow is a new digital work-flow enhancement that expands the capabilities of digital Cyrel® and digital Cyrel® FAST to deliver superior print quality and productivity. This relatively simple, inexpensive modification to the existing line of DuPont exposure units adds a chamber that allows the creation of a controlled atmosphere during the main exposure. As a result, Cyrel® DigiFlow enables flexographers to maintain an exact 1:1 reproduction of image elements on the plate for improved solid ink density.

Evolved from DuPont™ Cyrel® DigiCorr.DigiFlow evolved from the DuPont™ Cyrel® DigiCorr process developed for the corrugated segment. By creating a controlled atmosphere of nearly pure nitrogen—rather than the 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen composition found in the air we breathe—the DigiCorr exposure system produced digital plates with true 1:1 reproduction. The flat-topped dots produced by DigiCorr

proved to be ideal to minimize the ‘fluting’ found in corrugated printing, and print quality increased dramatically.

Cyrel® DigiFlow brings the benefits of the DigiCorr controlled-atmosphere process to the flexible packaging and tag-and-label segments. Cyrel® DigiFlow mixes a small amount of oxygen into the controlled atmosphere. The result is the ability to maintain a true 1:1 reproduction across a variety of thin digital plate types and in both solvent and thermal process workflows. This optimizes the benefits associated with solid screening programs such as HD Flexo Microcell, while also producing a hybrid (flat-topped) dot for those printers preferring an alternate dot profile.

Both retrofit and new units available at all sizes. The Cyrel® DigiFlow unit—which includes an atmospheric chamber and a control system to

produce controlled-atmosphere exposures— can be retrofitted to many of the existing DuPont exposure units and will be available in new DuPont exposure units of all three standard sizes.

On DuPont™ Cyrel® DigiFlow> CLICK hERE

For More Information

DuPont Packaging Graphics | DuPontTM Cyrel® DigiFlow The Next Great Advance in the Evolution of the Digital Workflow | Page 1

hOW DOEs DUPONT™ CYREL® DIGIFLOW WORK?Using Cyrel® DigiFlow is simple. • WhenaDigiFlowexposureisrequired,the

operator places the imaged plate in the modified exposure unit and identifies it as a DigiFlow exposure.

• Theupperportionoftheunit—containing the exposure lamps and DigiFlow frame— descends, and a five-minute atmospheric purge takes place. During this process, the standard room air is replaced by an atmosphere of highly concentrated nitrogen and a small amount of oxygen. This creates an inert atmosphere that negates the oxygen effect and results in 1:1 reproduction.

• Oncethepurgecycleiscompleted,the exposure takes place as usual.

• Whentheexposureiscomplete,thetopisraised and the nitrogen is simply and safely released into the room’s atmosphere.

• Theplateisthenprocessedinthesame manner as any other digital plate.

Cyrel® DigiFlow can easily vary the atmospheric mix required to achieve the perfect dot profile for the type of plate or plate-processing system beingused.Whileanatmosphereofnearlypure nitrogen is optimum for corrugated workflows, digital plates perform best when the ratio is about 99% nitrogen to 1% oxygen, regardless of whether solvent or thermal plate processing is used.

Using a nitrogen generator or readily available bottled nitrogen together with DigiFlow’s controlled mixing system makes it easy to reproduce the required atmosphere. Extensive testing has shown that the system produces consistent results, exposure to exposure.

Other benefits:• DigiFlowrequiresnoextrastepstooperate

and adds little time to the platemaking process.

• Thesystemisalmostfullyautomatedandrequires minimal maintenance.

• WhenaDigiFlowexposureisnotrequired,

the system is completely transparent. Turn it on when it’s needed, turn it off when it’s not.

Because nitrogen and oxygen are naturally occurring elements in our air, there is no additional waste stream as there is with film laminates.Whenanexposureiscomplete,theoperator simply releases the gases back into the atmosphere.

DuPontTM Cyrel® ETL Exposure Unit with Cyrel®DigiFlow Frame.

