Apex launches new sleeve material

Recent trials with Tigersleeves, used in conjunction with the Apex group’s Genetic Transfer Technology (GTT) for manufacturing metering rolls (PPM Mar09, p55), resulted in improved quality flexo printing, said to be comparable to gravure. These trials signalled the start of co-operation between Paul van Middelkoop and Ronald van de Meer (the inventors of Paulomeer) and the Apex group.

Paul and Ronald’s joint 25 years’ experience in the printing sleeve business resulted in the launch of Tigersleeve Blanks; and now they’ve joined forces with the Apex group, establishing a new company called Apex Sleeve Technologies for the production of Tigersleeve Blanks. On offer are thin and classic sleeves as well as compressible cushion adaptor sleeves.

Paulomeer – described as the third-generation material after elastomer and photopolymer for manufacturing printing sleeves – combines the ink transfer properties of elastomer with the advantages of photopolymer, and is suitable for all applications and substrates.

GTT receives European patent

Meanwhile, having already gained a Dutch patent and the German Gebrauchsmusterschutz, a patent has been issued by the European Patent Office for the innovative GTT.

The metering rolls UniCorr (corrugated), UniFlex (flexible packaging), UniCoat (coating industry) and UniFli (label industry) all belonging to the GTT family of products; and customers using these rolls have been on the receiving end of a number of international printing awards.

In addition, in 2009 Apex received a Technical Innovation Award  from the European Corrugated Association (FEFCO).

According to Apex, around 100 companies worldwide now use GTT rolls instead of conventional banded rolls; and almost half the rolls manufactured by Apex are now GTT metering rolls.