Print on parade: part 1

19 March 2012



Drupa 2012 on 3-16 May will make Düsseldorf, to quote one major exhibitor, “the hub of the printing world for two weeks”. Here is a first appetiser for what is sure to be a feast of print technology innovation. More to come next month


Ashe Converting Equipment (Hall 12, stand C50) will be giving live demonstrations of roll form slitting and rewinding on four separate finishing machines. Ashe will be able to show its “advantageous techniques of design” to both flexible and label converters.

The latest technical innovations on the Sapphire S2 dedicated secondary slitter for substrate web widths of 600-2,000mm will be on display. The Diamond model will also be running an unsupported film. With its integral unwind stand, this machine is said to allow converters to slit and rewind multiple substrates at high speeds with quality and precision, keeping space and investment down to a minimum.

The Opal range, dedicated to the narrow web and label industry, will be demonstrated in three different forms. The Opal standard label inspection slitter will accommodate the latest in 100% print inspection and automatic control for “guaranteed defect-free” finished printed rolls. An Opal full rotary diecutting converter will also be running preprinted labelstock, showing high speed diecutting to print register and finishing all in one pass.

This machine will also be coupled to the 3-spindle, ‘entry level’ in-line turret rewind unit which is being officially launched at Drupa 2012. This allows label converters to finish (slit and rewind) at the end of the printing process as a one-pass production operation needing only one operator for the complete production of printed labels.

The Atlantic Zeiser Group (Hall 11, stand C56) will present its latest developments in industrial digital printing for coding, serialising, personalising and printing products made from different materials and formats with variable data and information. The company will be exhibiting special solutions for the packaging, pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors.

These technical innovations are designed to meet the continually changing legal requirements and market demands to combat product forgeries, while delivering requirements such as coding and serialising of a flat packaging carton with different barcodes and Datamatrix codes. To achieve this, the following systems will be in operation on the stand: Digiline Web 300 with integrated Delta 105i and Omega 36i high speed digital inkjet printers for label production of security seals and tax labels; and Digiline Sheet 300 with product traceability via coding and serialising. There will be three exhibits on the company’s 240m2 stand area, demonstrating the key features of a modern, powerful printing and coding solution in industrial digital printing across complete system solutions.

The stand will also showcase the combination of special printing requirements such as coding and serialising of a flat packaging carton with different barcodes and Datamatrix codes. To achieve this, the following systems will be in operation on the stand: Digiline Web 300 with integrated Delta 105i and Omega 36i high speed digital inkjet printers for label production of security seals and tax labels; and Digiline Sheet 300 with integrated Omega 36i digital inkjet printer in combination with an environmentally-friendly Smartcure Air air-cooled UV LED curing system for individual coding and serialising of folded cartons.

Atlantic Zeiser will also be presenting a hybrid sheet printing and coding system, under the slogan 'Digital meets Offset' on the KBA stand (Hall 16, stand C47).

AVT, Advanced Vision Technology, (Hall 3, stand B69) will be launching a range of products using the latest web inspection technology to improve print quality.

For packaging, the “all-new” PrintVision/Argus Elite includes upgraded viewing capabilities, a new man-machine interface, and pressure setting from the image. It will be demonstrated on the AVT stand and on the new Flexo F2 press on the Comexi stand (see below). The PrintVision/Jupiter system will demonstrate RightSeal, the improved dual-optic head operation for coldseal monitoring, as well as iReg semiautomatic registration setting for CI flexo presses. In addition, the system will be equipped with SpectraLab for measuring on-line absolute L*a*b* colorimetric values.

The PrintVision/Apollo system will demonstrate its “all new and easy to use operation”, IDEal - Delta Colour Measurements, PDF job verification, regions of interest and connection to the customer’s ERP system.

For narrow web applications, AVT will show its PrintVision/Helios II 100% inspection platform installed on the HP Indigo WS6600 digital press, to allow automated inspection of very short runs. The new EU legislation on Braille requires all pharmaceutical companies to include Braille writing on their labels.

The PrintVision/Helios Sense 100% inspection platform is designed to inspect and verify both printing and Braille faults simultaneously. SpectraLab is a new add-on module to the Helios II family, featuring in-line spectral measurements according to the international ISO standards.

Creasing matrix manufacturer Cito (Hall 10, stand E39) will demonstrate its new RSP System 2.0, which will gradually replace the existing RSP PRO System. The new version incorporates a patented locking hinge which reduces makeready times, and a base plate with fewer screws, which increases its service life. It also includes a new flexible die which fits directly onto the base plate. This allows register adjustment of 1.5mm in any direction, enabling the most accurate results possible. Both the grid sheets and the direct fit flexible dies are reusable.

