July 1998 Issue
Getting the Right Impression
By Kevin Carey, Diecutting Information Exchange Traditionally, ingenuity and individual invention led to product and service development, the creation of commercial opportunity, and an evolutionary change in consumer taste. As Thomas Edison observed: "No one asked me to invent the light bulb. "However, in a highly competitive global marketplace, in which consumers dictate volatile, short lived trends and demand faster and faster new product development, rapid technological innovation is essential to survival. In the diemaking and the diecutting industry the scope of change and the pace of transformation from old to new technology is accelerating. Fortunately, the diecutting process, although subject to progressive automation,
Hammering Out a Deal
Lucrative offers from North Carolina were enticing. But the icing on the cake that kept Hammer Lithographics in Rochester was the opportunity to work closely with and train its employees at RIT. New York state and Monroe County officials fought off enticing economic packages offered to Hammer Lithograph by North Carolina state officials to not only build a new plant there, but move the 85-year-old package printer's existing plant as well. But despite the lucrative offer and incentives tendered by Tarheel officials, it was the lure of the opportunity to work closely with, and actually build a facility adjacent to the campus of the
Pulling Off a UV Add-On
Before worrying about funding a UV retrofit, make sure the system fits your objectives and your press. By Susan Friedman You're a prime candidate for a UV retrofit if, like most package printers making the $100,000 investment, you run narrow-web flexo or offset, or seek one press with water-based and UV ink capabilities, say experts. It helps if the press to be enhanced is equally, if not more, retrofit-friendly than your budget. Other prerequisites include concrete system objectives and a more abstract ROI timeline. "A year ROI seems early because of the learning curve," says Mark Hahn, director of sales and marketing, AAA Press
When UV Needs TLC
It's quick and simple to maintain UV equipment, and the effort may make system problems easier to pinpoint. By Susan Friedman "It's the inks." "No, it's the equipment." "No, it's the inks." "No, it's the equipment." Diagnosing a UV curing problem can create a heated volley of probable causes. According to Jim Flynn, product manager, UV curing, Hanovia, initial detection of the problem is the easy part. "The usual sign that there is trouble brewing is when the UV system stops curing or you have to slow down to get a proper cure," he states. Then the going can get dicey, even with the
