Roto-Hybrid Process® Cylinders for Green Gravure Printing

Project Information

Green Gravure

Grant agreement ID: 738010

DOI

10.3030/738010

Project closed

EC signature date 10 November 2016

Start date 1 December 2016

End date 31 May 2019

Funded under

• Horizon 2020 Framework Programme

Total cost

€ 3 071 603,75

EU contribution

€ 2 150 122,64

Coordinated by

PNO CONSULTANTS LIMITED
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Green Gravure (Roto-Hybrid Process® Cylinders for Green Gravure Printing)

Reporting period: 2017-12-01 to 2019-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The Green Gravure project aims to bring to the market the state-of-the-art Roto-Hybrid Process®, which combines two novel pre-press gravure printing technologies; Hybrid Cylinder technology to enable size variable printing cylinder production and a Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating process to replace chrome plating and other electrolytic processes like copper or nickel plating. The Roto-Hybrid Process® provides a unique solution to help address key challenges facing the global gravure printing industry, enabling faster, more cost effective and environmentally friendly cylinder production and processing to help strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of Europe's gravure printing industry.

Through the collaboration of the Green Gravure project partners – a consortium of 5 SMEs from 3 EU countries – this 30-month Fast Track to Innovation Pilot (FTIP) project will advance the Roto-Hybrid Process® to market. This will be achieved by developing a final prototype system that will be tested in an operational environment and through trials with end users to reach TRL8, thus allowing the partners to demonstrate the key benefits of the solution and the business opportunity which is supported by comprehensive market and competitor analysis and a robust business plan.
In cooperation with a number of cylinder engravers and gravure printing firms already engaged with the project partners, the added value that this FTIP project will demonstrate within the global gravure market will attract further interest from target users, which will enable the technology owners within the consortium to establish joint ventures and licensing deals for wider market uptake and to boost global market penetration and turnover for the benefit of all industry partners involved in this project.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far (For the final period please include an overview of the results and their exploitation and dissemination)
Over the duration of 30 months, the consortium of 5 SMEs (from 3 EU countries) has completed R&D, testing and evaluation to deliver the materials, machinery (including robotics) and processes required to deliver efficient production of the Hybrid Cylinders, as well as completing the R&D, testing and evaluation to deliver the first prototype of the DLC coating chamber and fully automated processes to coat the Hybrid Cylinders. These form the unique Roto Hybrid Process® that was trialled in a series of pilot studies with end-users in Europe and beyond (USA), such as such as Mondi Group and Western Michigan University. These pilot studies were supported by significant commitment from key industry stakeholder the Gravure Association of the Americas (GAA), for whose support we are very grateful. The
trials undertaken during the pilot studies took place in a real-life operational environment to gather data/feedback/results that prove the commercial potential of our solution.
All of our research, development and testing is fully supported by appropriate intellectual property protection (including patents), a robust Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and techno- economic assessment, a fully engaged and responsive stakeholder group, a realistic business plan including marketing, sales, technology transfer and licensing, and wide-ranging dissemination (including website, events and publications) to all key stakeholders.

These outputs lend themselves to a large global sales pipeline for the partners, with vast sectoral and environmental benefits being demonstrated by the Roto Hybrid® Process, plus commensurate employment opportunities and tax revenue generation that will happen as the partners exploit the solution commercially.

Therefore, the project should be considered a greatly valuable investment of the EC's funding and fully justifies the EC’s support of the consortium.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

As the project approached a conclusion, another article in March 2019 had a more extensive project update including results of the 2 key trials with the GAA at Mondi and Western Michigan University. This project update was again supported by a statement of HCR benefits and a call for additional trial partners.
In addition to the Roto Hybrid® website, the project is also referenced on the GAA website, the RIT website and print-news.com: http://www.print-news.com/new-gravure-tech-mentioned-in-rit-student-thesis/

The consortium actively participated (which including giving presentations) at major external events including the GAA Summit 2018, GAA Technical Forum 2018 and GAA Summit 2019. PlascoTec also did a poster presentation at BAUA: Perspektiven der Substitution für Cr (VI) in January 2019 to an audience of approximately 250 people. PNO were registered as visitors to the Print Show 2018, which is an annual event in the UK for the printing industry attracting approximately 8,000 visitors across 3 days.

Activity and outputs for this task are mainly in D7.1 which lists the project’s stakeholder group – a wide range of academic, commercial and industry organisations and individuals. The consortium was in continuous contact with the group throughout the project to assess key areas/questions posed:
1. Is there an opportunity to transform gravure?
2. Can the opportunity withstand in-depth analysis and become a grounded business case?
3. Investigating Cost Reduction
4. Can the required technologies be de-risked and industrialised?
5. Does the industry have the will to reinvent itself and transform its future?


A project open day was held in May 2019. This was a 1-day workshop involving key opinion leaders (e.g. GAA, ERA), end-users and other interested parties, which served as a technology demonstration event. This event is detailed by D7.5 which covers the background (purpose, format and intended audience) and reports on the content presented by the consortium and external participants such as the European Chemical Agency (EHCA). There are also a number of photos from the event in D7.5 a couple of which are reproduced here:


The GAA believed so strongly in the future of Gravure that it set up a research program (dedicating considerable time, effort and money) to assess the Roto Hybrid Process®. The conclusion of that research effort, and from our project, is as per Prof. Robert Eller, of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), at the GAA Summit 2019:

“With Roto Hybrid® technology it is possible for Gravure to reinvent itself, close the cost gap vs. Flexo, and reignite growth”.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Our results, which are being supplemented by further trials post-project (prior to a full market launch), imply the following improvements over the current state-of-the-art:
• reduction in ink usage by up to 5-10%;
• lifetime of cylinders increased 400-500%;
• reduction by 80% in the space needed to store, and stocks of, cylinders to handle print
jobs;
• reduced time from order to print by at least 50%;
• greatly increased print quality;
• removal of the need to use chrome plating, a toxic material/process that is being
legislated against in many territories (particularly in Europe);
• removal of the need for the ceramic (chrome oxide) layer typically used on Anilox
rolls in the flexo and coating industries.

"Final Project Event #2"

Prototype 2

Roto-Hybrid cylinder gravure print trial at a major multinational printers

"Final Project Event #1"