Unlocking the Full Potential of Thermal Flexo with XSYS
The flexographic printing industry continues to face increasing pressure to improve efficiency, reduce operational complexity, meet sustainability targets, and maintain consistently high print quality. At the same time, converters are looking for ways to gain greater control over their prepress operations while reducing dependencies and improving responsiveness.
Against this backdrop, thermal plate processing is gaining momentum across the industry. For XSYS thermal is not an emerging trend. It is already an established and growing part of the company’s business. Today, thermal solutions account for a significant share of its plate business, supporting more than 50 thermal customer sites worldwide.
More Than a Different Plate Processing Technology
Many discussions around thermal focus on processing technology alone. However, the real opportunity lies in the business benefits it enables. Thermal workflows can help printers increase operational flexibility, improve turnaround times, and respond faster to customer requirements. In an environment characterized by shorter runs, tighter deadlines and more frequent job changes, speed and agility have become critical competitive advantages.
For printers that currently outsource plate production to a trade shop, the shift to thermal creates advantages on both sides of the value chain. Those looking to bring production in-house gain greater control over quality, lead times, and production planning. Established trade shops benefit just as much, as thermal enables them to offer their customers faster turnaround and greater flexibility. For existing thermal users, it offers opportunities to further optimize productivity, reduce costs, and streamline operations.
A complete thermal ecosystem
Successful adoption of thermal technology requires a complete solution: plates, workflow, equipment, and expert support. XSYS offers a comprehensive thermal portfolio, including proven plate solutions such as ITP-60, XVH and XAH, so customers can select the right fit for their specific production environment.
These plate technologies are complemented by the established LAVA thermal processing platform and XSYS's close collaboration with Hybrid Software, creating efficient end-to-end prepress workflows within a single ecosystem and a fully integrated solution rather than a collection of individual components. This is a key differentiator in today's market. While many suppliers focus exclusively on either plates or equipment, XSYS brings together plates, equipment, workflow software, technical service, application expertise and global support, all from one partner across the entire value chain.
Delivering Measurable Business Benefits
Printers considering thermal solutions generally focus on a few fundamental questions:
- Can the quality meet the customer requirements?
- Can the operating costs be reduced?
- Can productivity and flexibility be improved?
XSYS's thermal strategy is aligned precisely with these customer priorities.
Modern thermal workflows can deliver print quality comparable to solvent-based technologies while helping printers improve responsiveness, reduce turnaround times, and optimize total cost of ownership. XSYS benchmarking shows the impact clearly: file-to-plate turnaround time for a plate with 1.70 mm thickness drops from 175 minutes with solvent plates to just 57 minutes with thermal plates — a reduction of 67%, driven largely by consolidating washing (20 minutes) and drying (120 minutes) into a single 24-minute LAVA processing step.
| Plate making process steps | File to finished plate time Solvent plate* | File to finished plate time Thermal plate* |
|---|---|---|
| Imaging | 15 mins | 15 mins |
| Exposure | 10 mins | 8 mins |
| Processing | Rinsing – 20 mins | LAVA: 24 mins |
| Drying – 120 mins | ||
| Light finishing | 10 mins | 10 mins |
| Print-ready plate according to | 175 mins | 57 mins |
*Example for a plate with 1.70 mm / 0.067" thickness and size of 1067 x 1524 mm / 42 x 60"
Beyond turnaround time, thermal also eliminates a range of solvent-related cost drivers (processor equipment, energy consumption, plate development chemistry, VOC/solvent permitting, and waste disposal) entirely; further strengthening the total cost of ownership case. Combined, these factors translate into a 20-30% reduction in total cost of ownership compared to solvent-based systems.
Sustainability without compromise
Sustainability has become a key business driver throughout the packaging value chain. Brand owners, regulators, and consumers increasingly expect environmental responsibility alongside high performance. Thermal processing addresses this directly: unlike solvent-based platemaking, it requires no solvents and no wash-out process, significantly reducing chemical consumption and water usage in prepress operations. It also cuts CO₂ emissions by up to 48% compared to solvent-based processing, while minimizing industrial waste.
XSYS believes that sustainability only creates long-term value when it goes hand in hand with commercial success and operational excellence. Thermal enables printers to improve their environmental footprint without compromising on performance.
Commitment to long-term thermal innovation
Thermal technology continues to evolve, and XSYS is committed to actively shaping its future. As a company with a significant thermal business, extensive application expertise and a growing global customer base, XSYS continuously invests in the further development of thermal workflows, processing technologies and plate solutions. The objective is to help customers increase productivity, maintain outstanding print quality and improve operational sustainability while protecting their investment for the future. In this way, the company combines proven solutions available today with a clear commitment to ongoing innovation and long-term support.
Why XSYS?
Many companies can offer thermal products. Few can offer a complete thermal strategy. With proven thermal plates, established LAVA processing technology, global technical support, application expertise and a clear innovation roadmap, XSYS is uniquely positioned to support customers throughout their entire thermal journey. Thermal is already a core part of our business today, supported by extensive market experience and a growing global customer base. Thermal is more than a processing method. It is a strategic opportunity to improve productivity, quality, sustainability, and profitability. And XSYS is ready to help printers unlock its full potential.
Find out more at http://www.xsysglobal.com
