Package Printing Goes 3-D Product
Chaska, Minn. – Printers and converters can manufacture 3-D and motion images for labels, packaging and other smaller format applications using lenticular flexographic printing, according to Barry Johnson, director of Lenstar.org.
Eastman Kodak Co.’s new Flexcel-NX Imagine System, combined with prepress and interlacing technology from Pixalen Studio, and rolled lens stock from lenticular-plastic extruder Pacur Inc., has made ‘direct-to-lens’ lenticular flexographic printing a reality. “These are all three key components that make this work,” says Johnson.
Dr. John Anderson, global future product marketing manager flexo for Eastman Kodak Co., Pittsburgh, says the imaging technology makes the plate different than anything up until now with flexo.
The technology uses a square beam, he explains, providing a pixel-for-pixel match from the digital file to the final plate. Current flexo lasers use a round laser beam. “A digital file has square pixels, so when you have a round beam trying to match square pixels, you won’t get one-to-one reproduction,” Anderson says. “If it doesn’t line up correctly the image will get blurred or you’ll see something you’re not supposed to see too early. The critical piece in this is having the one-to-one imaging and the repeatability to do it again and again.”
Anderson says prior to testing, the companies thought they’d be able to create only basic 3-D lenticular visual effects. “Now we have movement and other things and it’s becoming very sophisticated lenticular.”
“The industry has been looking for this type of product,” says Bruce Hammerbeck, vice president of marketing for Oshkosh, Wis.-based Pacur. “But it was virtually impossible to do until Kodak came out with its NX plate technology. Prior to this, we had not been able to work with the flexographic printers at all because they didn’t have the plate technology. If they did anything before, it was a multi-stepped process. Now it’s one stop.”
Pacur and Eastman teamed up to produce Lenstar Flexo, the new polyester resin developed specifically for the lenticular packaging market. Lenstar Flexo’s performance characteristics include lens brightness, ease in die cutting, toughness and ink adhesion.
Hammerbeck says Pacur can either hand-carry a complete solution to a printer, “or they can buy the rollstock from us, use their newly purchased Kodak system NX plates and then outsource some type of interlacing program.” Pacur produces four standard rolls widths, including 10, 13, 16 and 20 inches with 6-inch cores. Custom roll widths are also available.
The new process has brought costs down significantly, says Johnson. The flexographic material is less expensive from a manufacturing standpoint, “but the main reason is that we can now automate it because it’s on Web.”
“A lenticular label using offset as they do it today is typically four to five times the cost than if you can do it with flexo,” adds Anderson. “It’s now brought the cost of a label into the price range that’s applicable not just for promotional work for packaging but for day-to-day as well.”
This is a significant advancement for packaging, Anderson adds. “As customers walk down the aisle something moves to catch their attention and the moment they pick it up, the chances of it staying in their cart is significant. That’s one way lenticular will allow packaging to differentiate itself.”
