U.S. converting technology manufacturer Karlville has decided to specify Vetaphone Corona technology for its range of thermal laminators. The decision to use the Danish manufacturer has allowed Karlville to offer a fully integrated surface treatment solution to its customers that reflects the quality of its own product, according to company president John Price

The project originally began when Karlville began its working partnership with HP Indigo on Pack Ready Lamination machines. This concept that provides all the flexibility of digital print and a fast-to-market supply chain began in 2015, and it was the recommendation of HP, already one of Vetaphone’s leading OEM customers, that drew Karlville’s attention to the brand.

“Vetaphone Corona systems came with an excellent reputation from HP and a number of other leading manufacturers in the market. They are a highly approachable and innovative company and their technology fits well with our policy of ‘best TCO’. We needed a system that we could neatly integrate with our laminator and Vetaphone responded quickly and within budget. It’s important that every ancillary supplier matches the quality of our brand, and that includes prompt and responsive after-sales support,” he commented.

Each TL-800 Laminator requires two Corona stations – one in each of the unwind sections, and both need extractor fans and exhaust ducting to work at maximum efficiency.

The Vetaphone equipment installed includes VE1H-C(C4)920 Corona treater units and iPM200 generator modules. The treaters are single-sided and fitted with four ceramic electrodes with roller faces of 920mm. The generator has a power output of 8kW and gives accurate watt density control by following the line speed automatically. It has a zero-speed switch and automatic start relay that protects the RD62UR standard blower fan that Vetaphone also supplied, along with an OZC-6 ozone eliminator.

Capable of handling rolls up to 762mm wide at speeds of 100m/min, the TL-800 machine is designed for continuous production in robust commercial environments. It offers a low entry level to flexible packaging and while it is a good machine for general purpose applications, it is an ideal fit for pouches. At present, Pack Ready laminate compositions can cater for more than 60 percent of flexible packaging market value by market sector, shared largely between foodstuff (around 80 percent) and non-food.

“It’s an environmentally friendly machine, with no VOCs, odour or any health issues, making it suitable for the food sector as well as toiletries and medical products. It’s a great fit with HP Indigo technology, offering best time to market with minimal waste. Most of all, it’s reliable, and that’s why we have to choose co-suppliers, like Vetaphone, carefully,” he added.

Currently, Karlville is projecting sales of approximately 15 - 20 thermal Laminators a year, all of which have the 800mm web width and are based on the HP6900 or 20000 models. These are part of a larger total of its technology base in labels, shrink sleeves, and flexible packaging that sees more than 3100 machines installed worldwide. For more information, visit  www.karlville.com