The European Rotogravure Association (ERA) is organizing a seminar on basic gravure titled ‘Gravure at your fingertips’, which will be held at the University of Stuttgart in 2023.
The seminar, which is an introduction to gravure cylinder preparation and printing with demonstrations and practical exercises, will be held in two languages – 29–31 March 2023 in English and 12-14 July in German.Â
Stuttgart Media University is the only university in Europe to operate a complete gravure line, from cylinder preparation to a rotogravure printing press. Hence, the cylinder preparation and gravure printing department at HdM is unique in European higher education. In the labs, all aspects of gravure can be closely experienced and tried out, and the quality of all production steps can be tested with special measuring methods.
The introductory course covers gravure in theory and practice, from the electroplating for copper plating of a cylinder, through surface processing and finishing, preparation of a layout, and the subsequent electromechanical engraving process, to printing on several papers with different ink viscosities. Besides electromechanical engraving, all workflow processes for other modern gravure cylinder engraving procedures such as laser-assisted etching and laser engraving are explained. The new developments of cylinder surfaces are touched.
The course is designed to provide a practical overview of the whole process chain for employees of gravure printers, cylinder engravers, and reproduction studios, from paper, substrate and ink manufacturers, and also for newcomers to the industry coming from different fields. This course does not include advanced operator training and so is not intended for the experienced technical staff from gravure printers.
The number of participants has been limited to 10 participants per course. This enables each participant to take an active ‘hands-on’ part in each production step, which will enable a better understanding of the complete process.
The closing date for registrations is 14 March 2023. Participation will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.