The first NOVOFLEX® CL CI-flexo press sold into the North American market will go to flexible-packaging converter The Robinette Co. of Bristol, TN. The press, manufactured by Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corp. (Lincoln, RI), will be shipped to the customer's Bristol plant in August for installation in September of this year.

Robinette, established in its current form in 1987, traces its roots back to 1938 when it was formed by Judge Robinette for printing and converting small paper bags. Today, the Bristol plant is a full-service flex-pack and specialty converting supplier.

The NOVOFLEX® CL is part of the recently introduced NOVOFLEX C series, W&H's latest generation of sleeved, direct drive, CI printing presses. The introduction of the NOVOFLEX CL and CM expands W&H's machine program to include two new presses designed for both wider printing widths and increased repeat lengths, allowing customers to choose between W&H's wide-web cylinder or sleeve technology. Robinette's 10-color NOVOFLEX CL is 53 in. wide and has a maximum repeat length of 49 in. It is also equipped with the new PORT-A-SLEEVE sleeve-handling system, EASY-SET automatic impression setting system and PROCONTROL TS Windows-based touchscreen.

The converter, which prints mostly with water-based inks, ran trials on a smaller W&H press in Germany which performed significantly better than competitors' presses, Robinette says.