Students test new coated flexo cylinder

Students test new coated flexo cylinder
A new print cylinder that contains a patent-pending coating to absorb and displace energy was tested recently by students at Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) under the auspices of HarperScientific, both of Charlotte, NC, USA.
The cylinder, which contains a “performance enhancing coating” (PEC), was developed by Nu Tech Coatings of Johnson City, TN, USA. The cylinder is said to improve print quality by reducing or removing gear marks or banding, and improving tonal range. The PEC material can be applied to existing plate cylinders or supplied on new cylinders. The cylinders are available in the USA through HarperScientific and through Print Products Inc., of Fernandina Beach, FL.
“The print trial demonstrated dramatic results,” says Tony Donato, technical sales solutions manager at HarperScientific. “We confirmed that the PEC coating reduced plate bounce and increased tonal quality significantly. We also saw an increase in color density by 14 percent, compared with the same plate run on a conventional plate cylinder with the same anilox, ink and sub