The Danish manufacturer of paper bags and carriers, Scanbag A/S, has installed a laser anilox cleaner from Flexo Wash for its production plant in Skive. The FW 2000 model, which was introduced in 2018, is the first laser model in the company’s anilox cleaning range that dates back 25 years and involves more than 3,000 installations. With anilox cleaning such a fundamental part of the flexo printing process, the new laser technology is ideal for 100% cleaning without damage to the expensive rolls, with the guarantee of consistent print quality and reduced downtime.

Speaking for Scanbag, printer Søren Bligaard stated: “We are very satisfied with the cleaning results and the easy handling of the aniloxes. We tested another system, but it damaged the rolls. With the Flexo Wash system we have no issues at all.”

With the ability to print single- and double-ply bags in up to eight flexo colours, Scanbag’s staff of 30 are kept busy supplying SOS bags and paper carriers with handles to the industrial and building markets, as well as the retail, pet-food, fruit and vegetable, confectionary and take-away restaurant sectors. Company emphasis is on high quality product and fast delivery, and since its foundation in 2003, Scanbag has evolved into a flexible manufacturer of different types of paper packaging with an excellent reputation for service.

Printing is carried out on flexo presses using water-based inks, with a maximum web width of 1300mm and cut-offs from 360mm to 760mm. SOS bags and paper carriers are offered in many formats and can be supplied with or without handles (both inside and outside), with or without print and in 1-ply or 2-ply material.

Flexo Wash’s Technical Director, Anders Kongstad explained the principle behind the company’s Laser cleaning system: “For us it was important to develop a Laser Anilox Cleaner with as much safety as possible. The ceramic on the anilox rolls is very delicate and can easily be damaged when cleaning with a laser, so safety is extremely important.”

The new Flexo Wash laser cleaner sits well with the company’s ethos of quality, safety and focus on the environment. Easy to load, with the anilox rolls placed into a drawer and then slid into the machine, the FW2000 monitors all aspects of the anilox roll including cell depth, rotation, and laser performance. Its inventory management system provides full traceability of each roll – when it was last cleaned and for how long, so that performance levels can be closely monitored.