Rich Emmerling Technical Manager rich emmerling flintgrp com 770

Rich Emmerling Technical Manager rich. emmerling@flintgrp. com 770 -366 -5689 New Innovations in Plates and Sleeves

Flint Group Flexographic Products Comprehensive Expertise in Flexographic Printing

Flint Group: Powerful Roots 3

Flint Group History • November 2004 CVC acquired ANI Inks and BASF Printing Systems. • September 2005 XSYS acquired Flint Ink, a privately owned company with operations in USA, Europe, Latin America, Asia and India/Pacific. • Integration of these businesses lead to creation of Flint Group, number two ink supplier worldwide. • In 2007 Day International was integrated into Flint Group. • 2008 Flint Group Printing Plates and rotec became Flint Group Flexographic Products. 4

Flint Group Overview • 2011 Sales: € 2. 2 billion (US$ 3 billion) • Number of employees: 6 900 • >170 company sites in over 40 countries • Global network of partners and distributors 5

Flint Group Locations Worldwide 6

Flint Group – Business Segments Flint Group’s products are everywhere in our daily life and can be split into two segments: Packaging Products Print Media Products 7

Flint Group – Products Packaging and Narrow Web Flexographic Products • Packaging inks • Inks for labels and other narrow web printing applications • Sleeves and adapters for flexo and offset printing • Photopolymer printing plates for flexo and letterpress applications Print Media Europe Americas Asia-Pacific • Printing inks for heatset, coldset, sheetfed, gravure and specialty printing • Lithographic printing blankets and sleeves • Pressroom chemicals • Pigments • Processing equipment 8

Flexographic Products - Extensive Product Range rotec® nylosolv® Sleeves and adapters Washout solvents nyloflex® nyloprint® Printing plates for • Flexible packaging • Label printing • Corrugated (Pre- and postprint) Ready-to-image ITR Sleeves Processing equipment • • • Label printing Tubes, cups and tins printing Security printing Pad printing Embossing & hot moulding Processing equipment 9

Worldwide Presence Main Offices • Germany, Stuttgart* Subsidiaries • • • Australia Brazil China* Denmark France Netherland Spain UK USA* Production sites • Plates, equipment and washout solvents • Germany, Willstätt** • Sleeves and adapters • Germany, Ahaus** • Czech Republic, Chrastava • USA, Asheville Distributors in more than 100 countries * holding Technical Center ** holding R&D Center 10

Market Shares World 2011: Photopolymer Printing Plates Data Source: internal estimations 11

Market Shares World 2011: Sleeves Data Source: internal estimations 12

Topics • The NEW nyloflex® ACE: The Benchmark for High Quality Flexo • nyloflex® NEx. T Exposure Technology: High Definition, Flat Top Dots & Surface Screening • Improvements With Solid Ink Density • High Opacity Values Using Less Ink • Fit For Flat Top Dot Technology 13

Introducing nyloflex® New ACE

nyloflex® ACE - Why Change a Proven Winner? . . • Introduced in 2001 quickly becoming market standard for high quality print • Confirmed by numerous print awards throughout the years 15

nyloflex® ACE – What Could Be Improved? Plate Room Press Room Reliability and Productivity Performance and Cost • Higher quality ingredients • Better solvent resistance • Stable color, less tack improves handling and is more user friendly • Improved ink transfer, fewer press stops • No change in pre-press necessary • Compatibility with new plate technologies 16

The NEW nyloflex® ACE – Physical Properties • 62 Shore A (DIN 53505), same as previous nyloflex® ACE • Designed for solvent, water and UV curable flexographic inks • Improved overall image quality and color stability, with a brighter green color 17

Comparison of ACE and NEW ACE • Nearly identical dot area • Can use same files Dot Percent on Print • Verified in 100+ trials Dot Percent on Plate Dot Percent in File 18

The NEW nyloflex® ACE – Customers’ Feedback “We printed 1, 000 ft of pet food bags without cleaning (normally we stop to clean after 500, 000 ft); We were able to run the job 175 fpm faster and saved 7. 5 hours in press time!” “As a leading printer of confectionary bars we ran 1, 500, 000 ft and no cleaning of the plates was needed. ” “We ran 70, 000 lbs of film substrate on the potato chips job with only one set of NEW nyloflex® ACE Digital where previously we needed to replace the plates after 30, 000 lbs. ” “…label printing job with the NEW nyloflex® ACE Digital ran 200, 000 ft, no stops for cleaning were necessary. ” “A difficult hygiene packaging job 650, 000 ft could be printed without stop for cleaning constant print quality over the whole production run. ” “ 110, 000 ft diapers job with showed excellent ink transfer and the reduced ink consumption for achieving target density. ” “High speed flexible packaging job, 1, 650, 000 ft printed without cleaning. ” 19

