Web inspection: an “easy and affordable way to increase profits"

Jim Doerr, president and ceo of TruColor Vision Systems, asks: “Is your company looking for an easy, affordable way to increase profits? Is it interested in reducing waste by an average of 15 per cent? Or increasing overall pressroom productivity? Are you interested in ways to increase press speeds by as much as 25 per cent and decrease set-up/makeready time by an average of 19 per cent?

“If the answer is “yes”, then there is one simple solution with proven return on investment: incorporate a web inspection system into your process.”

He explains: “Today’s printers and converters are benefiting from revolutionary advances in all machine vision systems. They are compact, easy to use and, best of all, affordable. Even the most basic of systems will prove a truly cost effective addition to any company’s quality control programme. Never before has monitoring your web, and ‘inspecting quality in’ been easier, more accurate, or more cost effective.”

TruColor’s TG 4000 Series inspection system uses a simulated repeat image as a “quick and easy” method of rapid and accurate inspection. The TruRegister feature automatically adjusts pre-register settings on start-up. Current TruColor field installations have proved to bring a 10 colour gearless CI press into full registration within seconds, the company claims.

Erhardt+Leimer offers the Nyscan Web:Inspector:2 print inspection system, which inspects the material with 6,144 pixels across its entire width. “Perfect reliability and the highest of resolutions” at high speeds are promised, as the new PixelRegistration inspection algorithm compensates the distortions digitally. For highest inspection quality, the Rollmap fault data base lists all faults in a sort of virtual roll. They are divided into four categories, to simplify evaluation on the monitor, and minimize machine downtimes and material waste.

The Viper printing vision system from PC Industries provides the ability to inspect 100 per cent of a web for printing defects. It uses high resolution digital ‘Area Scan’ cameras to detect defects such as missing punctuation, broken characters, register and colour variation on printing presses and inspection rewinders at full web speeds. On press, the Viper will alert the operator to print defects, and automatically stop the defective printing on the rewinder splicing table for easy removal. It also offers accurate counting and full reporting and documentation.

Eltromat’s Web video_3000 modular inspection system uses the latest imaging technology in “a true multi tasking based environment”. The “best” in image quality is based on a proven combination of specialized lighting, optics and camera technology. Ease of use through touchscreen and joystick control allows visualization of the web with automatic inspection in “background”. Options include a colour module, a CI registration module, and the Isis, for automatic defect detection

Billed as the first low cost inspection system to include image transfer and colour monitoring, the K2colour from Tectonic uses the proven colour monitoring algorithms developed for the Jaguar print inspection system. According to Tectonic, it “really is as simple as selecting the region of interest and letting the K2colour do the rest”. Also available as an upgrade on K2 is “another industry first” - wireless image transfer when on-demand images of the ‘live’ print run are transferred to networked PCs for inspection.

TecScan claims its Series 5 CS4 system is “the ultimate” in passive video web inspection, with high resolution, user friendly controls and many novel features. Designed to be upgraded to the full specification of the pro-active AVIS system, the CS4 is said to assist the operator to achieve greater consistent quality at high speed press runs than any other passive video inspection system. Special features include the Make-Ready Mate, which allows the operator to set up registration and colour, using only the system, and Label/pack checking - each label or pack can be inspected constantly around the repeat length.

Dover Flexo has introduced the WebHandler 3 digital web tension controller with several new software enhancements and a Profibus network interface option. Working with input from DFE tension transducers, it automatically controls the output to tensioning components such as a pneumatic brake, clutch or DC drive, to maintain a web tension setpoint.