Pack Expo Las Vegas 2007: Greydon Shows 5 New Printing Systems


York, PA, August 6, 2007 - Printing/encoding manufacturer Greydon, Inc. will demonstrate four new inline printers and one new offline printer (shown for first time at Pack Expo) for medical device, pharmaceutical and food applications at Pack Expo Las Vegas 2007 October 15-17 in booth C-6325. The inline printers include: a direct thermal transfer printer, a system that combines a traversing flexographic printer with ink jet printing capabilities, an affordable ink jet case printer, and a servo-driven flexographic system with a revolutionary patent-pending web handling system called Advance Trax. The company is also showing its innovative fast taped bag loader for meat and cheese applications.

New offline printer - first time shown

As an alternative to buying pre-printed labels - or to buying a printer for each packaging machine in a multiple line application, Greydon is introducing a new offline printing system. Capable of printing up to four colors on either side of a substrate, the new offline system consists of an unwind/rewind unit complete with corona treater, drier, flexo presses and thermal printer.

"An offline system is advantageous when you have multiple packaging machines and normally would need a printing system for each one," explained Greg Rochon, Greydon's president. "Creating your own pre-printed stock is much more economical than ordering pre-printed material from a vendor." Any of Greydon's printers can be included in an offline system.

New S-107 HS hi-speed thermal transfer printer

Incorporating a new pre-heat mechanism, Greydon's new S-107 direct thermal transfer printer can operate at speeds up to 500 mm/second and offers a cost-effective solution to using pre-printed labels for variable information such as lot number, date code or scannable bar codes. Ideal for applications where high-quality printing is needed and changeovers are frequent.

The S-107 ribbon is pre-heated so that it releases the ink (transferring the image to the package/product) faster than competing thermal transfer printers. It can also print on both forming and non-forming web - another unique capability among inline thermal transfer printers. And it is compact, permitting two S-107s to be mounted on the packaging machine, for high-volume two-row printing.

New MMP/IJ flexographic/inkjet system

The new Micromax/IJ (MMP/IJ) flexographic printing system with traversing inkjet cartridge for high-quality inline printing in up to four colors is the most cost-effective system available offering the combined advantages - high print quality (up to 600 dpi) and low cost - of rotary flexographic printing for non-variable information together with the flexibility of inkjet printing variable information, such as lot numbers, expiry date, bar codes and product information.

Greydon's Micromax printers all have traversing capabilities built in, saving approximately $10,000 over competing flexographic printers which would require a stepper motor to traverse. Combining the two printing technologies in one machine (MMP/IJ) also reduces the space required for two independent systems.

New Black Max II single-color rotary flexographic printer - with Advance Trax
Greydon is demonstrating a completely redesigned servo-driven Black Max II rotary flexographic printer offering exceptionally high print quality for graphics or bar codes on 4 - 100 inch wide webs.

Recently installed at a medical device manufacturing facility in Europe running 600 syringes/ minute, the Black Max II works in conjunction with Advance Trax so that it can print during either the index or dwell cycle - something no other printer on the market can do.

Other improvements include: user-friendly touch screen; electronic sensors for 50% tighter registration; more rugged construction, with upgraded bearings, belts and clutch, resulting in nearly 50% higher speed (up to 35 cycles/min.), as well as longer wear and reduced friction; removable ink system for easy color change and cleanup (30 seconds); Teflon coating of key components to eliminate ink offsetting (i.e. wet ink transferring to material where not intended); upgraded program for the drive; and PLC to reduce RPMs while idling and to minimize wear, in addition to providing smoother inking.

Advance Trax: mix intermittent-motion printers with continuous motion
Greydon's patent-pending Advance Trax web handling system is mounted on a form/fill/seal machine - either intermittent-motion or continuous-motion and can be used with or without a printer. The system makes it possible to run smaller products/packages at higher speeds with less stress on seals and improved print registration.

With Advance Trak, a printer can print in either dwell or index cycle. It also allows packagers to mix an intermittent-motion f/f/s machine with continuous-motion printer or vice versa. "With Advance Trax, you can use the best printer for the job without worrying about matching intermittent- to intermittent-motion machines or continuous to continuous," said Rochon.

Bagaire taped bag loader - the fastest is now 20% faster

The newest version of Greydon's innovative Bagaire taped bag loader runs 20% faster than previously, thanks to a new drive that advances the bags quicker. Bagaire uses taped, shingled bags from a box or on a roll for packaging meat, dairy or medical device products. It is capable of achieving higher speeds with more accurate stopping control than other taped bag loaders on the market.

When equipped with Greydon's Codeaire printer, datecodes can be printed with perfect readability and accuracy. Bagaire is available with or without a Codeaire printer, which can always be retrofit to the bagger.

For more information on Greydon's innovative printers using a wide range of printing technologies,
contact Greydon Inc. at 391 Greendale Road, York, PA 17403 or log on to www.greydon.com . Telephone (717) 848-3875, fax (717) 843-6435 or e-mail info@greydon.com.

Press contact: Chris Lazarus
A.J. Lazarus Associates, Inc.
(845) 855-8400
chris@ajlazaruspr.com

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