The NEW nyloflex® ACE – nyloflex® NEx. T Exposure Technology • Outstanding performance with HD Flexo screening • Designed to work well with both digital Round Top Dots as well as Flat Top Dots 20

Improving Solid Ink Density Combining Plate and Surface Screening Technologies

Topics • Surface Screening - Solid Ink Density • Surface Screening – Opacity • Flat Top Dot Approaches • Fit For Flat Top Dot Plates 22

Improve SID and smoothness • Basic advice: Optimize parameters • Harder plate cushion, more ink, substrate treatment, etc. 1. 2 1. 4 • Problem is that an improvement HERE may take away from THERE. . . 23

Minimize or control mottle • Better method: Surface Screening • In use for a long time • Many versions throughout the years, but idea remains the same – textured plate surface reduces mottle through better ink distribution and coverage • Screenings historically 300 – 600 LPI Use 90 -97% Tint in Solids Plate Cell Patterning Digicap Groovy Screening 24

Reasons for Dot Shapes • The oxygen effect during exposure of digital flexo plates Digital exposure O 2 Dot gain O 2 O 2 O 2 UV UV with LAMS-layer and UV-A tubes UV UV UV with film negative and UV-A tubes UV Conventional exposure O 2 Dot reduction due to the oxygen effect 25

Reasons for Dot Shapes • The oxygen effect during exposure of digital flexo plates Digital exposure O 2 O 2 O 2 UV UV with LAMS-layer and UV-A tubes UV UV UV with film negative and UV-A tubes UV Conventional exposure O 2 Tonwertreduktion Dot reduction due to the oxygen effect 26

Plate with different surface screens Ablated Mask Digital w/ O 2 Flat Top Micro. Cell MC 8 800 LPI @ 4000 2 X 2 Pixel Checkerboard 1414 LPI @ 4000 27

Print results Low Screens Mid Screens High Screens (<800 LPI) (800 -000 LPI) (>1000 LPI) Plate= Solid Digital with O 2 1. 32 1. 43 1. 30 +/- 0. 09 +/- 0. 15 +/- 0. 13 +/- 0. 12 1. 35 1. 43 1. 54 1. 64 +/- 0. 09 +/- 0. 11 +/- 0. 12 Flat Top Based on 22 Print Trials 28

The Potential Crosslinking w/o oxygen effect Solid screening without oxygen effect 29

What About White Opacity? Can Surface Screens Using Flat Top Dot Technology Improve Opacity With Solid Whites? 30

Purpose Gain an understanding of the optimum plate durometer, cushion tape and surface screening parameters to maximize white opacity readings at high press speeds. 31

Plates (High Speed Test) Plates – Digital (0. 067”) • FAM D and ACE D (Flat Top Dot) Cushion Tape – (0. 020”) • 3 M 1920, 3 M 1020 and 3 M 1820 Surface Screening • Microcell - 4000 DPI • 17 Patterns One Smooth Solid 32

Press Conditions Press – Wide Web Flexible Packaging Anilox – 220 lpi/9. 0 bcm Ink – Flint High Speed Surface White Viscosity – 28 seconds Press Speed – 1200 ft/min. Substrate – Polyester 33

Test Target 34

High Values Of Plate And Tape Contrast Ratio Function 35

Values Ranked By Surface Screening Value Contrast Ratio Function 36

Second Test • Evaluate opacity using lower anilox volume and Flat Top Dot surface screening parameters. • Will there be a greater differences in opacity using lower anilox volumes? • Will this reduce ink consumption while delivering acceptable opacity? 37

Press Conditions Press – Wide Web Flexible Packaging Anilox – 440 lpi/5. 5 bcm Ink – High Speed Surface White Viscosity – 28 seconds Press Speed – 1200 ft/min. Substrate – Polyester 38

