Daetwyler Graphics Precision (DG)
Daetwyler Graphics AG, Switzerland, is developer and manufacturer of machines and systems for mechanical surface processing and engraving of rotogravure and embossing cylinders which are used in printing and packaging industry and for technical (functional) applications. DG was founded in 2009, emerging from the original company MDC Max Daetwyler AG and is today member of the Heliograph Holding, Krailing (D). At its company headquarter in Bleienbach, Switzerland, Daetwyler Graphics employs a workforce of around 60 ambitious employees. Daetwyler steadily and gradually established itself in industrial graphics business from 1965 onwards. Many active cooperations with several research institutes in Switzerland, Europe and worldwide lead to an efficient and continuous implementation of new technologies in industrial products.
DG offers the development, production and integration of complete fully-automated production lines for gravure, embossing and technical cylinders. This includes several machine solutions for direct laser engraving by laser ablation. Printing factories, gravure and embossing houses are customers of DG.
Staff of Daetwyler Graphics AG has over 25 years of experience in laser processing of materials. This includes the development of appropriate laser resonators (if not available on the laser market) as well as the development of modulation and beam shaping methods for the precisely controlled micro-ablation of metals, polymers and ceramics on gravure cylinders or technical rollers. The Daetwyler Direct Laser Engraving System (DLS) is used on illustration gravure market as well as in the field of packaging and offers important technical and economic advantages to rotogravure and to surface functionalization. The DLS system has been granted by multiple awards (GAA Golden Cylinder Award, GATF InterTech Award, ERA Innovation Award, AKL – Innovation Prize 2002).
Recent outstanding technical solutions from DG for beam delivery and laser beam modulation are:
1. a polygon based scanning unit with 2000 m/s focus movement over a field of 500 mm length for a digital printing head enabling the direct laser induced forward transfer of ink;
2. power modulation and intensity profile modulation by an intensity profile synthesizer, capable to change the laser beam profile from the Gaussian to Top-hat distribution on the fly within microseconds (from laser pulse to laser pulse at repetition rates up to 150 kHz);
3. Ultrafast modulation of a high-power laser beam: 300 W cw, modulated @ 20 MHz rate.
Based on the experience in machine building, laser beam delivery and process development for laser manufacturing methods DG is able to transfer the scientific and technical results of the proposal into new industrial products.