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LABELS&LABELING |85<br />
Creating a Legacy<br />
SHIFTING GEAR from operator trainer to press manufacturer, Flexo Trade Services’ Art Fields is confident his<br />
Legacy narrow web machine fills a significant gap for smaller shops. Andy Thomas reports<br />
A new press manufacturer is set to enter<br />
the North American narrow web market<br />
offering a range of economically priced,<br />
gear-driven flexo presses which can<br />
be easily maintained by smaller<br />
converting shops.<br />
Legacy Press Company was founded<br />
by Art Fields, who owns leading<br />
flexo training school Flexo Trade<br />
Services. ‘I made the decision to start<br />
manufacturing presses the moment<br />
I heard that Mark Andy were to stop<br />
manufacturing the 2200,’ Fields tells<br />
L&L. ‘I realized that left a big gap in<br />
the market for the smaller converting<br />
shop with annual sales under seven<br />
million US dollars. Although these<br />
guys account for over 65 percent of the<br />
narrow web label converters in the US<br />
today, this market is the least catered to<br />
by the major press manufacturers.’<br />
Although pricing is to be confirmed,<br />
a 10-color Legacy press is expected<br />
to sell for around 400,000 US dollars.<br />
Given that most smaller label converters<br />
are challenged for floor space, the<br />
press has a highly compact design;<br />
a fully loaded 10-color machine will<br />
have a maximum footprint of 28in (nine<br />
meters).<br />
Fields is insistent that the Legacy<br />
presses are not ‘entry level’ machines.<br />
The press components will be built<br />
by well known North American-based<br />
OEM partners, each operating under<br />
ten year contracts. The presses will<br />
be assembled at the Legacy plant in<br />
South Carolina.<br />
The Legacy LG presses will be<br />
available in 10 and 13in widths and<br />
are designed primarily to convert PS<br />
materials. A film-specific 13in press –<br />
again purely line-shaft driven - is also<br />
being developed.<br />
‘The LG10 and LG13 presses will be<br />
the most mechanically advanced presses<br />
on the market,’ enthuses Fields. ‘At the<br />
same time they will be easy to maintain,<br />
since most smaller shops do not have<br />
the specially trained technicians required<br />
to maintain complex servo-driven<br />
presses packed with electronic controls.’<br />
POD FOUR<br />
The Legacy presses are designed<br />
around modular ‘PODs' (Pull Out Deck<br />
systems), moveable carriages on which<br />
a print or converting deck is positioned.<br />
Each machine can be configured with<br />
up to ten PODs, including – in addition<br />
to flexo – screen, variable data, coating,<br />
corona treatment and dryer modules.<br />
These can be added in any order. If a<br />
process is required on a one-off basis,<br />
additional PODs can be rented as well<br />
as bought.<br />
Each POD sits on a fixed rail platform<br />
claimed to guarantee perfect alignment<br />
when PODs are moved in and out of<br />
the press. PODs are interchangeable<br />
between Legacy machines, meaning,<br />
for example, that a customer could<br />
temporarily convert two 6-unit presses<br />
into one 8- or 10-color press as required.<br />
In addition, the die stations are interchangeable<br />
and can be placed anywhere<br />
on the press. Multiple die stations can be<br />
utilized when needed. ‘I estimate that 85<br />
percent of jobs in flexo are six colors or<br />
less, so people are being forced to buy<br />
8- and 10- color presses for just a few<br />
jobs,’ says Fields.<br />
The presses are built to be changed<br />
over quickly, as Fields explains: ‘A<br />
press can be changed from 1-color to a<br />
10-color press by one operator in less<br />
time than it takes to setup an 8-color job<br />
on current press designs. And you can<br />
break down a Legacy press and put it<br />
back together again in under four hours<br />
using nothing more than a pallet jack.’<br />
A rail system which runs the full length<br />
of the press allows turn bars, cold foil<br />
units and other add-on equipment to<br />
be positioned anywhere on the press<br />
line. The unwind unit can be moved<br />
on the same rail. If all print units were<br />
removed, the press could be used solely<br />
for die cutting or configured as a simple<br />
rewinder.<br />
The Legacy press flexo units utilize a<br />
metering roll and reverse angle doctor<br />
blade built around FLXON’s G2 Quick<br />
Change Blade Holder. The press can be<br />
adapted to any size of print cylinder<br />
in minutes.<br />
The ink deck slides out on a clever<br />
hinge system and can be turned parallel<br />
to the press for easy handling and<br />
cleaning. The deck can be removable<br />
independently from the POD carriage<br />
where required.<br />
The Legacy presses will be supplied<br />
with IR/hot air drying units as standard.<br />
Those requiring full UV will be supplied<br />
with AAA’s Light Touch UV system.<br />
The LG10 and LG13 presses will run<br />
most types of label substrates from PS<br />
to foils, paper and synthetic materials<br />
up to 14pt. The machines will run at a<br />
maximum speed of 500 ft/min. Maximum<br />
print repeat is 20in, though 24in repeat<br />
PODs can be purchased.<br />
In an arena as crowded as today’s<br />
narrow web press sector, it seems<br />
astonishing that a completely new<br />
supplier could emerge with no heritage<br />
of machine building. But Fields and his<br />
co-founders firmly believe they have<br />
identified a market niche not currently<br />
being served – and have customdesigned<br />
both a press and company<br />
structure to meet those needs.<br />
The first public showing will be 22<br />
August at a Flexographic Trade Services<br />
open house.<br />
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