Canada’s Flexstar Packaging running first Miraflex S press in North America

A Canadian flexible packager has installed the first Miraflex S flexographic press from Windmoeller & Hoelscher (W&H) in North America.

Richmond, B.C.-based Flexstar Packaging has been running the new Miraflex S since November 2015. “We have wide-web presses at Flexstar, and the Miraflex S is a narrow to mid-web press that complements the machinery we have and is able to reliably tackle any kind of job we need to run, regardless of size or if the job is a PET, OPP or thin gauge PE application,” said Flexstar president Marc Bray.

Germany-based W&H designed the Miraflex S to facilitate quick job changes for narrow- to mid-web jobs. “The Turboclean wash-up system cleans all decks within 3.5 minutes so changeovers take just minutes,” the company said in a statement. “Another benefit of the press is the reduction of waste, with as little as 75 feet of substrate from unwind to rewind. Repeats range from 10 inches to 31.5 inches”.

The Miraflex S on the Flexstar shop floor.

The acquisition of the Miraflex S is part of a larger expansion undertaken by Flexstar, which manufactures custom printed, laminated, flexible roll-stock and specialty films for the consumer and industrial markets in North America The company recently added 32,000 square feet of factory space for increased warehousing and specialty converting applications. The new building will also house an Innovation centre. Other equipment acquired by Flexstar includes a third combi laminator, a third pouch machine, and a wide-web laser scoring unit.

Flexstar is also working on a regenerative thermal oxidizer to eliminate VOC emissions. “A heat exchanger will capture energy for plant heating and specialty lamination applications requiring hot room curing,” Bray said. “The project is scheduled for completion in fall 2016, making Flexstar the first flexible packaging converter in western Canada with this technology.”