ASK THE EXPERTS: Quality in the spotlight

BST International is a provider of quality assuring systems for the web processing industry, with headquarters in Bielefeld, Germany. Founded in 1979, the BST range encompasses products in web guiding, video web inspection, print management, 100% defect detection, register control, tyre control automation systems, and also colour management. The company is active in supplying a diverse range of industries including printing and packaging, non-wovens, corrugated, extrusion and tyre manufacture.

Kristian Juenke stated that BST covers the whole range of web inspection and defect detection systems from basic viewing systems (mostly used for narrow web and label printing applications) to high-end print management systems with highest image quality.

Mr Juenke commented: “From the beginning to the end of a project we constantly focus on the customer’s requirements; we consult with the client before any suggestions are made and find out exactly what their customers expect from them. Different applications will require different types of technological approaches – we offer the best fitting solution for every individual application. As our systems are very intuitively operated, for example using the same operating concept for all machine types, our customers can immediately work with our tools.”

Before dealing with specifics, we asked Mr Juenke what happens if a company’s requirements change, as in the case of it gaining a new client with a different product specification needed. He said: “Due to our modular structure we can easily meet all expectations of our customers. All necessary settings to adapt the system to the application required can be done by only a few changes of the standard settings. And within every inspection system, individual settings allow us to adapt to specific customer requests. Since our systems are based on a modular concept, the customer can easily add new functionality later on if the production requirements change.”

These functions include, but are not limited to, colour monitoring, barcode ranking, register and ink deck presetting, defect detection and many more.

With systems like POWERScope 4000, SUPER HANDYScan 4000, IDM 4000/ISM 4000 (in-line colour measurement) and PREMIUS digital 3Chip, all aspects of printing requirements are met. BST uses the highest quality optics available in the market for its high-end systems and, according to Mr Juenke: “The digital 3chip technology guarantees the best image quality due to the high resolution and the pixel synchronicity with TFT displays. We use high quality optical zoom lenses to ensure the best magnification performance. It is impossible to achieve the same quality by only using a digital zoom.”

The company’s portfolio also includes 100% real-time defect detection systems that are equipped with linescan cameras. Systems like SHARK 4000 LEX for narrow web and SHARK 4000 for wide applications monitor the complete width of the running web in real job running time and find recurring defects as well as randomly occurring defects..

To combine the advantages of the inspection systems and 100% print defect detection, BST International offers a link (EPL) between both system types. For example, the operator can choose the defective area detected by SHARK 4000 and the SUPER HANDYScan 4000 camera moves to the point of interest. Now the defect can be examined by using the inspection system’s high zoom function (up to 32x).

This helps the operator to take corrective actions before the defect reaches an unacceptable limit, to save waste and costs. “Also important is the workflow concept that we realised with our Lector system,” said Mr Juenke. “With the Lector, a defect is recorded and its position memorised during, for example, printing, so that it can be dealt with in later steps of production such as doctoring or slitting.