The Filmtone process allows for holographic effects and patterned images to be reproduced in the clear varnish coating of a printed sheet.
This revolutionary application technique will allow for completely new design ideas to be realised in the areas of cartons, greeting cards, books and labels and general commercial printing from corporate branding and security.
The pattern can be text, logo’s or a haphazard pattern
The module can be fitted to most printing machines in the 74 and 105 format range. The units required can be two print units or one print unit and one coating unit. The positioning can be anywhere on the press depending on the desired finished effect, although normally this will be on the delivery end.
The Filmtone process allows for a clear etched film to run between the blanket cylinder and the impression cylinder of a litho or coating unit. A litho duct UV varnish is applied on the litho unit with a normal litho plate in the position required and comes into contact with the film on the second unit. The etch on the film is pressed into the surface of the varnish by the blanket cylinder and both are held together around the first quadrant of the impression cylinder where the varnish is dried by a UV source. The film is then peeled off the varnish and rewound on the rewind unit. The pattern on the film is translated as an image in the varnish.
Where a plain smooth film is used, a high degree of gloss (lux) can be achieved with a fraction of the coating weight necessary on a conventional coating station with a considerable cost saving. The film is reusable several times over. Positioned on the last print unit and first coating unit of a press the system can be run inline with the print achieving Foiltone’s philosophy of single pass processing.
Run inline with Foiltone, it is possible to give a holographic effect on coloured foil utilising low cost plain silver cold foil.
Application speed is the normal speed of the lithographic printing press.
When film is not being applied, normal printing with ink can be conducted with the time to change from film to printing being the time taken to wash down and ink up the unit.
The standard Filmtone™ module consists of a four axis unit, two unwind and two rewind, each controlled by DDR servo motors to enable two webs of film to run on two units of a press without being invasive to the press. The Filmtone unit has no mechanical connection to the printing press and there are only three electrical connections. The film web is driven by the direct drive servo motors controlled by a tension system. The web of film passes around a series of rollers one of which operates in an arc and moves dependent on the tension applied to the film. When film is not being applied the units can be used for their original application without any mechanical or electrical change.