View DuPont™ Cyrel® DigiFlow Video> CLICK hERE

For More Information

DuPont Packaging Graphics | DuPontTM Cyrel® DigiFlow The Next Great Advance in the Evolution of the Digital Workflow | Page 2

WhaT BENEFITs haVE WE sEEN WITh DUPONT™ CYREL® DIGIFLOW? Exact 1:1 reproduction. DigiFlow’s precisely metered mixture of nitrogen and oxygen means that flexographers can maintain an exact 1:1 reproduction of every element in a digital art file when producing a digital photo-polymer plate from it.

Improvement in solid ink densities. Across all flexo segments, there is strong demand for higher solid ink densities and smoother solids with less pinholing. Cyrel® DigiFlow’s 1:1 repro-duction capability ensures that the full range of solid screening capabilities in current and future CTP workflows can be fully and effectively uti-lized with LAMs-based digital plates.

Outstanding fine text resolution. In certain types of print applications like security printing, the printing of extremely fine detail is a must and a true 1:1 reproduction digital workflow is one of the surest ways to achieve it. A Cyrel® DigiFlow-processed finished plate will hold type

as small as one point with sharply defined edges and no loss of definition to text elements like serifs. Dots throughout the tone scale have defined shoulders with uniform surface structures.

Maximized resolution from solid screening programs. Cyrel® DigiFlow retains the consistent dot formation and fine highlights and vignettes of the traditional digital workflow, while the effects of solid screening programs—like Esko’s Groovy Screens, HD Flexo Microcell and others—are maximized. Printed results show increased contrast and extended color gamut.

Recently featured in a FLEXO magazine article, the photos on this page show the improvements that DuPont™ Cyrel® DigiFlow can make.

about the DuPontTM Cyrel® DigiFlow system in FLEXO magazine> CLICK hERE

Read More

Digital plate surface showing an un-screened solid area exposed in air and processed through solvent processor.

Digital plate surface showing solid with the same solid screening applied as in photo #2. Plate was exposed in controlled atmosphere and processed through solvent processor.

Digital plate surface showing solid that has had solid screening applied. Plate was exposed in air and processed through solvent processor.

Printed result from unscreened solid area of a thermal process digital plate. Sample shows uneven cover-age and pinholing.

Printed result of thermal plate showing resolution of text elements down to one point.

Printed result from screened solid area of thermal process digital plate which was exposed in controlled atmosphere.

Photos 1-3 are taken with a Hirox camera at 350 X magnification. Photos 4-6 are taken through a stereo

microscope at 50 X magnification. All samples printed on opaque white polyethylene. Art: DuPont Packaging Graphics

4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3.

DuPont Packaging Graphics | DuPontTM Cyrel® DigiFlow The Next Great Advance in the Evolution of the Digital Workflow | Page 3

Copyright © 2012 DuPont. All rights reserved. The DuPont Oval, DuPontTM, The miracles of scienceTM and Cyrel® are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates.

CONTaCT UssIGN UP FOR

EMaIL aLERTs

RECOMMENDED DUPONT PLaTEs WITh CYREL® DIGIFLOW The DuPont™ Cyrel® DigiFlow system is an upgrade to—not a replacement for—your existing digital workflow.

Because the Cyrel® DigiFlow process takes place after all electronic prepress work and plate imaging has been completed, Cyrel® DigiFlow is fully compatible with all existing prepress workflows, computer-to-plate (CTP) imaging devices and digital plates that use an integral laser ablation mask (LAM) layer.

The digital front end and platesetter already in use are fully compatible, and there is very little difference between the standard digital workflow and the controlled-atmosphere work-flow.WiththeexceptionoftheCyrel®DigiFlow

modified exposure unit, all other equipment remains unchanged.

Cyrel® DigiFlow works with all DuPont™ Cyrel® digital and Cyrel® FAST plates. It is particularly well suited for use with Cyrel® DPR, the digital plate of choice for a wide variety of packaging segments; Cyrel® DFQ for the DuPont thermal platemaking process; and Cyrel® DFR, our next-generation high durometer plate. Those flexog-raphers using Cyrel® DFH will notice a major improvement in solid ink density with DigiFlow.

At DuPont, higher quality at high speed is our focus.Wehavesolutionstoallyourflexographicneeds. Click on the Contact Us button below to find out more about DuPont™ Cyrel® DigiFlow and how it can work for you.

On DuPont™ Cyrel® Plates and Platemaking systems> CLICK hERE

For More Information

www.cyrel.com/euDuPont Packaging Graphics