Among the 458 exhibitors and nearly 12,500 attendees at September's Labelexpo Americas 2002 trade show, one thing was clear: A new sense of optimism is taking hold in the converting industry. Plenty of capital equipment was purchased off the show floor, and in general, both labelmakers and their suppliers are ready to put the economic downturn behind them.

For Converting's editors, three days of aisle-trodding, press conferences, exhibitor interviewing and Show Daily production yielded a wealth of product data. Herewith, we offer a "photo-album look back" at the year's biggest label and narrow-web industry event.

In the labelmaking world, presses aren't just for printing anymore. Digital technologies and new capabilities are making presses into complete converting systems. Higher productivity is the driving force.

Mark Andy's new LP3000 press is a prime example (Enter 210). It features Quick Load plate-loading, updated Quick Change ink carriage, constant-turning anilox rolls, 40-in unwind/rewind, and One Touch electronic controls. Offered in 10-, 13- and 17-in. widths, the LP3000 runs at speeds to 750 fpm. British Columbia-based Associated Labels purchased the system and expects delivery soon. Another unit will be built for Mark Andy's Switzerland showroom for European customer review, the company says.

The DT Series (Enter 211) presses combine what many industry observers see as a functional union of flexo and digital print. The concept of a Mark Andy 2200 flexo press, digital ink-jet print station and laser diecutting lets converters follow the same operating principles as traditional flexo production, without the learning curve typical of other digital print methods. The first DT Series is undergoing beta testing in Europe. A second and third system is available stateside now, Mark Andy reports.

Advancements in a totally digital press were displayed by HP Indigo's ws4000 (Enter 212). The 7-color label press (formerly the Omnius Webstream) now reaches print speeds of 52.5 fpm for full-color or 105 fpm for 2-color. Finishing options from digital diecutting and UV overvarnish to cold-foil stamping are offered via the in-line Omega Systems Digicon 330. Along with beta sites in Germany, Holland and Canada, a ws4000 was purchased by Tapp Technologies at Labelexpo Americas.

In the trend of doing more via combo printing, Chromas/Aquaflex's Instant Change Technologyw plat-forms (Enter 213) feature two new capabilities. The ICT foil cassette can be interchanged with any regular flexo-printing unit on the press, rather than typically at the line's end. Driven by the impression cylinder, the cassette features moveable unwind/rewind towers. The ICT rotary screen cassette, which also runs on any flexo-print station, slides in/out for configuration flexibility. Cleanup and setup are done offline, further boosting productivity.

PCMC In-Line Systems officially went "narrow" at Labelexpo Americas with its introduction of the Webtron X-10e label press (Enter 214). Features of the Webtron 750 have been incorporated into a reengineered platform for the system's 10-in. print width. With reportedly the industry's shortest web path, the X-10 includes a stiffer printhead and frame, improved drying and overall registration/print quality improvements.

Waste reduction is the hallmark of Gallus Inc.'s new RCS 330 press (Enter 215) that lets converters change images on the run with a "flying imprint" function, the company says. Unit construction and servo drives synchronize a print station in register while the press continues in production. The anilox and sleeve cylinder are first inserted, and then accelerated to press speed. The machine controls indicate when the next image is in correct register position, and finally the unit with the new image is engaged. The whole process is said to take less than 90 sec and produce only 15-30 ft of waste material.

It's not just labelmaking anymore. New substrates, inks, coatings and adhesives abounded at Labelexpo Americas, displaying a growing list of materials to meet the broader, more complex requirements of narrow-web converters today for everything from flexible webs to carton boards.

Yupo Corp. debuted its new YUPO IMLe (Enter 218) synthetic labeling paper, which reportedly offers lower adhesion temperatures for reduced shot-cycle times of 7-15 percent. IML is said to increase productivity and cut energy costs for blow molders because it also allows other types of plastic bottles to be in-mold-labeled due to lower operating temperatures. The biaxially oriented synthetic paper provides a smooth surface for superior printing, Yupo says.

