By Kadence Baker
Recently, the Sonoco Institute was fortunate enough to receive donations from several partners in packaging, including X-Rite/Pantone®, Barbieri, Graymills, QEA and Alphasonics. Thanks to these partnerships, the Institute is able to offer students and professionals top-of-the-line equipment and quality materials that keep the Institute on the cutting edge of printing application and education.
“When companies donate to us they are providing something of value to us,” said Kenny Tucker, print lab project coordinator at the Sonoco Institute. “That value is measured, not in dollars, but rather the amount the donation can help us discover, develop and deliver advanced solutions and resources for the future of our industry.”
X-Rite donated an i1 Pro 3, which allows the user to read color accurately and efficiently on various material substrates. In the same realm, Barbieri donated the Spectro LFP qb, which is useful for measuring color and fluorescent inks on a variety of substrates.
Lab Manager, Shane Hutchings, installs the Alphasonics Melanie Duo
Graymills donated two small pneumatic peristaltic ink pumps, which are an addition to the centrifugal pump they gifted in December 2018. The pumps are used to maintain ink better during the printing process by withstanding frequent changes without compromising the print or ink level.
QEA donated a FlexoIAS-II, which measures flexographic plates, films and masks to make sure they are produced within standard print operating procedures. The device is portable, easy-to-use and allows the user to maintain consistency with all printed materials.
Alphasonics donated the Melanie Duo anilox roll cleaner which is designed to clean faster and more efficiently; it even has the potential to clean up to six anilox rolls at once.
Each of these devices enables the Sonoco Institute to continue to produce high quality work. They also aide in providing a realistic work environment for students to become equipped to join the packaging graphics industry.
“The more controlled the [printing] process is, the more we can trust its results,” added Tucker. “All together, these devices will help us hone our process control.”
We’d like to thank X-Rite, Barbieri, Graymills, QEA and Alphasonics for their generous donations and continued support of the Sonoco Institute. To learn more about our donors, click here.
