PRE-TREATMENT | MARKET REPORT
“We create added
value and new products”
Flexibility is one of the main arguments in favour of Kalwar‘s Calvasol technology
Managing directors Georg and Markus Kalwar
T
he Calvasol system from the
Kalwar Group based in Halle
(Westphalia) established itself on
the market several years ago but since
then great strides have been made in the
systems of this type. C2 interviewed the
managing director Markus Kalwar to find
out about the developments of recent
years and the current state of the art.
C2: “Mr Kalwar, can you briefly tell us how
you have continued to develop your Calvasol technology over the past few years?”
Markus Kalwar: “To be honest,
we’ve come on in leaps and bounds.
Before, we sometimes had to battle
A corona discharge at a humidity of 100%
with hidden impurities that led to long
process and working times. We now have
that under control.” “We’ve developed
the system so well that we’ve even filed
patent applications in several countries.”
“The result of all this development
has been that the functional coatings,
for example, are even thinner and
more precise. With the substances we
now use - some of which are 100%
water-based - we have also been able
to increase the system’s efficiency, and
obviously that saves on resources.”
C2: “One topic that is always mentioned in
connection with your technology is antifog.
What sets Calvasol apart in this respect?”
M. Kalwar: “In the packaging sector
in particular there is no dodging this
issue – everybody wants antifog properties
for their packaging. But most struggle
along with the existing processes that
either involve extremely solvent-based
substances or coating. Obviously there
had to be another approach to the task.”
“We can incorporate the antifog effect
in-line, on the laminating machine, and
obtain infinitely better results than other
processes. With the classic measurement
method now used to evaluate antifog systems, we are in the top segment even with
substances that are so thin that you can’t
even see them in a normal test process.
We are talking about functionalisation, not
13
MARKET REPORT | PRE-Treatment
just in the micron or submicron area but
in the nano regions, where the functional
coating is too thin to be measured inline.”
C2: “In an earlier interview you also
mentioned that it’s very important for your
customers to retain film transparency even
after the antifog effect has been applied.”
M. Kalwar: “That’s right, and we
have also achieved that with the coating
thickness in the nano sector, among other
things. When you buy this kind of product
at the supermarket, there’s a good chance
it’s been processed on one of our systems.
In the packaging of refrigerated meat and
cheese products, a fairly significant part
of them are processed on our systems.”
C2: “What other applications are
you often asked to provide?”
M. Kalwar: “First of all I’d have to say
long-term adhesion. The key goal here is
to ensure the stable, long-term bonding
on materials like BOPP, OPP or CPP. Our
systems are also extremely well set up for
release properties, which is particularly
important in the label sector. We apply
an extremely fine coating to the paper,
which allows the label to be peeled off and
stuck down. The special thing about this
technology is that we don’t need to use
drying any more. The label converter winds
the web directly, and this leads to clear
cost and time savings. Obviously that’s not
to the liking of every machine manufacturer,
but saving energy and resources is an
important issue of our times, and with
our systems we are bang on trend.
This example also illustrates what to
my mind makes our system different from
the classic corona pre-treatments: we
create added value and new products!
Coupled with the savings I was talking
about, I believe this is a clear step forward
in comparison to conventional solutions.”
A Calvasol system at the Kalwar Group’s technical centre. It can be used for working widths
of up to 1500mm and speeds of up to 300m/min
from other manufacturers. Space is now
a valuable commodity, and modern
micro technologies like CPUs and small
programmable controllers are giving us
an invitation to produce more compact
machines. Despite its size, the system
is stable in operation and we haven’t
had any problems with vibrations, which
was one of my initial concerns.”
“But of course that’s not the only
concept we offer. If a customer wants
something else, we are able to fall
back on our stand-alone solutions.”
facturing compact corona systems with
controls and generators built into the
machine. Has that concept proved itself?”
many pre-treatment systems is their
sensitivity to moisture. What solutions
have you come up with for this?”
M. Kalwar: “You’re right - this problem
M. Kalwar: “Absolutely! Not only
technologically speaking, but also from
a marketing standpoint. Our system
design is now a USP that sets us apart
14
C2: “Are there any applications in which
the use of Calvasol is restricted?”
M. Kalwar: “For us, that’s probably
C2: “A well-known problem with
C2: “Very early on, you started manu-
design is a very elegant solution to this
problem. This innovation has now been
incorporated into all our systems, and
guarantees smooth operation even in
very humid conditions with extreme
temperature fluctuations. Humistop
also works without any additional
electronics, and needs no startup, drive
or temperature control systems.”
is becoming bigger all the time, because
of the growing number of exports to
hot, humid countries like Brazil and
China. I’m convinced that our Humistop
the biggest sales argument in favour
of Calvasol technology. It really is a
multifunctional system! Compared to
plasma systems, where the function is
clearly predefined, with Calvasol it is
defined by the chemical formula used
by the customer. In fact, we now have
customers who use our Calvasol systems
for applications we hadn’t even thought
of when we planned the machine.”
COATING & CONVERTING | C2 Europe/C2 International