What Is A CI Flexographic Printing Press?

CI flexographic press is the core ofCentral Impression Flexographic Press flexographic printing technology. Its core feature is that all printing devices are arranged radial around a large diameter central impression cylinder (CI cylinder), and high precision printing is achieved by uniform support of the central drum. Analyze from four dimensions: technical principle, structural characteristics, application scenarios, industry trends:
I. Technical principles and core advantages
1.Accuracy guarantee of central impressions
Unified positioning benchmark: The central impression cylinder usually has a diameter of 300-800mm, a precise surface surface (roughness ≤ 0.8 μm), and provides absolute rigid support for all printing units. Actual measurements show a radial beat of CI cylinders ≤ 0.005 mm at a printing speed of 300 m/min, thus ensuring registration accuracy ± 0.05mm.
Tension dynamic balance: When the material passes through the central cylinder, the tension fluctuation of each printing unit is effectively suppressed. For example, when printing PE films, the tension stability of the satellite CI structure is 60% higher than that of the stacked structure, reducing the overprint deviation due to material expansion and shrinkage.
2.Short ink path ink delivery system
Precision Ink Control: The ink transfer error is controlled to ± 2% by laser etching ceramic ink (lines 160-1200lpi) in combination with closed double scratch ink system. For example, in food packaging printing, the system can achieve uniform ink layer thickness of 1.5 to 3 microns.
Fast Ink Swap: Some models,such as BOBST VISION CI, come equipped with smart ink supply system that shorten the time it takes to ink change from the traditional 30 minutes to 8 minutes, while reducing ink waste by 30%.
3. Digital integration capabilities
Intelligent registration systems: Visual registration systems based on artificial intelligence algorithms (such as Mark Andy P5) can monitor overprint deviation in real time and dynamically adjust plate cylinder positions via the servo motor with response time ≤ 0.2 seconds.
Remote diagnosis function: IoT sensor collects equipment data in real time, cloud analysis system can predict equipment failures and make maintenance recommendations. The average downtime was more than 1,500 hours.
2. Structural design and key components
1. Central impression cylinder
Temperature control system: the double-walled structure has a built-in water circulation system, which can control the surface temperature of cylinder to ±0.5°C and prevent the overprint accuracy from being affected by thermal expansion and cold shrinkage.
Surface treatment: The hard chrome plating layer 0.3-0.5mm thick, hardness of HRC60 or above, abrasion resistance is 5 times that of ordinary steel, suitable for long-term high-speed printing.
2. Modulation of printing units
Indie drive technology: Each printing unit is powered by an independent servo motor that supports rapid switching of printing plate cylinders with different circumference (150-1000mm), reducing plate change time to 15 minutes.
UV/EB curing integration: Some models (such as Uteco Constellation) incorporate UVLED curing modules with curing time ≤ 0.3 seconds and 40% less energy consumption than traditional UV lamps.
3. Expanded material adaptability
Multi-substrate compatibility: by adjusting the central roller pressure (1-5bar), can be printed from 12μm film to 10 millimeters of corrugated cardboard and other materials. For example, when printing 120gsm of paper, the CI structure has only a third of the imprint force of gravure printing, which avoids material deformation.
Special treatment unit: equipped with a corona treatment unit (processing power 3-10kW), the film surface tension can be increased from 32 dynes to 40 dynes to ensure the adhesion of the ink.
III. Typical application scenarios
1. Food and drug packaging
Hygiene and safety requirements VOC emissions emissions can be reduced 90%% using water-based inks (such as DIC Marine Flex LM-R) and solvent-free lamination technology, in accordance with EU REACH regulations and FDA food exposure standards.
High-precision printing: Zidan introduced a German KBA satellite CI flexographic printing machine for photo-grade printing (resolution 1200dpi) to meet the precision of IP images on takeout boxes.
2. Flexible packaging and label printing
High-speed production requirements: Italy's Omet CI flexographic printing machine (such as Varyflex VCI) has a printing speed of 450 m/min and is equipped with a fully automated material receiving system for 24 hours of continuous production.
Variable data printing: Integrated digital inkjet modules such as Bobst oneECG can personalize different SKUs in the same batch, reducing order switching times by 50%.
3. Printing of industrial materials
Special ink application: In aluminum foil printing, conductive ink (square resistance ≤ 0.1 omega /□) is used for electronic tag antennas with accuracy deviation less than 0.1mm.
Functional coating: A nano-coating (0.5-2 microns thick) is uniformly applied to the film surface to block oxygen or water vapor through anilox roller coating technology.
IV. INTRODUCTION Industry trends and technology upgrades
1. Green development
Hydrating Ink Promotion: By 2025, the global proportion of flexible water-based inks is expected to exceed 50%, with some models (such as Comexi F2) seeing a 100% water printing rate.
efficiency optimization: With The new servo, the energy consumption CI flexographic presses is reduced by 18% and controlled at 35-50 kWh per 10,000 tablets, in compliance with the ISO 126435 energy efficiency standard.
2. Intelligent transformation;
Predictive maintenance: Artificial intelligence algorithms analyze equipment's vibration, temperature and other data to give early warning of potential glitches, reducing downtime by 30%.
Digital Twin Technology: Virtual simulation system can simulate printing process, optimize parameter setting and reduce waste of sample printing material by 70%.
3. Hybrid printing technology
Flexo and Digital Combination: For example, BOBST's hybrid printing press uses flexographic printing solid color blocks to create the first 4 colors, and digital inkjet is used to complement the finer points of the last 2 colors to achieve a balance of efficiency and quality.
Multifunctional integration: the integration of die-cutting, hot stamping, glass and other post-processing processes, forming an integrated "printing-processing" production line, the overall efficiency increased by 25%.
V. Summary and selection recommendations
Overview of technical advantages:
CI flexographic printing presses has excellent properties such as collimation (±0.05mm), production speed (300-450 m/min), material adaptability (film/paper/metal foil), central embossing structure, short ink path, digital integration, etc., and is especially suitable for medium andhigh end packaging printing needs.
Key selection indicators:
Printing accuracy: Note the type of registration system (visual servo/mechanical) and the volume of central central roller runout.
Productivity requirements: Print speed is selected based on annual production (200 m/min if 50 million copies are produced annually).
Environmental requirements: Priority is given to models that support water-based inks and UVLED curing.
Typical model recommended:
High-end market: BOBST VISION CI (400m/min, oneECG color gamut expansion technology).
Cost-effective option: Mark Andy P5 (300m/min, modular design).
Special Print: Uteco Constellation (Integrated EB Cure for High Barrier Packaging).
Through a deep fusion of technological innovation and market demand, CI flexographic printing presses is evolving from traditional printing equipment to intelligent, greener industry solutions, becoming a core driver of transformation and upgrading in the packaging printing industry.