Opacity – ACE D & 3 M 1820 Cushion Tape MC 3 X 3 C ACE D 3 M 1820 Opacity 64. 1% No Surface Screening ACE D 3 M 1820 Opacity 60. 8% (440 lpi/5. 5 bcm) Contrast Ratio Function 40

Coating Weight and Opacity Contrast Ratio Function 41

Conclusions • Flat Top Dot technology allows for a greater level of detail at the surface. • Surface screening reduced pinholes and increased the opacity. • Increasing the modulus of the cushion tape increased opacity. 42

Conclusions • Higher opacity levels were achieved using surface screening allowing for the use of lower anilox volumes and potentially eliminating the need for a double bump. 43

FTD Approaches 44

“Flat Top Dot” Technology Kodax NX § Film lamination on special CTP device similar to offset Trendsetter laser § Requires special laser, special film consumable, requires use of special Kodak plate material § Format up to 42 x 60” size 45

“Flat Top Dot” Technology Mac. Dermid LUX § Lamination of film material to plate with some heat and pressure § Requires laminator and special film 46

“Flat Top Dot” Technology Du. Pont Digiflow® (aka Digicorr) § Retrofit to older top lift exposure units or equipped on new exposure units. § Pumps nitrogen & oxygen gas mixture onto the plate 47

“Flat Top Dot” Technology Esko Inline UV § Retrofit or new machine with LED diode parts Used for both flexo and letterpress plates 48

nyloflex® NEx. T? Flint Group‘s Solution for Flat Top Dots and Surface Screening 49

NEx. T exposure process reduction of oxygen inhibition effect oxygen exclusion acceleration of polymerization speed inertisation oxygen barrier New high intensity UV exposure use of auxiliaries: inert gas (nitrogen) use of auxiliaries: film consumption inert gas consumption and risk additional processing step (risk, costs) high intensity UV irradiation for strong surface cure + conventional UV tubes exposure for through-cure 50

New approach of Flint Group • Two step exposure • Combination of UV-A LEDs with UV-A tubes Step 1 – High intensity UV LED surface crosslinking Step 2 – Through-cure with conventional UV tubes 51

nyloflex® NEx. T Operation 52

Precise reproduction nyloflex® NEx. T O 2 O 2 UV UV Digitally imaged LAMS layer and nyloflex® NEx. T technology O 2 Almost 1: 1 copy 53

NEx. T Plate Image Samples 3 pt font (2540 dpi) (transmitted light) 3 pt font (2540 dpi) (reflected light) 54

NEx. T Plate Image Samples 5% data @146 lpi (2540 dpi) (transmitted light) 5% data @146 lpi (2540 dpi) (reflected light) 55

NEx. T Plate Image Samples 2% data @146 lpi (2540 dpi) (transmitted light) 2% data @146 lpi (2540 dpi) (reflected light) 56

NEx. T Plate Image Samples 3% data @146 lpi (2540 dpi) (transmitted light) 57

nyloflex® NEx. T – Processing Equipment nyloflex® NEx. T Exposure FIII Mid size exposure unit Format 920 x 1200 mm (47. 2 x 36. 2“) nyloflex® NEx. T Exposure FV Large size exposure unit Format 1320 x 2032 mm (52 x 80“) 58

UV LED module Electrical connectors water connection for cooling Housing with cooling profile LEDs with optics and quatrz glass 59

NEx. T UV LED Bar Modular system → 12 x 4. 5“ Radiation length = 5 3 . 9“ • 49. 4” radiation width even with one module out • Ethernet port for each module for remote diagnosis / recovery at manufacturer 60

The Benefits of nyloflex® NEx. T • High-intensity LEDs (> 800 m. W/cm 2) for highest productivity • Consistent UV emission guarantees long-term repeatability Production consistency, especially for repeat orders • Easy-to-use – requires no additional processing steps or consumables (such as lamination, inert gas etc. ) • Suitable for all digital flexo plates – any plate type, thickness & format High flexibility • Compatible with all standard prepress software & HD Flexo • Easy implementation into existing digital workflow 61

nyloflex® NEx. T 62

nyloflex® NEx. T 63

Flint Group Flexographic Products • Extensive product range • Customer oriented service • Excellent technical knowledge • Global presence • Innovative solutions Rich Emmerling Technical Manager rich. emmerling@flintgrp. com 770 -366 -5689 Thanks for your attention! Questions? 65