Collaborative innovation with machine manufacturer Gallus reduces liner waste up to fifty percent and eliminates die-strikes

BRUSSELS, – A revolutionary new die-cutting technology, called Avery Dennison ThinStream(TM), developed by pressure-sensitive label material manufacturer Avery Dennison, allows the die-cutting of labels with a liner as thin as 12 microns, half of the current minimum in the market. ThinStream technology also eliminates die strikes, one of the industry's top quality concerns. The patented technology for ThinStream has been licensed to the Gallus Group, which has created the Gallus Cold Die Unit to accomplish this major advance in die-cutting technology.

ThinStream is one of the biggest and most significant advances in die-cutting in decades. Until its arrival, die-cutting liner with calipers below 23 microns was virtually impossible. With conventional kiss-cutting, the die can cut through the liner and cause operational and quality problems during converting and dispensing. Avery Dennison's ThinStream technology overcomes this challenge.

It separates the face stock from the liner before die-cutting, cuts the label shape through the adhesive and then reassembles the label. In order to make a 'clean cut,' the machine uses a cold die unit, which is kept below freezing to prevent the adhesive sticking to the die.

Collaborative Innovation

Avery Dennison ThinStream is a result of the company's collaborative innovation strategy. "Creating real breakthrough products by engaging with label converters, machine manufacturers, designers, brand owners and raw materials suppliers is the core of this strategy," said Don Nolan, group vice president, Label and Packaging Materials.

"Liner was a top item on our innovation agenda," Nolan said. "We wanted to combine our extensive material manufacturing expertise with technologies that allow us and our customers to further enhance label performance while also reducing liner waste and providing environmental and cost benefits. ThinStream is proof that collaboration across key industry disciplines places Avery Dennison and our partners at the center of a whole new wave of innovations in the label and packaging industry."

Long-standing Relationship

Avery Dennison has collaborated with machine manufacturer Gallus to develop commercially available die-cutting units using the ThinStream technology. The history between Avery Dennison and Gallus stretches back to the 1940s when Ferdinand Rüesch III, father of the company's current owner, struck up a relationship with Avery Dennison's founder, R. Stanton Avery. Commenting on their latest joint effort, Klaus Bachstein, CEO of Gallus, says, "We see a continuing trend of label printers seeking out and using thinner label materials to meet the environmental requirements of brand owners around the world. We are delighted to partner with Avery Dennison to develop the Gallus Cold Die Unit and bring this exciting new technology to the marketplace."

Avery Dennison's ThinStream technology and the Gallus Cold Die Unit will be of special interest to label printers with large-volume print jobs on PET liner and can be integrated into a Gallus printing press or operate in a stand-alone version.