Digital Flexo Suite

The Digital Flexo Suite is a powerful and easy-to-handle workflow automation for your flexo plate making department.

Esko plate making
and mounting software

The Digital Flexo Suite offers significant cost savings through the automation of the flexo plate production. It is a collection of Esko’s plate making software, designed especially for the needs of the packaging industry.

The Digital Flexo Suite adds a flow of information to plate making. Automatically, instantly and with computerized accuracy a job is sent to the imager, files are created for cutting and data files are made for mounting.

The benefits of using Digital Flexo Suite

Packaging printers, converters and trade shops can increase their business and productivity by reducing plate wastage, eliminating human error and introducing automated traceability in the flexo plate production.

Customers report an average plate wastage reduction of 15%when using the Digital Flexo Suite
Reducing the plate wastage has a direct positive impact on the CO² balance
Automation of complex manual labor leads to less human mistakes
Each imaged and cut plate automatically receives a detailed plate report which can be used for invoicing purposes as well as for quality control

Digital Flexo Suite comes in 3 different flavors:

Digital Flexo Suite for Labels
Digital Flexo Suite for Flexible Packaging
Digital Flexo Suite for Corrugated

All Digital Flexo Suite bundles include following modules:

PlatePrep allows to merge bitmap files onto one plate and to simultaneously drive several CDIs. It returns a detailed plate manufacturing report for each imaged plate.
Kongsberg Cutting Table Connection enables plate cutting information to be sent to a Kongsberg digital cutting table. It reduces plate wastage through elimination of human error and human inaccuracy.
Hotfolder functionality permits automating basic functions of the Digital Flexo Suite.
Bitmap Viewer serves Quality Control prior to imaging (viewing of Bitmap files).

Digital Flexo Suite for Corrugated also contains the PlatePatcher module: PlatePatcher analyses large bitmap files to create small plate slugs with printing information. The mounting location is sent out the Kongsberg cutting table.

Automatic platemaking in Automation Engine

Automation Engine is Esko’s workflow solution. For flexible packaging & labels workflows there’s the Automated Flexo Platemaking module which allows running a fully automated workflow.

The LEN files are merged, so the operator does not need to be involved anymore. The plates are used optimally, so waste is minimal. The on time delivery is guaranteed as the files will be passed to the queue on time (based on due date) and there is additional functionality with semi automated merging, adding QC strips, …

Faster flexo plate mounting

The Digital Flexo Suite offers a number of ways to ensure faster flexo plate mounting without sacrificing accuracy. The flexo plate is cut up into smaller patches to reduce waste, but accurate mounting information is sent to the mounting device.

Manual flexo plate mounting is intensive labor and can be optimized by the Digital Flexo Suite. The flexo mounting process will go faster and will reduce the possibilities for human errors.

Not only does the Digital Flexo Suite offers direct connections to mounters (Macroflex, JMHeaford, AV Flexologics, …). Esko also developed the PreMount workflow: it is a revolutionary mounting technique that allows the user to mount flexo plate slugs on a carrier sheet prior to imaging

Flexo innovations you won’t see anywhere else

Esko is the undisputed global market leader in digital flexo imaging. Esko’s flexo solutions continue to innovate by pushing flexographic print quality to new standards. Flexo plate production has never been this straight forward.

What’s more, Esko is the only independent expert that covers the entire scope of flexo platemaking. Esko flexo plate making solutions are open to all brands of digital plates and sleeves used in the industry.

A globally deployed service staff of more than 500 help improve customer processes and guarantee maximal uptime. What’s more, Esko offers a range of all-in flexible financing solutions.