The RSP System 2.0 is already available for the Heidelberg SM 52 printing unit, and systems for other machines are currently being manufactured. As with all RSP Systems, the new version allows the user to perforate, crease, diecut or kisscut inline while printing, without the need for extra operators or additional machinery, “turning the printing press into a printing and finishing one-stop shop”.

Citothan, the latest addition to Cito’s BoxLine range, is a compact, high energy material said to be more flexible than pressboard yet tougher and ideally suited to the creasing process. Cito Dynamic creasing matrix offers a technically improved alternative to products made from pressboard materials: 100% material stability, higher production reliability and higher productivity through the improved geometry of the shoulders.

The Comexi Group and BASF (Hall 10, stand C62) are combining their strengths to focus on “a new vision for the flexible packaging industry, driven by the goal of sustainability”. At Drupa 2012 the companies say they will show how the combined power of chemistry and innovation can enable their customers to make the important switch to sustainable printing.

Comexi’s Flexo F2 press will demonstrate “the true meaning of innovative quality and show what sustainable efficiency in the flexible packaging world is all about” (see this month’s Flexo feature). BASF will highlight its sustainable approach to the converting world by presenting solutions for water-based printing inks, lamination adhesives and biodegradable films for flexible packaging.

Canada’s ETI (Hall 9, stand E61) offers solutions to the problem of release liner wastage. The company’s Cohesio technology enables converters to manufacture their own pressure-sensitive (PS) adhesive construction in house, as well as printing and diecutting PS label all in one process. “This technology brings you flexibility as well as substantial savings on your raw materials cost,” the company states, boasting: “Cohesio will bring back the profit that label printers used to make 25 years ago”.

The key to ETI’s Liner Less technology is the label applicator, which is adaptable to any existing labelling production line. As well as “contributing to the planet’s ever-sensitive eco systems”, Liner Less technology is claimed to be 40% less expensive than the conventional labelling process. Being more compact, it has twice as many labels per roll, reducing changeovers on the production line as well as saving weight, according to ETI.

The Miniliner is another new concept for reducing release liner wastage. Instead of the widely-used 30 micron PET release liners, Miniliner is a 12 micron PET liner for use with using conventional diecutting methods.

Under the banner ’Discover HEI’, Heidelberg (Hall 1) is showcasing an extended product portfolio at Drupa. Its presentation will centre on lean production; green printing; web-to-print; print-on-demand; differentiation through coatings and special effects; the future of packaging printing; and gaining an edge through the latest know-how. Each of these market trends will be summed up with an ’HEI’ title.

HEI Productivity solutions will cover ways of streamlining the entire production workflow using process optimisation and the fastest possible production processes. HEI Eco covers both the sustainable production equipment and processes Heidelberg offers, and the optimum ecological properties of printed products that meet customer requirements. The term "print-on-demand" covers a whole range of state-of-the-art job production techniques. HEI Flexibility will show visitors how they can implement this trend in their own operations.

Surface finishing techniques such as coating, embossing, and coldfoil application used to make a printed product stand out and to enhance its impact or durability will be presented under HEI Emotions. Coatings and special effects are often used to make packaging stand out at the point of sale and Heidelberg is exhibiting all the options available under HEI End. HEI School encompasses offerings that keep print media personnel up to speed for discussions with customers and in their day-to-day work.

On the press front, the Speedmaster XL 105 with a printing speed of 18,000 sheets/hour in perfecting mode is to be unveiled. Heidelberg offers it as a solution for lean production and maximum productivity.

Heidelberg business partners such as Polar-Mohr will be exhibiting in Hall 2.

Kodak (Hall 5, stand F09-1) will show a number of new technologies and unveil significant partnerships in the key markets it serves around the world. The company will spotlight customers who have grown their businesses and their bottom lines by offering new capabilities and services, “producing unique applications, and improving operational efficiencies” by working with Kodak.

Chris Payne, VP commercial marketing, says: “Visitors to Drupa will learn about the latest ways we’re leading dynamic change in the markets we serve – including packaging print – with the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of products, solutions and services for printers in offset, digital and hybrid environments. And we will celebrate our customers in innovative ways at Drupa. Kodak is here today and will be here tomorrow, continuing to help our customers grow their businesses.”

A range of splicing and web handling technologies will be exhibited by Martin Automatic (Hall 3, stand D50), and visitors to the stand will be able to discuss the benefits of roll change and tension control automation, and how they impact on production.

Demonstrations and exhibits are to include: a complete narrow web automatic butt splicing unwind; a wide web tapeless heatseal butt splice system for nonwovens and films; a web transport system for delicate webs; an exhibit featuring overlap and butt-to-butt splices on various substrates, including taped, tapeless and hotmelt splices; and return on investment (ROI) evaluations to help determine waste savings and productivity improvements from adding non-stop roll changing.

Martin Automatic’s splicing and rewinding technology will also be displayed on the stands of Berhalter (Hall 11, stand C70) and Labelmen Machinery (Hall 10, Stand A74).

