Pilot project proves Print Check

As we reported from IPEX last month, Eltromat has launched a 100 per cent inspection system - the Print Check_7000 – that is claimed to achieve new levels of quality in web printing. The system, which was also presented this month at Grafitalia/Converflex, has been beta tested by Austrian flexible packaging manufacturer K Heyer since September, 2005.

Heyer, part of Constantia Packaging, is one of Austria’s leading manufacturers of packaging for medical and food products. With a turnover of e87.4M, the company, based in Natschbach-Loipersbach, uses both rotogravure and flexo printing. Customers include Bayer, Boehringer, Novartis and Pfizer, as well as Danone, Nestlé, Unilever and Zentis. It is certified to ISO 9001 (2000), HACCP; GMP and FDA. In addition to flexible packaging, it produces blister foils, laminates of aluminium foil/paper and/or aluminium foil/plastics, as well as masking tapes and printed boards.

The pilot scheme installation of the new Eltromat inspection system was carried out as a retrofit for a Cerutti nine colour gravure press and is said to have surpassed the expectations of both the manufacturer and the users.

The high precision image analysis is performed in real time, checking the printed image independently of production speed and substrate material continuously throughout the printed width and length. The Print Check_7000 operates with one or several high precision line scanning cameras to detect printing faults invisible to the human eye whilst the press is running. The monitor screens immediately show register offsets, doctor streaks, printer drop-outs, ink splashess and scumming, so avoiding costly customer claims.

The system instantly informs the operator of any deviations from the specified quality standards, allowing immediate remedial measures to be taken. Any faults detected are automatically stored in the database.

Prior to the implementation of the Print Check_7000 project, the Cerutti press, which has been in use at Heyer for several years, was fitted with an Eltromat Web Video_3000 web inspection system and optimized for setting time, start-up paper wastage and ease of operation. It was already equipped with an Eltromat DGC_650 register control system. Web viewing in conjunction with the inspection system allows monitoring of the print quality and is said to guarantee this quality at a consistently high level.

Co-operation

Heyer and Eltromat have co-operated for several years in the fields of register control, web viewing and inspection systems. The Austrian company’s three Cerutti gravure presses and two BHS presses, as well as a four colour Holweg flexo model have consistently been retrofitted by Eltromat to maintain high productivity. A BHS T-650-4F gravure press commissioned at Heyer’s new Pharma Centre in 2005 works in conjunction with the DGC_650 and Web Video_3000 systems, and the SIS inspection module.

Production manager Dr Thomas Eck comments: “Since the quality of our prints defines the value of our products, we appreciate innovations that continue to increase our standards. Eltromat has provided us with a realistic option to do this. We have jointly improved and optimized the 100 per cent inspection system in practice.”

Quality assurance manager Arpad Hötschl adds: “As the customers become more and more demanding of quality criteria, we cannot afford to take risks. This new system allows us not only to monitor the quality, but also to increase and maintain the inspection quality on a sustainable basis.”

Printing house manager Karl Hörmann handled the project jointly with a team of Eltromat specialists. “The first problem to solve was to ensure an operator interface fit for practical operation. The solution found was more than a success, because our printing workers have recognized the value of the new system within a short time. By introducing the Print Check_7000, our co-operation has reached a level that allowed us to improve our production results even further.”

This new system is now available for demonstration in its multi camera version at Eltromat’s customer centre in Leopoldshöhe. The company says it will be ready for series production by the middle of this year.