Tucker Norton, the global business director for DuPont Cyrel Flexographic Solutions, expressed his excitement and remarked that this is an exceptional moment for the entire Cyrel team. “Throughout this journey, we have brought countless innovations to the market and have always prioritised developments in collaboration with our customers,” he said.

DuPont has achieved remarkable accomplishments over the past 50 years, such as introducing the Cyrel Digital Imager (CDI) in the 1990s. The CDI replaced the analogue workflow with a modern, digital computer-to-plate workflow. This eliminated the need for an extra consumable and advanced print quality, reproducibility, and productivity with the innovative laser-ablative mask system (LAMs). “This accelerated the growth of flexographic printing, making it the preferred printing method for packaging,” said DuPont statement.

In 2000, DuPont introduced the Cyrel Fast system, which allowed the processing of flexographic plates without using chemical solvents. This innovation reduced plate-processing time and had significant environmental benefits, including a 53% savings in greenhouse gas generation and a 63% reduction in non-renewable energy consumption compared to solvent, as noted in DuPont's LCA.

The last decade saw DuPont bring new solutions to the market. For example, the Cyrel Easy plate, introduced in 2015, was the first plate with a flat top dot directly in the plate, which simplified the pre-press process and allowed customers to achieve increased productivity and consistency.

Then came the Cyrel Easy-R plates, which represented an even more advanced family of plate formulations. Building on the Cyrel Easy platform, DuPont further advanced performance on press and made the plates even easier to handle in the plate room.

In 2018, DuPont introduced the Cyrel Easy Brite screens to help improve ink transfer. The screens were specifically designed for high-volume ink transfer applications where a white undercoat or solid areas with spot colours are often printed. DuPont's main goal was to achieve a greater opacity while using less ink, resulting in ink savings on press. To promote this new screening technology, DuPont asked the industry, "How bright is your white?"

DuPont introduced the Cyrel DLC plates in 2019, which have a corrugated design. Recently, the company also launched the Cyrel Lightning plate series, optimized for UV-LED exposure for solvent and thermal platemaking workflows. This innovative technology was honored with the 2022 Flexographic Technical Association Innovation Award.

Looking back on this achievement, Norton shared, "Our team of dedicated flexo experts has been working diligently for over 50 years to bring technological advancements to the packaging and printing industry. We are dedicated to continuous innovation and excited to collaborate with our partners and customers in the coming decade to perfect the flexography field further."