Pulse Roll Label Products | 107Paul Larkin, technical director Gary Seward, founder of Pulse Roll Label Products Paul Roscoe, managing director of Berkshire Labels at Hamilton Adhesive Labelsresult. So actually it makes the printer’s PureTone up and by the end of the process “Once you have life easier. But you do need other skills in had defned plates, inks and anilox rollers reprographics before it gets to the press.’ best suited to the system. Hamilton optimized each Refex Labels is currently running invested in a new laboratory and equipment PureTone on 50 presses and will gradually and spent a few months testing and element of the process, roll it out to the McFarlane operations. calibrating the laboratory to the presses ‘When we acquire a company like we and specifed anilox inventory. Today you can get a job on did with Mcfarlane, we are moving over the converter’s facility is equipped with press much quicker”in a steady and sensible manner to using multiple machines set up in exactly the PureTone. And because of the way it works, same way. you have got your analysis and can already changes dramatically depending on what ‘Everything marries into this determine pretty accurately how much color you print. For example, a Refex Blue measurement and control philosophy to less ink by volume we’re going to use as may need a 9.0 volume anilox to achieve make a predictive system where quality a business, which is good. So Puretone is color where a Warm Red may only require is the by-product of the system,’ explains a win from all perspectives such as cost 6.0 volume. The impact of this on quality Larkin. ‘You can only have a predictive saving, environmental beneft and reduction and downtime is signifcant. system if there is a high level of control in the amount of product being transported The aim was to identify if an ink in every single part. If the ink system is around the country.’ company could achieve suffcient color fundamentally fawed where you take using an 800lpi x 6.0 volume anilox against ink right out of the tub and it ranges Hamilton Adhesives Labels any color in the Pantone book. The benefts from 5-10 volume, you haven’t got a Hamilton Adhesive Labels has been would be huge If this could be achieved predictive system.’ operating in the UK label industry for more without compromise including: perfect In the fve years the converter has been than 25 years covering multi-color to plain solids, vignettes and fne type in the same using PureTone, Hamilton has perfected its labels. The PureTone ink system was integral plate; reduction in ink costs; reduction ink estimating formula and has achieved to the company’s strategy to achieve in downtime. around a 25 percent improvement in predictable print results. Continues Larkin: ‘The issues with overall effciency. Paul Larkin, technical director at traditional ink gets compounded when ‘When it comes to using more ink to Hamilton Adhesive Labels, began working multiple inks are mixed together. Predictive achieve suffcient color, it has a negative in the industry 47 years ago, a time software does its best, however a wide impact on the print, and no one has put when fexo was ‘not even a print process range of anilox rolls are required to cope. those two together except Pulse. Gary has recognized by the union in the UK’. He had Printers typically have to make multiple a strong printing background,’ Larkin adds.worked with rotary letterpress and litho and changes before achieving a commercially saw huge potential for fexo when anilox acceptable result. You are essentially Berkshire Labels rolls were invented. engineering waste into the system Berkshire Label has been in the label Larkin has focused on developing a straight away.’ business for nearly 40 years. The company predictive system for fexo that is accurate Larkin initially tested the PureTone expects to make a turnover around the frst time. Quality and effciency are system using a datum point anilox roll, this 14 million GBP (17.2 million USD) this by-products of the system. ‘However, the allows for an exacting starting point on year and employs 75-80 people. diffculty was that the ink industry never all presses. Pulse passed with fying colors It prints labels both fexo and digital, understood the beneft of the “common in rheology, viscosity, cure, gloss, fow, with the latter making up 40 percent of quality”,’ he explains. accuracy and hitting the common quality its revenue. The company specializes in ‘What do I mean by a “common quality”? volume, he says. self-adhesive labels, sticker sheets, shrink Typically, the pigment strength if ink It took Larkin about a year to set sleeves, wraparound reel-fed labels and Apr - Jun 2022