In October last year, the Beijing Municipal People's Government officially issued the “Catalogue of Industrial Pollution Industries, Production Processes Subject to Adjustment and Phase-out, and Equipment to be Phased Out in Beijing (2014 Edition).” Screen printing technology was included in the list and required to be phased out immediately. The introduction of this policy caused an uproar within the industry, yet it presented an exceptional development opportunity for Beijing Zhenheng Limin Printing Machinery Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Zhenhengli”), which had been preparing for years. “Truthfully, we've long recognized screen printing's drawbacks—significant pollution, high energy consumption, and slow speeds. Over the past two years, we've continuously pursued external innovation to help printing enterprises find the most suitable alternative processes,” stated Feng Yan, General Manager of Zhenhengli, with confidence and determination.
External Coating Replaces Short-Run Screen Printing for Decorative Effects
For printing companies undertaking social parts printing, the coating unit, though not standard equipment, is essential for business expansion. However, the high cost of coating units for high-end offset presses—often running into millions—frequently deters printing companies. Thus, finding the optimal balance point has become a shared focus for such enterprises. With keen market insight, Feng Yan quickly identified an innovative solution: the external coating device.
“The external coating unit not only avoids occupying a color station but also frees up space for one. It's ideal for printing companies with limited workshop space and moderate coating demand. More importantly, it enables reverse coating to simulate screen printing effects (like frosted finishes), making it the perfect replacement for short-run screen printing.” To this end, Zhenhengli collaborated with Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication to develop the external coating unit, successfully completing R&D and securing a patent early this year.
“Beyond these features, our external varnishing unit's standout advantage is its motor-driven transmission system. This enables simpler installation without causing any physical damage to the equipment,” Feng Yan revealed to reporters.
Following the unit's successful development, Beijing Michelangelo Youwei Printing Co., Ltd. became the first to partner with Zhenhengli, installing it on their 5-color Heidelberg offset press. “Although it underwent some initial adjustments, the device has delivered efficient and stable coating results since its formal production launch six months ago, earning customer approval,” said Cao Ming, General Manager of Michelangelo, who highly praised the device. “Most crucially, it costs only one-third of the standard coating unit, achieving the goal of cost reduction and efficiency enhancement.”
Single-Color Gravure Replaces Long-Run Screen Printing for Decorative Effects
“Currently, as web gravure technology continues to mature, the cost of web gravure presses has significantly decreased. Combined with their high production efficiency, they have become the preferred printing equipment for cigarette packaging manufacturers. In contrast, the market for sheetfed gravure presses is nearly saturated, with sales growth slowing considerably over the past two years,” Feng Yan admitted.
However, companies that accurately gauge market trends and dare to innovate will never be swept away by market forces. In the cigarette packaging industry, screen-printed snowflake, frosted, and wrinkled inks are widely used for surface finishing. While screen printing offers thick ink layers and excellent visual effects, its low production efficiency has increasingly drawn criticism from cigarette packaging printers. Moreover, its high pollution and energy consumption conflict with the industry's green development demands. Advancements in UV light sources, plate-making, and ink technology have now made single-cylinder snowflake, frosted, and wrinkled inks feasible, achieving results that perfectly rival screen printing. Feng Yan recognized this trend toward process transformation, securing a golden opportunity for single-cylinder machines to expand their market share.
“For cigarette packaging printers, replacing long-run screen printing with single-gravure is an excellent choice,” Feng Yan enthusiastically explained to reporters. “Not only does it more than double production efficiency, but the thin ink layer also saves significant ink costs. Moreover, its low VOC emissions align perfectly with the industry-wide push to reduce VOC pollution.”
“Opportunity favors the prepared mind” finds its truest embodiment in Feng Yan. In today's fiercely competitive market, enterprises seeking sustainable growth must fortify themselves with innovation as their cornerstone, building formidable technological defenses to withstand external shocks and cement their market position.