By the Giugni® Editorial Team – A Testimonial by Antonio Ferri, Owner of Napoletana Plastica
If you have had a chance to watch the videos on our website or the interviews given by Rosalia Ferri over the years at events such as SMAU, EnergyMed and Ecomondo, you will have noticed just how dramatically Napoletana Plastica has evolved.
We started out in Pomigliano d’Arco in 1971 as a polyethylene film converter. Today, however, our identity revolves around one very specific concept: “I’m a smart bag!” We no longer simply supply waste bags to public authorities; we design complete ecosystems for pay-as-you-throw waste collection schemes (TARIP), integrating our traceable bags, the Bag Control software platform, the EcoFacility app and ECOMATRIX automated dispensing machines.
There is, however, one truth that anyone working in manufacturing knows all too well: digital innovation and “smart” solutions stand or fall on the reliability of the machinery on the production floor.
When Rosalia explains to public administrators that every single roll is uniquely identifiable and traceable, that promise depends on our blown-film extrusion and sealing lines being able to print tens of thousands of machine-readable codes every day, directly on the production line, without a single error.
My name is Antonio Ferri, and today I want to share the technical challenge that threatened to undermine this promise, and how we finally overcame it with Giugni® Miniflex® flexographic printers and the innovative Cellox™ anilox roller technology.
The Challenge: Printing Microscopic Codes on Recycled Polymers and Bioplastics
Traceability for separate waste collection bags relies on extremely precise graphic elements: interleaved barcodes, QR codes and Data Matrix codes, alongside institutional logos and waste disposal instructions.
Printing these elements directly on a continuous extrusion line presents several significant challenges:
- The nature of the substrates: Our formulations contain high percentages of post-consumer recycled polyethylene (PCR) and certified biodegradable and compostable compounds compliant with UNI EN 13432. These films have variable surface tension and behave far less consistently than virgin, first-pass polymers.
- Zero tolerance for reading errors: If a barcode line smears or a Data Matrix module loses contrast, the optical scanner used by a waste collection operator or the reader in an ECOMATRIX dispensing machine will reject the bag. An unreadable code renders the Bag Control software ineffective.
- Continuous, around-the-clock production: Our production lines in Pomigliano run day and night. Stopping an extruder to clean a printing unit or adjust ink transfer means scrapping hundreds of metres of film due to temperature loss, while sacrificing valuable production time.
The Limitations of Conventional Rollers: A Vicious Cycle of Wear and Cell Clogging
For a long time, our in-line flexographic printing units struggled with the inherent limitations of conventional anilox rollers. When using highly pigmented, fast-drying inks on a continuous film substrate, we faced two recurring problems:
- Loss of optical density (faded solid areas): After just a few months of intensive use, the continuous abrasive action of pigments wore down the anilox surface. Ink volume transfer steadily declined, causing municipal logos and solid backgrounds to lose their opacity. Operators were forced to increase pressure or constantly adjust ink viscosity to compensate.
- Cell clogging (unreadable codes): When printing fine details, the microcells tended to trap dried ink residues at the bottom. Ink release became uneven, producing edge smearing and excessive dot gain that caused barcodes to fail optical verification tests.
The result was a significant hidden cost: production line stoppages for cleaning with aggressive solvents and batches at risk of customer claims.
The Breakthrough with Giugni®: Miniflex® Enhanced by Cellox™ Technology
We were already familiar with Giugni®’s outstanding engineering expertise in in-line flexographic printing solutions. We decided to share our problem with their technical team. We were not simply looking for a compact printing unit, but for an ink metering technology capable of handling the chemistry of our inks and the operating speeds of our production lines.
The solution was to install Giugni® Miniflex® printers equipped with Cellox™ anilox rollers.
Why Did the Cellox™ Anilox Roller Make a Difference on the Production Floor?
The difference between a standard anilox roller and Giugni®’s patented Cellox™ roller lies in the micro-morphology of the cells and their special surface treatment.
- Superior ink release: The precisely engineered geometry of Cellox™ cells promotes better, more consistent ink release onto the printing plate. Their microscopic structure prevents pigment from becoming trapped at the bottom of the cells, ensuring uniform, clean ink transfer even at high operating speeds.
- Sharp edges on barcodes and Data Matrix codes: Thanks to the controlled, consistent volume of ink transferred, code modules retain their precise geometry. No halos, no excessive dot gain, and sharp contrast, even on translucent or coloured bags.
- Abrasion Resistance: The surface-hardening treatment protects the cells’ microstructure against abrasive pigments and continuous friction. This delivers outstanding service life while maintaining consistent ink-carrying volume over time.
- Fast cleaning and reduced maintenance: Because ink residues are less likely to accumulate at the bottom of the cells, the roller can be cleaned in record time, virtually eliminating unexpected machine stoppages in the middle of a shift.
The Results: Measurable Improvements at Napoletana Plastica
The combination of Giugni® Miniflex® printing units and Cellox™ anilox rollers has transformed our printing department.
| Operational parameter | Before Cellox™ | With Giugni® Miniflex® and Cellox™ |
| Traceability code readability | Approx. 92–94% (risk of rejects and errors) | 100% first-pass scanner readability |
| Machine stoppages for roller cleaning | Frequent (several times per shift) | Reduced by more than 75% |
| Solid-area print consistency | Ink density declined over time | Stable, rich colour from the start to the end of each roll |
| Job start-up waste | High due to difficulties balancing print settings | Minimized thanks to Miniflex®’s rapid setup |
Today, whenever a batch of bags leaves our facilities backed by the Bag Control system guarantee, we know with certainty that every single Data Matrix code will work flawlessly with optical readers and ECOMATRIX dispensing machines.
Antonio Ferri’s Testimonial
“In our corporate videos, Rosalia passionately showcases the modern face of Napoletana Plastica: the circular economy, smart bags, and apps designed for citizens and municipalities. But anyone responsible for running a production facility knows that behind every great service, there is always a piece of machinery that has to work perfectly.
Without the precise ink metering provided by the Cellox™ roller and the reliable in-line performance of Miniflex® printers, promising complete traceability would have been an unsustainable production risk. Giugni® gave us the technical reliability we needed to deliver on every single promise we have made to the market.”
— Antonio Ferri, Owner of Napoletana Plastica
