The Autoprint Fine Coat drip coating machine has a dual-tower coating system so that drip coating can be applied in a single pass, Autoprint Machinery CN Ashok told Rahul Kumar.
Lamination has been used for many years to protect printed materials and add value. However, there is growing concern about the environmental impact of traditional mulching methods. The durability of the coating has also been questioned. To effectively address both issues and at the same time enhance the visual appeal of printed materials, Autoprint has introduced a high-tech drip coating machine specifically designed for offline use. The machine is available in two sizes – 22×32” and 30×40”. The first machine, the Autoprint Fine Coat 80 drip coating machine (22×32”), was introduced in 2018, and the Autoprint Fine Coat 105 drip coating machine (30×40”) will be launched in 2023 at Pamex. According to CN Ashok, Managing Director, Autoprint Machinery Manufacturers, the Autoprint Fine Coat drip coater is equipped with a dual tower coating system so that drip coating can be completed in a single pass. This UV coating machine is equipped with an automatic dryer that can dry both UV and water based coatings. Since its inception over 30 years ago, Autoprint has been dedicated to blazing new trails in the printing industry with an ever-growing range of printing and finishing equipment. A dedicated R&D team that translates customer requirements into smart features, strategic alliances, mutually beneficial partnerships and a commitment to excellence have enabled Autoprint to design, develop and deliver printing and finishing machines that meet international standards. To date, more than 13,000 Autoprint machines have been installed in the national and international markets. The machine can apply various coatings like drip coating, full UV varnish (gloss and matte), water-based coating (gloss and matte), spot coating, texture coating, blister coating, etc. “A single machine can be used for multiple coating solutions,” says Ashok. “The dual tower coating unit allows drip coating in a single pass and for other coatings, we can do it from the second tower itself.” Depending on the type of coating, the coating towers can be used separately or simultaneously. He said the target market for the machine is all small, medium and large packaging houses and commercial printers. Market Ashok said the machine is cost effective when compared to in-line coating systems, retrofit coating systems or any other large format coating system. Since it is a stand-alone dedicated UV and drip coating machine, the simplified design allows it to produce more copies and deliver daily productivity. The printing press can provide an affordable coating solution to the end user. The prices of the machines range from Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 90 lakh. Autoprint has sold a total of 25 machines so far. Of these, 20 are running successfully in India and five in the international market. Ashok said that customers looking for such products in India generally look for coating quality, user-friendliness and safety features on the machine, after-sales service, ability to apply more types of coatings on a single machine, reliability of the machine, brand and quick return on investment. According to Ashok, Autoprint customers are using the machine for specialty drops on carton webs of leading brands in FMCG, Pharma and Cosmetics Industry and Carty Product Carton Thickness for working in rollers can be easily removed. Dry the coating as per the ink application. The dedicated offline twin tower coating system ensures that all types of coatings can be done with minimum set-up time. Ashok says dedicated offline twin-tower drop-coat surface coating machines are rare in the market. “Autoprint is definitely a unicorn company,” he says. “Other options include older or used two-colour machines that have been converted to drop-coat, or in-line conversions of used multi-colour machines, as well as brand new multi-colour machines equipped with coaters, roll coaters and screen printing techniques.” Productivity The machine can do 5,000 to 6,000 prints per hour, says Ashok. “Earlier, we used to manufacture machines for full-surface coatings like UV and waterborne coatings. Now, this drop-coat machine can do all types of coatings except drop-coat on 30×40-inch paper,” he explains. He adds that any offset printing operator can operate this press with minimal training. Autoprint offers on-site and factory training to its customers. The machine comes with a one-year warranty. After the warranty period, the company offers Preventive Maintenance Contracts (PMC). “As per our research, most of the customers are using the machine at optimum levels and cover 60% and 40% for pharma cartons and FMCG cartons. “This machine has been designed and built with special features to help our customers meet the surface coating requirements as per the standards of the pharma and FMCG industries,” explains Ashok. He adds that most of the large packaging business owners today have realized the importance of automation, especially for the post-press processing of packaging materials. “Today, printing business owners are facing many challenges like shortage of skilled manpower, increasing demand with decreasing lead times, meeting the commitment of timely delivery to customers, high quality finished products at reasonable prices and stiff competition. These factors have contributed to the trend of converting equipment from traditional processes to automated ones. Ashok concluded that Autoprint plans to sell at least 15 Fine Coat presses by fiscal 2023-24.