Autoprint has the distinction of pioneering the manufacture of sophisticated printing and post press machines with an eye for the Indian print industry market but with the quality and engineering tolerances as well as features that enable it to supply globally, and especially to other parts of Asia. The company generally seeks to fill gaps and pain points for the Indian industry by combining automation and digital technologies at its R&D center in Coimbatore.
This time Autoprint has come up with an innovative solution for large commercial printers and book exporters and packaging printers that need to sustainably provide special textured and haptic effects on their prints using drip-off coatings. For years, lamination has been used to protect printed matter and enhance print value. However, there is an increasing concern about the environmental impact of traditional lamination methods. The durability of lamination has also been questioned.
Addressing these issues effectively while enhancing the visual appeal of the printed material such as book covers and monocartons, Autoprint’s innovative Fine Coat 105 satisfies the customer need for higher productivity and additional safety features with the design of its UV drip-off double coater in the 105 format (30 x 40-inches).
In my short visit to Pamex in Mumbai earlier this year, this was the postpress ancillary machines that stood out. Speaking about my general reluctance to praise machines at first look, I wrote, “However, I will take a risk and reveal only that there is a very interesting machine at the show which is a drip-off coating press that will come in very handy, even for carton converters who already have long presses with extra units for drip-off coatings on them. Of course, the converters are smarter than me, but it would make sense to have an Indian-manufactured, reliable, and efficient drip-off coating press that can add value to several multicolor presses.”
First Fine Coat 105 UV drip-off coater to Warner Printers in Bengaluru
Autoprint received an overwhelming response for its UV drip-off coating machine at Pamex. It is the first time a dedicated offline drip-off machine is available in India in the 105 format. The company bagged four orders from Indian print businesses and has a good number of leads in hand. The first machine is scheduled for installation at Warner Printers in Bengaluru in mid-June.
The Fine Coat 105 Drip off & UV coating machine is suitable for a variety of UV coating applications such as drip-off and texture coatings including soft-touch coatings. It can also be used for full-sheet UV, aqueous, flood coating, spot coating, and spot-not coating. Among its carton and packaging applications, apart from the drip-off and special haptic effects, blister and barrier coatings can also be done viably without having to invest in long presses with double coaters.
The innovative double coater has a maximum sheet size of 30 x 40 inches, a specially made and configured stream feeder that enables the entire process to efficiently handle substrates to 600 gsm. The 8,000 sheets an hour machine contains an alcohol-dampening system and an automatic roller coater with changeable anilox rollers for a variety of UV coatings. The double coater is connectable to UV and IR driers with an automatic stacker and for maintenance, the gripper system can be taken out for cleaning.
Autoprint has built up an enormously positive reputation globally over the past 30 years with its desktop presses, multicolor presses and die-cutters, and inspection machines. Its reputation for straight-talking and transparent selling has helped it reach a worldwide installed base of 13,500 machines, thus far.
