Flexomaid (Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec) has received the 2016 FTA Technical Innovation Award for its Aeromaid cleaning technology. Flexomaid and its sister company InkSpec are both owned by PAD, Peripheral Advanced Design Inc. InkSpec is the world leader in automatic viscosity control for flexography and gravure printing, having supplied state-of-the-art ink viscometres to press manufacturers in Europe and the Americas for 30 years. This is the second time PAD has won this award. It was recognized in 2007 for its InkSpec intelligent viscosity control system for central impression or inline flexo printing that requires no regular maintenance and with no moving parts that can break or clog.
“When we decided to move forward with this idea, we knew it had huge potential,” said Éric Thibault, Flexomaid’s Business Development Director. “This award confirms, once again, that our equipment and detergents really improve the efficiency of our customers’ operations. For us, that’s what matters most. We’re extremely honoured by this prestigious award. The company added that Flexomaid was “the logical next step in PAD’s efforts to assist printers. Just as ink viscosity control is critical to colour consistency, clean cylinders are key to optimizing print quality, production time and costs. Flexomaid’s cutting-edge system, Aeromaid, delivers truly clean anilox and gravure cylinders thanks to its unique features.”
These features include:
• Contactless deep cleaning for any cell volume, line screen or surface geometry.
• Cleaning head does not spray any solid media or generate any wet residue.
• Affordable and eco-friendly technology, safe for bearings, gears, aluminum and sleeves.
The patented head automatically measures the length and diameter of the roll before the cleaning cycle to determine precisely how much detergent is needed – often just a few millilitres – minimizing fluid consumption for considerable savings. This waterless technology eliminates the need for water filtration or waste-water disposal systems. The biodegradable soy-based detergents effectively remove UV, water-based and solvent-based inks. Fresh detergent solution is used in each cleaning cycle. Reduced cleaning times also result in decreased downtime and increased productivity.
