March 30, 2017
In 2016, AICC launched a new course, “Flexographic Printing: Raising the Standard,” to a sold-out crowd of attendees eager to learn and develop better standards of printing on their flexographic press. In January 2017, AICC held its second course to another sold-out group of attendees, and as a participant in both courses, I was fortunate to learn not only about the value and importance of flexographic printing, but also of the need for education and training specific to this extremely important piece of equipment in a box plant’s arsenal of tools for printing better packaging.
“AICC’s Flexographic Printing Best Practices provided hands-on, realworld practices and advice that can equally benefit the naive and the experienced printers.” — David Glezman, sales associate, Weber Display and Packaging
This two-day course provides in-depth learning in all areas of flexographic printing, from pressmanship and inkto anilox, print plates, die cutting, and color. It uses both classroom-training format and hands-on learning using a flexo press at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C. This takes classroom knowledge and puts it into practice on a working machine. Jose R. Lopez Treho, assistant operator, Pratt Industries, said, “I had a lot of areas that I felt I didn’t have much knowledge of, but now after this seminar I feel more confident and able to achieve better success.”
Attendees perform a sheet check.
AICC’s course offered two experts—Kern Cox, lecturer and print expert in corrugated from Clemson University, and Scott Ellis, partner, P 2, to help attendees build processes that they can take back to their plant. Industry experts are also on hand for troubleshooting and providing feedback through the two days of training. Sabryna Chase, operator, Northwest Paper Box, said, “It was extremely empowering and validating to get feedback from experienced people in the printing business from all around the country and solutions to similar problems people were having. The contacts I now have from this seminar are priceless.”
This year’s trainers included: Roger Poteet, Poteet Printing Systems; Jason Cagle, MacDermid Graphic Solutions; Shane Weber and Katie Graham, Pamarco; Guy Earley, Stafford Cutting Dies; Norm Uress and Brian Sevigny, MeasureColor.
Each time we offer this course, AICC selects Associate Members to add value and expertise to the program. Their presentations are always noncommercial and educational. The Associates offer a depth of knowledge that is appreciated by attendees and a spirit of volunteerism that benefits the Association as a whole.
What is most intriguing is that no matter the level of experience in the industry—we had participants with experience ranging from less than a year to 29 years—every single participant told me how invaluable the training would be to improving their job performance.
AICC’s Flexographic Fundamentals course teaches the process of setting up standard operating procedures (SOPs) and helps each attendee identify the areas of focus, enabling them to get started on raising their own company’s standards when they return to the plant.
In the Impression and Registration portion of the course, attendees went through the Linear Problem-Solving Process to review the “anilox to plate” impression, registration from side to side (SS), and circumferential (CIR) and angle. “AICC’s Flexographic Printing Best Practices provided hands-on, real-world practices and advice that can equally benefit the naive and the experienced printers,” said David Glezman, sales associate, Weber Display and Packaging. The details from first sample and testing removed the guesswork
and outlined examples of what the plate might look like and how to troubleshoot and fix the problem. I truly understand the meaning of “it’s all in the details.” The first step in the process of printing involves paying attention to the details and understanding the why behind prepress work that is consistent and practiced.
Participants learned in the classroom and on the plant floor during Flexographic Printing: Raising the Standard.
This is just one small component of this two-day course, but an in-depth understanding of ink, followed by training on anilox rolls for consistent ink delivery, led to discussions and knowledge-sharing between attendees and experts. One of the most valuable parts of every program is the sharing of information among attendees. This course lends itself to firsthand knowledge of best practices from company to company in addition to a review of them, when an expert shows them a better way or identifies problems that may occur with the “old” way.
When it comes to your best printing, the Flexographic Fundamentals course takes away all the excuses. Alexandra O’Brien, sales associate, Kemiart, said, “By thinking of and making changes and implementing new procedures, first we must suffer through failure before we can see what we need to do in order to be successful. The course I attended has helped me see what is possible.”
It’s not always the paper or the ink. Many times it’s the process or the lack of cleaning an anilox roll correctly; it may be the plate and how it was stored, or the treatment used to clean and protect the plate.
By now, attendees have returned to their plants and begun implementing processes that are achieving great success, and companies are seeing improvements in printing on a consistent basis.
AICC will offer Flexographic Printing: Raising the Standard again, June 20–21. Registration is now open. Visit www.aiccbox.org/production for more information.
Taryn Pyle is director of training, education, and professional development for AICC.
