Printing
Printing is part of who we are. Our roots go back to 1878, when Mr. B. Grauel started his printing machine business. In 1995, AAE took over Grauel and brought that specialist knowledge into our own organisation. Since then, we have continued to build on this heritage in some of the most demanding environments, including medical, pharmaceutical and consumer goods. You can read more about this chapter of our story on our history page.
What truly sets us apart is our ability to combine printing and assembly into one integrated automation solution. We are one of the very few companies – if not the only one – that has specialised so deeply in this combination. By bringing print and assembly together in a single system, we create hyper-efficient lines with long lifespans, limited floorspace and a significantly lower total cost of ownership. Multiple print technologies can run as standalone systems, or act as an integral part of a broader assembly process, with handling, curing and inspection all working in one coherent flow.
We also believe that knowledge should be shared as we move the world happily forward. In our Masterclass Printing course, we walk your team through the strengths and limits of different print technologies, and where each one truly comes into its own. The goal is simple: to help you make confident choices and get the most out of printing in your production environment.
AAE feels like a place where technology and collaboration come together. Together with the team, I design machines we can be proud of and that truly make an impact.
Offset
Dry-offset is our go-to technology when it comes to printing on round products at high speed. It allows multiple colors to be transferred in a single pass, delivering sharp, consistent prints even at very high output levels.
One of the reasons dry-offset is so widely used in medical, pharmaceutical and consumer goods applications is its robustness in daily production. Inks and auxiliaries are relatively low in cost, the process is stable and repeatable, and the absence of solvents makes it cleaner and more operator friendly.
For customers who need reliable, multi-colour decoration on cylindrical or round parts, dry-offset offers a proven balance of quality, speed and cost efficiency.
IDF
InDirect Flexo (IDF) is a relief printing process that brings together the strengths of flexo and offset in a single technology. It is designed for applications where you want the flexibility and speed of flexo, combined with the sharpness and registration stability associated with offset.
By working with low-viscosity UV inks and a controlled ink transfer concept, IDF achieves higher ink laydown and a more opaque ink layer than many conventional methods. The result is artwork that looks rich, uniform and consistent across the full production run – even on challenging substrates or complex geometries.
For customers who need strong, high-impact decoration with reliable coverage and colour consistency, IDF offers a powerful alternative to traditional print technologies, without compromising on efficiency or process stability.
Inkjet
Inkjet is where our printing heritage meets today’s regulatory and flexibility demands. At AAE, we develop and build our own industrial inkjet systems, using A-brand inkjet heads as the core technology and engineering everything around them to fit seamlessly into high-end production environments.
We use Drop-on-Demand (DOD) inkjet with very low-viscosity inks. Because the process is contactless and does not rely on solvent-based inks, it offers a robust, clean and versatile alternative to many classical printing methods. Inkjet comes into its own when you need flexibility in artwork, variable data, controlled ink layer thickness and quick changeovers – without sacrificing reliability.
Our systems are designed for both round and flat substrates and can print in multiple colors while applying unique codes to every single product or package. This makes them particularly suited for medical and pharmaceutical applications, where Unique Device Identification (UDI) is required under the European Medical Devices Regulation (MDR 2017/745) and In-Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR 2017/746). In practice, that means one integrated solution for decoration, coding and compliance – built to run, day in and day out.
Continuous Jet
Where Drop-on-Demand systems create droplets only when needed, continuous inkjet works with a constant stream of electrically charged droplets. Each droplet is steered in real time to its landing spot on the substrate, making CIJ a very fast and flexible way to apply variable information on moving products.
Continuous inkjet is typically used for cost-effective, lower-resolution marking with a limited range of colour shades – for example, applying batch codes, expiry dates or simple identifiers on a wide variety of materials.
At AAE, we integrate CIJ systems from selected A-brand suppliers and engineer everything around them: product handling, sensing, triggering and verification. The result is a compact, reliable coding solution that fits naturally into your overall automation concept and supports your traceability and compliance needs.
Pad Print
Pad printing is a proven technology for decorating flat, round and even double-curved substrates, especially when you need fine detail on challenging shapes.
Within our Emerald platform, we offer a dedicated heavy-duty pad printing module as an integrated add-on. This mechanical print engine is designed specifically for demanding industrial use, with features such as an integrated tape unit and automatic greasing to ensure high accuracy and long-term durability with minimal manual intervention.
Seamlessly embedded into the Emerald indexing concept, this pad printing add-on can be configured for up to 12 colours, delivers colour-to-colour registration of approximately ±0.1 mm and supports production speeds up to 420 parts per minute. In practice, it gives you high-end pad printing performance as a natural part of your automation solution, rather than a standalone machine on the side.
Laser Engraving
Laser engraving is a powerful way to apply permanent, high-contrast markings without touching the product. Using different laser sources, we can mark a wide variety of substrates with serial numbers, logos, functional codes or traceability information.
At AAE, we integrate laser engraving as a flexible, contactless marking step within the overall machine concept, synchronised with product handling, inspection and data systems. This ensures that every mark ends up in exactly the right position, at the right time, with the right quality.
All solutions are designed to meet strict standards for laser safety, shielding, control and fume extraction. The result is a clean, robust and compliant marking process that fits seamlessly into your automation.