Printing on nonwoven materials intended for the personal hygiene industry, particularly disposable feminine hygiene products, represents a highly complex technological challenge. It requires extremely delicate material handling, precise print quality, safe inks, and exceptionally high production speeds.
At Giugni, we have transformed this challenge into a core specialization, developing dedicated flexographic solutions for nonwoven converting over the years.
To showcase the evolution of our technologies, there is no better stage than INDEX™ Geneva, the world’s leading exhibition for the nonwovens industry. Since 2008, Giugni has participated continuously in every edition, presenting innovations that have supported and driven the evolution of flexographic printing for the hygiene sector.
Below, we retrace the key milestones of this journey through historical images and archive materials from our company history.
INDEX™ 2008: The dawn of UV printing on Nonwovens
Our journey began in 2008, a year that marked a significant technological breakthrough for the industry. During that edition, we introduced our first UV flexographic printing application specifically developed for the hygiene market.
UV technology brought major advantages: instant curing, enhanced color brilliance, and excellent print quality even on delicate substrates such as nonwoven fabrics. It represented a significant step forward in the customization of disposable hygiene products.
INDEX™ 2011: A complete product range for every production nee
Three years later, the technology had matured and manufacturers’ requirements had become increasingly diversified. At INDEX™ 2011, the Giugni® stand no longer showcased a single innovation, but a complete range of rotary flexographic printing machines specifically engineered for nonwoven applications.
The objective was to provide modular, scalable, and highly customizable platforms designed to integrate efficiently into the various production line configurations used throughout the hygiene industry.
INDEX™ 2014: Eliminating the “Set-Off” problem
In high-speed converting operations, set-off phenomena and residue build-up on the impression roll are well-known critical issues, directly affecting both print quality and production efficiency.
In 2014, Giugni® introduced an innovative solution: the first flexographic printing machine for nonwovens equipped with an integrated automatic impression roll cleaning system.
This technology eliminated machine downtime associated with manual cleaning procedures, improving production continuity while ensuring consistent print quality even during the most demanding production runs.
INDEX™ 2017: Intelligence and automation take the stage
With the rise of Industry 4.0, advanced automation became a key element in flexographic printing technology as well.
In 2017, Giugni® introduced the first flexographic printing machine featuring automatic sleeve repeat detection through RFID technology. Thanks to this system, the machine can automatically identify the installed format and independently configure the corresponding operating parameters.
The implementation of RFID technology significantly reduced setup times, minimized the risk of human error during format changes, and increased the overall reliability of the production process.
INDEX™ 2021: Operational ergonomics and fluid dynamics optimization
During the post-pandemic edition held in 2021, Giugni presented a new machine architecture specifically designed to improve accessibility, maintenance, and ink management efficiency.
The new mono-side-frame flexographic printing machine with pneumatic enclosed chamber system introduced a design capable of providing full front access to the operator, significantly simplifying maintenance operations and job changeovers.
At the same time, the enclosed doctor blade chamber system with pneumatic management optimized the ink’s fluid dynamic stability, improving coating uniformity, transfer control, and waste reduction.
INDEX™ 2023: Total control at ultra-high speeds
As converting lines continue to operate at increasingly higher speeds, ink management and drying control have become among the most strategic aspects of the production process.
At INDEX™ 2023, Giugni introduced two proprietary innovations developed to guarantee stability and print quality even at maximum line speeds:
-
AIC™ (Adaptive Ink Chamber)
The first adaptive ink management system designed to maintain constant ink pressure and distribution under varying operating conditions. -
SDB™ (Smart Drying Box)
The first intelligent drying diffuser engineered to ensure the fastest and most efficient ink drying performance, even at maximum production speeds.
Looking Ahead: What comes next?
Looking back at the journey from 2008 to today, one principle clearly defines Giugni’s philosophy: not simply following the evolution of the feminine hygiene market, but actively contributing to the definition of new technological standards.
Each edition of INDEX™ has represented another step forward in print quality, production speed, automation, ergonomics, and process control.
Today, the question arises naturally: what will be the next innovation we unveil at INDEX™ 2026?
Our engineering and development teams are already working on the technologies of the future. Continue following the Giugni blog and official channels to discover the next advancements in flexographic printing for nonwoven converting.
The future of flexographic printing for the hygiene industry is already taking shape. And it bears the Giugni signature.
Team Giugni®