Memjet (Hall 5, stand E28), a secialist in colour printing technologies that provide “remarkable speeds and affordability”, will be exhibiting for the first time, together with its OEM partners. Memjet-powered printers are claimed to print high quality colour at incredibly fast speeds, while consuming considerably less energy than competing inkjet and laser technologies.

Memet has just finished “a milestone year”, when it announced partnerships with leading manufacturers and brands, launched a wide format division, expanded its labels and packaging partnerships and passed the 4,000 patents mark for its colour printing technologies.

A “small, but powerful” new concept for perforation detection is to be launched by Simco Nederland (Hall 11, stand A24). The Perfomaster is a miniaturised design that incorporates all electronics and high voltage parts in a single housing.

High voltage sparkover is used for detecting perforations in moving web material. This method can detect perforations in any non-conductive material, even perforations in transparent materials or in multiple layers can be detected at high speeds up to 25 times/sec.

Each time a spark-over is detected it is evaluated and converted into a usable switching signal that can be used by the machine controls to count the quantity of perforations. For example, on bagmaking machines this is a reliable way of counting the number of bags to put on a roll.

Simco’s new CM5 electrostatic generator offers precise control for electrostatic pinning operations. After the initial settings, the CM5 will control the process fully automatically. For reliable electrostatic bonding of two materials, the new generator will provide either a controlled voltage or controlled current to ensure a steady level of charging.

When set to current control, the CM5 will automatically compensate parameters that influence the charging process, such as pollution on the electrode or wear of the emitters. The new generator can be controlled manually, by analogue input or serial bus. A large 4-line LCD display ensures easy access to the settings through a menu and provides parameters and status information

Danish corona supplier Vetaphone (Hall 10, stand C49) is to launch the iCorona intelligent corona generator, “automating virtually every part of the corona process, except pressing the start button”. The company now offers features such as automatically generated quality reports, auto maintenance schedules and online instruction manuals – all designed to optimise production quality while reducing operator time.

The combined features of the iCorona enable users to control, monitor, and log every part of the corona process while minimising operator time by automating many functions. As with its predecessors, no manual matching is needed. While measuring both the thickness of the substrate, material width and line speed, the new generator automatically adjusts the power in accordance with the material factor set by the operator. If the line speed drops, the generator will automatically adjust the power level.

At minimum line speed, the iCorona will automatically stop, and the instant the line speed increases it will restart. Every stop, start, or fault is automatically logged in the system’s memory, which provides users with a full electronic production report for every batch that is produced.

Overlooking service intervals is the most common cause when it comes to poor performance and breakdowns, says Vetaphone. To overcome this problem, each iCorona can be programmed with an individual maintenance schedule, and a system message will remind the operator to perform the scheduled tasks at the next line stop. If the operator fails to do this, the lack of maintenance is logged and will appear in the next quality report.

One-stop knowledge centre

PrintCity Alliance members and partners will offer visitors access to their ‘Connection of Competence’ knowledge sharing and “industry leading hot topics” located in the centre of Hall 6.

The PrintCity Drupa theme: ‘Print: Seen! Lean & Green: Seen!’ focuses on all areas of ‘value-added’ opportunities, through advanced materials and techniques, plus their benefits in product branding, visibility, differentiation and increased business; Lean & Green focuses on the inter-relationship between lean manufacturing concepts and the latest thinking on environmental good practice.

PrintCity members and partners range across conventional and digital web and sheetfed printing, packaging and publishing. Those present at Drupa 2012 will include Baumüller, Eltosch, Kurz, Manroland, Megtec, M-real, Sappi, Sun Chemical, and UPM. PrintCity Partners offering technology, market reach and other benefits include Fujifilm and Sonoco Alcore. Visitors will see the latest products and technologies from these companies and gain cross-industry process knowledge in digital and offset printing, value-added printing and packaging, and lean and green opportunities.


Drupa 2012 AVT’s new SpectraLab will be introduced at Drupa AVT Creasing matrix innovations coming from Cito Cito The Omega digital inkjet printer will be among Atlantic Zeiser’s exhibits Atlantic Zeiser ETI enables in-house production of PSA constructions ETI Splicing advances made by Martin Automatic Martin Automatic New levels of automated corona by Vetaphone Vetaphone

External weblinks
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PrintCity Alliance
Drupa 2012
Ashe Converting Equipment
Atlantic Zeiser
AVT
BASF
Cito
Comexi
ETI
Heidelberg
KBA
Kodak
Martin Automatic
Memjet
Simco
Vetaphone

Atlantic Zeiser Atlantic Zeiser
AVT AVT
Martin Automatic Martin Automatic
Cito Cito
Drupa 2012 Drupa 2012
ETI ETI
Vetaphone Vetaphone


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