With more products than ever adorning crowded store shelves, executing an eye-catching label is critical for success. A wide range of embellishments are often effective in helping brands separate themselves from the competition, and numerous technologies are instrumental in making this a reality.

Kocher + Beck has optimized its TecScreen screen printing meshes to help converters deliver for their customers. Kocher + Beck’s newest technologies have been engineered to increase efficiency in the prepress department, ultimately saving time and money for label converters. TecScreen is coated with a special proprietary polymer, which gives a high resolution in fine detail. The high-contrast red coloration of the screen printing plate permits rapid visual assessment of errors in prepress.

“We moved to the Kocher + Beck silk screen materials about five years ago,” comments Stacy Daly, vice president and general manager, ASL Print FX. “We have found the product to be good quality, with quicker processing times and improved detail retention of the screen image.  With a broad selection of mesh choices available, we can accurately achieve the desired graphic effect across a variety of substrates.” 

Kocher + Beck has worked diligently to continue perfecting this product line to meet the requirements of its customers. Today, the company boasts a robust screen material for any number of screen printing presses on the market.

“We have partnered with Kocher + Beck for nearly five years,” notes Willie Everett, Prepress, Fortis Solutions Group. “Their knowledge and capabilities to help meet our printing needs have been excellent. The various screen meshes Kocher + Beck offers allow us to provide our customers with a variety of embellishments. The Universal Screen Mounting Device has been a game changer for us, and it allows us to mount screens for all of our presses.”

“Our customers have been very satisfied with the high quality of TecScreen screen mesh,” says Steve Caples, TecScreen product manager, Kocher + Beck. “The pricing of TecScreen over the 5+ years has been very stable across the world. Kocher + Beck has been very transparent with the improvements in the TecScreen material and product mix, based on the needs of the customers. Customers have been very appreciative of the technical knowledge and press-side support that Kocher-Beck brings to the rotary screen industry.”

As part of this product line, Kocher + Beck has developed the TecScreen Processor and the Cut-Punch table. According to Caples, the TecScreen Processor allows the customer’s prepress department to automate the washout and drying process.

“Automating the process enables the prepress department to become more efficient,” he states. “The TecScreen Cut-Punch table enables the TecScreen material to be precisely cut to the proper repeat/width.”

“Last year we purchased the TecScreen Processor and have achieved better washout consistency and less damage to the screens from handling in a manual processing environment,” adds Daly. “This unit has also improved our capacity for screen making and delivers a more consistent product to the pressroom. Moving to the Kocher + Beck’s TecScreen materials and processing system have been a positive experience for us here at ASL Print FX – we save time and money with better printing results.”

The TecScreen material is produced entirely in-house at Kocher + Beck’s factory in Pliezhausen, Germany. The stainless-steel mesh is nickel-plated and then wound in clean room conditions. As part of the process, Kocher + Beck then coats them with photopolymer in UV-protected clean room conditions. This transparent base film is laminated on to protect them from mechanical damage during any ensuing work operations.

“Having the ability to make screens in-house at Kocher-Beck ensures high-quality for customers, with extensive quality control,” explains Caples. “Kocher + Beck has the ability to make screens for all ranges of customers based on their needs. We can make complete screens using the customer’s existing end rings, whether they are Kocher + Beck end rings or the competition’s.

“Adding TecScreen to a converter’s operation enables and enhances their ability to have detailed screen printing,” adds Caples. “TecScreen material is very easy to handle, has quick processing time and is very robust.”