FLEXO PRINTING MANUFACTURING FACILITY

Flexible packaging refers to any package or part of a package the shape of which can be readily changed. Flexible packaging includes, but is not limited to, bags, pouches, liners, and wraps utilizing paper, plastic, film, aluminum foil, metalized or coated paper or film, or any combination of these materials. Flexible package manufacturers are sometimes referred to as “converters.” The word “converted” in this use is an industry-specific term that refers to the fact that flexible packaging materials start out as rolls of paper or foil, or beads of plastic resin, and are “converted” into a package or roll of packaging material.
Flexography is a roll-feed web printing process. Flexographic printing is commonly used to print high volumes of labels and packaging. Presses can print on a variety of films, foils, papers, corrugated board, and paperboard and achieve speeds of 500 to 2000 feet per minute.

In the simplest and most common form, the flexo process consists of below mentioned components 1) Fountain pan / tray , 2) Fountain roll, 3) Doctor blade , 4) ink-metering ( anilox ) roll , 5) plate cylinder and impression cylinder, 6) Impression roll , 7) Substrate These are illustrated in the figure below. 4/17/2018 13 In the simplest and most common form, the flexo process consists of below mentioned components 1) Fountain pan / tray , 2) Fountain roll, 3) Doctor blade , 4) ink-metering ( anilox ) roll , 5) plate cylinder and impression cylinder, 6) Impression roll , 7) Substrate.
Products printed on flexo presses include adhesive and shrink-sleeve labels (bottle wraps); ice cream cartons; folding cartons; shopping bags; plastic bags; pouches; packets; gift wrap; tissue; envelopes; wallpaper; and disposable plates and cups.
Printing on flexible packaging is almost entirely conducted by rotogravure and wide- web flexographic printing. The ratio of rotogravure printing to flexographic printing among converters is approximately 1:4. Flexible packaging printers are likely to be included under SIC codes 2671, 2673, 2674, and 3497. Typical NAICS codes for this industry include 322221, 326112, 322223, 326111, 322224, 322225, and 332999. Flexible package printers could also be classified under other SIC and NAICS codes as well depending on other processes conducted at the facility.
Printing, coating, and laminating may all be performed on or in-line with a flexible package printing press and these activities are included in the source category. One portion of the flexible packaging industry provides fully printed packaging materials (designated “preformed specialty bags”) to contract packagers. Another portion provides combination or laminated materials (designated converted wrap) for printing and/or final packing by captive packaging operations. Applying coatings is a major capability of flexible packaging converters, so the same facilities may be used to manufacture non-packaging materials such as gift wraps and hot stamp foils. The industry makes a distinction between labels and wrappers, which are package components, from a product that becomes the entire package and should be called a flexible package. Any printing of shrink-wrap labels or wrappers conducted on or in-line with a flexible package printing press is also considered to be included under the flexible packaging source category. Printing of self-adhesive labels would not be considered flexible packaging.