Toray at Metpack 2023
Image: Toray Industries
Toray Industries, Inc will be showcasing its revolutionary high resolution decoration technology using Prixia printing plates at this upcoming Metpack. The trade show will take place from 2 to 6 May in Essen, Germany. The exhibit will also feature a showroom for small-lot production of high-definition printing, which is scheduled to open in China this summer.
Toray’s dry offset Prixia printing plate has the potential to revolutionise the design of cylindrical packages such as beverage cans and cosmetic tubes. Compared to the globally predominant polymer relief or letterpress printing, Prixia achieves much more sophisticated decoration quality at almost equivalent productivity. Although a common resolution of photopolymer letterpress plates is from 75 to 120 lines per inch, Prixia reaches 250 lines per inch, delivering ultra-high definition which is akin to that of digital printers without decreasing its production speed. Furthermore, the difference in plate structure allows for much finer halftone dots to render shading and color gradation at a outstanding level in can and tube decoration. This superior decoration quality by Prixia enables users to render photorealistic images of human skin, fresh fruit, or water droplets, as well as fine letters. This opens up unprecedented opportunities and freedom in the design of cylindrical packaging.
Toray utilised its vast experience with printing systems as well as resin and polymer technology to develop Prixia. The dry offset printing process effectively combines the high durability of resin letterpress plates with the high reproducibility of offset printing.
As the printing process differs from that of regular can decoration, specific setups are required in the exposure, development, and decoration phases, respectively.