German cutting tool manufacturer Wink has extended its range of finish variants for cutting tools. Its existing Black and Silver non-stick variants have been improved, while the new White and Grey variants have been launched. Wink’s non-stick coatings can be used for flexible dies, solid rotary dies and other machine components. The non-stick coating makes it possible to increase production efficiency significantly when cutting ‘extreme’ adhesives, says the company.
Non-stick coatings for flexible dies have long been part of Wink’s product portfolio. Their repellent action against adhesive and ink residues means that cutting tools stay totally clean, especially on the cutting lines.
This not only minimizes cleaning costs, but also increases production speed and efficiency. Because of the non-stick coating, hardly any labels adhere to the web or tool after cutting, which significantly increases the production rate. The coating does not in any way affect the flexibility, magnetic adhesion and precision of the flexible dies.
In close cooperation with material manufacturers and customers, the Wink research department conducted a series of tests in order to fine-tune all the variants to the needs of printers. This ultimately led to the development of four non-stick variants, each of which is recommended for specific main applications.
The company describes the main applications as follows:
- The black non-stick coating (Black) for flexible dies is recommended for die-cutting standard labels and less aggressive adhesives
- The grey variant (Grey) is an all-round product for difficult materials. It stands out for its optimum non-stick effect, which makes it suitable when using flexible dies with multi-layered labels and hot melt adhesives.
- The white silicon-based non-stick coating (White) is the best option for coating solid rotary dies, but can also be used for flexible dies. Just like Grey, the White variant has optimum non-stick properties, even when using ‘extreme’ materials, and also provides added protection against ink residues.
Wink recommends its silver version (Silver) as a non-stick protection for accessory products, such as ink troughs and guide rollers. The special ink-repellent effect of the Silver coating makes the machine components significantly easier to clean. Silver is also suited to Wink protector plates, which are used in sheet-fed offset printing machines.
In addition, the Black, Grey and White variants can be combined with Wink MC coating and laser hardening, thereby maximizing the life of flexible dies.
Wink is represented in India by Shilp Ultratech.
