The Goss Packaging Technology Center (adjacent to the company’s Durham, New Hampshire, headquarters) will demonstrate the company’s packaging presses, facilitate tests, and foster development of advanced package printing.
Increasing pressure
Greg Norris, marketing communications director with Goss, told FoodProductiondaily food firms, and especially their packaging producers, are faced with the challenge to meet faster turnaround times, produce higher-quality packages, and create more dynamic containers than ever before.
“At the same time, they are also under increasing presses to reduce costs,” he said. “These challenges should drive them to take a closer look at our new-generation web offset solution as an alternative to flexo, sheetfed, and gravure."
Peter Walczak, Goss director of product management, told FPD the center demonstrates the company’s growing commitment to the food packaging industry.
“Converters and brand owners are looking for lower costs, higher print quality, easier repeatability, faster turnaround times and shorter run lengths,” he said. “We have created a facility to demonstrate our Vpak web offset technology and also to generate and test new concepts for improved packaging printing.”
Printing press
The company’s Vpack 500 web offset press, configured to print a range of packaging items, is on hand at the center. In addition to testing packaging configurations, the 7,000-square-foot center enables food brand owners, package converters, and suppliers to network to explore market demands and print production ideas.
The Vpak press at the Packaging Technology currently has seven web offset units, with EB and UV curing and flexo coating capabilities. It can print on film substrates from 9 to 75 microns thick, and board substrates as thick as 100 gsm.
Additionally, the demonstration press handles web widths of up to 850 mm (33.5 inches), and its repeat range is from 406 to 812 mm (16 to 32 inches).
Global customers
The Packaging Technology Center will welcome customers in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In addition to conducting press demonstrations, testing, and training, the facility is open for suppliers looking to test inks, chemicals, and other web-offset packaging production technology.
Minnesota-based Precision Press (USA) installed the first Vpak 500 press in the field last year, planning to use the machine for production of labels and flexible packaging. Additionally, Goss plans to ship a wider-format Vpak 3000 press in May to a customer planning to produce boards.
The Vpak press lines are designed to produce folding cartons, flexible packaging, and labels. Features include quick-change sleeve adapting (which reportedly facilitates efficient, cost-effective size changes), and advanced offset inking, tension and controls.