On the security front, Appleton Papers developed TechMarkw Taggant intelligent papers (Enter 219), which feature unique, embedded, identifying characteristics to help prevent counterfeiting, alteration and piracy of branded products. Visible under UV light, the taggants allow for quick verification. TechMark can also be formulated with covert codes, readable only by the company's Vericame system to con-firm the authenticity of a product or document.

Pantone, Inc., and Sun Chemical Inks announced the Authorized Pantone Hexachrome Printer Program (Enter 220) for the North American narrow-web, flexo label-printing market. Pantone, provider of profes-sional color standards, and Sun Chemical will team up to provide printers with the necessary technical training and support to take advantage of the Pantone Hexachrome printing process with specially formulated Sun Chemical inks and coatings.

ExxonMobil Chemical introduced its Label-Lytew 85 LP-200M BOPP film designed to replace metallized paper in water-based, cold-glue, cut-and-stack labeling applications (Enter 221). Reportedly the first film to run on most paper-labeling systems without machinery or adhesive modifications, the 85 LP-200M is targeted at the beverage, food and household-chemical markets.

Label adhesives were the emphasis at National Starch&Chemical Co. (Enter 222). Two of its offerings include: NACORw 38-463A waterborne, tackified, acrylic, p-s adhesive for film and paper labels in applications down to -20 deg F.; and NACOR 38-503A waterborne p-s adhesive for optical clarity and moisture-resistance in decals and prime labels for beverage bottles.

Just prior to the show's opening came news of Finland-based UPM-Kymmene's $420 million purchase of the MACtac materials business from Avery-Dennison. The acquisition will be teamed with UPM-Kymmene's Raflatac division to increase the supplier's global leverage in all product ranges, especially boosting North American market share for label stocks, the company says. MACtac (Enter 216) offers complementary p-s materials, as well as graphics, decorative and technical products to Raflatac's (Enter 217) existing base of prime-label stocks.

Along with complete press/converting systems and the materials to feed them, a strong supporting cast of components, accessories and prepress equipment was on-hand at the show. Suppliers had all the bases covered for retrofitting older machinery, adding new capabilities or moving into the world of digital workflows and CTP platemaking.

The newest member of Esko-Graphics' CDI digital platemakers, the Spark XT, was shown with DeskPack, a new label workflow that uses standard desktop applications (Enter 223). The Spark XT, developed specifically for the label market, images DuPont Cyrelw and other digital photopolymer plates in sizes up to 48 x 35 in.

Going gearless with a drives and controls upgrade was the emphasis for Bosch Rexroth Corp. and its SYNAX200 shaftless-driven technology (Enter 224). The digital singular drives are said to reduce production and assembly costs in printing, folding, winding and embossing units. Electronic gears end the need for mechanical retooling and let operators set machines for a format or product change and adjust register quickly and easily. Heightening registration accuracy and eliminating gear backlash combine to increase quality while cutting waste.

On-press inspection gets a boost from Advanced Vision Technology's PrintInspector/Prima system (Enter 225) for 100 percent inspection over all labels on moving webs between 2 and 16 in. wide at press speeds up to 600 fpm. Errors in color, text, register, spots, streaks, misprints and faulty bar codes can be detected down to pixel levels, AVT says, as well as problems with missing labels and defective matrix removal. The company also showed its new ProoFit system, which allows printers to use PDF data as a digital "master" to compare plates, screen prints, film, printed work or other digital data.

Off-press inspection of finished jobs is the task of Print Vision Systems' new Validatore (Enter 226). The system provides 100 percent inspection and unidirectional slitting/rewinding in a single pass. Capable of handling webs up to 20 in., the unit runs at speeds to 650 fpm. Options include bar-code verification, numeric counting and ink-jet numbering for FDA approval purposes. The Validator offers a good balance of technology and equipment cost, the company says.

This article is not intended as a comprehensive review of all new products at Labelexpo Americas 2002. Consult our monthly Product Focus and New Technology departments for the latest introductions.