Miraclon launches drop-in NXH alternative solvent plate

First revealed exclusively to FlexoTech at drupa 2024, Flexcel Prime – a new solvent flexo plate technology from Miraclon – has today been launched to the market.

The manufacturer sees Prime as eventually superseding the existing Flexcel NXH plate, which it says Prime can seamlessly replace in printers’ operations without requiring the major upheaval of press profiles and settings that are generally expected from a change of flexo plate.

Emma Weston, chief marketing officer at Miraclon, told FlexoTech: “It’s an absolute nightmare for printers to switch from one plate to another. If you have to build up a new set of profiles and press settings, it’s a huge amount of work. Most of all, customers worry about how to transition all their legacy jobs.

“By making Flexcel Prime a seamless fit, with exactly the same print characteristics as NXH, it means they can put a legacy job on press, and it will print without you seeing a difference. It sounds easy but it’s really difficult to create a plate that does that. I’m not aware of any company that has ever manufactured a new plate that’s fully interchangeable with something in their portfolio.”

Suitable for a wide range of applications, from labels to flexible packaging, but not direct to corrugate, the new plate is “better, not different” to the Flexcel NXH plate, according to Miraclon. Stated benefits are a new “Lift Resist” formulation that gives improved mounting and re-mounting through better plate drape characteristics and surface consistency; and “Stay Clean” properties, with surface characteristics that resist ink build-up and drying during press runs, resulting in fewer press stops and easier cleaning between jobs.

Flexcel Prime plates can be produced using existing Miraclon Flexcel NX systems, requiring only the installation of a new media profile by Miraclon on customers’ Flexcel platemaking machines. The plate is optimised for LED exposure.

Producing Flexcel plates is a two-step process involving firstly imaging to a film material, and Miraclon said the film has also been redeveloped. The new Flexcel Prime Film is black, not green as before, and provides better black-and-white contrast, said Ms Weston, so that users can see more clearly what’s on the film before exposing the image to the plate material – helpful for content and orientation checks. She added that in the development process, the company has also been able to make its supply chain of raw materials more robust, bringing added certainty to manufacturing continuity.

Miraclon plans to increase adoption of Flexcel Prime on a rolling basis and expects that many customers will switch permanently once they experience the performance benefits and direct interchangeability of Prime with their NXH plates. Companies that are certified Flexcel NXH users will also be re-certified with Prime on a rolling basis, as their certification anniversary comes round.

Field validation

The launch of Prime is the culmination of four years of R&D and field validation, and Miraclon reports that the plate has already had extensive utilisation in live production, being used in more than 5,000 commercial jobs at over 30 customer sites in 14 different countries.   

“So far, we have found in all our trials that people have just been able to put the new plates on, and they have not had to adjust their files or the press settings, impression settings or ink viscosities,” said Ms Weston. 

One such customer is German printer Heyne & Penke Verpackungen, which has worked with its prepress partner Köstlin Prepress Services on testing the new Miraclon plate, before implementing it in 2024.  

Joscha Schmidt, head of purchasing for printing tools at the firm, commented: “The decisive factor for us was its stable integration into our existing workflows – from data preparation to plate mounting and printing. Flexcel Prime integrated reliably into our processes and delivered consistent, reproducible performance. The technical support from Miraclon, combined with close coordination with Köstlin, made the introduction efficient and straightforward. Flexcel Prime provides a reliable process foundation for standardised and efficient flexographic production.”

In the US meanwhile, fellow printer The Robinette Company has also been working with Flexcel Prime, reporting improved on-press performance and increased plate durability. General manager for flexible packaging at the company Craig Hillyer hails a “most notable benefit” of a 23% reduction in overall downtime, due to the decrease in press stops required for plate cleaning. He added that better ink release and less build up on the plates have helped the business keep consistent print quality over longer runs.

“What truly impressed us was how easily we were able to switch to Flexcel Prime,” he said. “We could use the new plates without needing curve adjustments or colour management. We can also swap them with Flexcel NXH plates; we’ve completed several mixed runs. The compatibility between the two plates has made the transition smooth and cost-effective.”

Flexcel Prime plates are available in the same formats as NXH. Miraclon’s Flexcel NXC plate for corrugated applications is unaffected by the launch of Prime.