Miraclon has announced the global launch of its most advanced plate technology to-date. The new FLEXCEL Prime plate, which is essentially a plate and film combination, enables performance levels that will help printers reduce press stops, improve plate re-use, and increase overall press up-time.
Reid Chesterfield, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at Miraclon, says: “Flexographic printing is operating in an environment of tighter tolerances and greater production demands than ever before. With Flexcel Prime, we set out to push the performance boundaries of the plate itself, reducing ink build-up and lowering impression requirements, which extend plate life. These measurable gains translate directly into increased efficiencies and more stable production on press.”
The new Flexcel Prime plate technology specifically introduces two key performance enhancements:
- a Lift Resist Formulation - engineered to improve plate drape and surface consistency - which eases mounting and re-mounting with reduced plate curl, supporting better plate reuse and contributing to wider press latitude. The plate’s optimized chemical structure requires lower impression and maintains consistent performance over time, helping reduce waste and improve overall equipment effectiveness.
- Stay Clean Properties, featuring reformulated plate surface characteristics to further resist ink build-up and drying during press runs. In combination with Miraclon’s triple-form plate surface patterning (PureFlexo Printing), this helps keep plates cleaner for longer periods, resulting in fewer press stops and easier cleaning between jobs.
Emma Weston, Chief Marketing Officer at Miraclon, adds: “The biggest sustainability gains in flexo happen in the pressroom. By helping plates stay cleaner longer, improving reuse, and maintaining performance with lower impression, Flexcel Prime enables printers to run longer and potentially faster, while maintaining the high print quality and consistency already associated with Flexcel NX Plates.”
Importantly, the new plate and film combination integrates seamlessly into existing Flexcel NX Systems, and the Seamless Fit Printing approach enables printers to run mixed Flexcel NXH and Flexcel Prime plate sets without reprofiling, curve changes, or workflow modifications.
In addition to the above, Flexcel Prime also streamlines plate room operations through other improvements in processing, inspection, and handling, including:
- faster plate production: a shorter de-tack/light finishing (UVC) step reduces processing time from approximately 20 minutes to around five minutes, increasing throughput;
- simplified inspection: high black-and-white contrast film improves visibility for faster content and orientation checks; and
- improved handling: operators peel the film from the plate rather than the plate from the film, simplifying delamination (this is particularly beneficial for larger plate formats).
The Flexcel Prime Plate is commercially available now and will be integrated with customers systematically in the coming months.
