Surfing the web

Verweij Label, situated in Mijdrecht, near Amsterdam, in The Netherlands, has been a customer of UK based Surfscan Technologies for approaching two years. Employing 120 people, the Dutch converter specializes in the production of both wet glue and selfadhesive labels and flexible packaging, and has a throughput of over one billion labels a year. Working with these sorts of numbers and substrates, it is imperative that any faults are detected as early as possible in order to minimize errors, which result in costly waste.

The company is using a Surfscan CHECKpress system on its 18in Comco flexo press at speeds claimed to be in excess of 100m/min. Products include high value shrink sleeves for aerosols, which are printed for well known companies in the sanitary and insecticide markets. Since installation of the Surfscan system, press speed has been increased yet the number of rejects for these flexible packaging products has been dramatically reduced, reports Surfscan.

The CHECKpress system monitors the print quality of the labels on the press and is designed to give the Verweij Label operators a high degree of freedom in operation. Any defects detected - and these might be as small as a speck of ink or dirt - are flagged up on the highly informative touchscreen interface and an audible alarm sounds. This allows press operators to place a marker on the reel to alert the finishing team to the problem or, depending on the nature of the defect, to take corrective action to prevent the fault recurring on subsequent impressions.

Key to the system's philosophy is the need to maintain productivity by eliminating press downtime wherever possible, so the majority of problems can be resolved without stopping the press. This means product wastage and lost time associated with press start-up are thereby kept to the absolute minimum, claims Surfscan.

Verweij Label says it is extremely pleased with the results being obtained through the use of the system. “It has proven to be highly reliable and is built to a very high standard,” it comments. Surfscan is a strong contender for any future inspection system requirements Verweij Label may have.

Essentially, the CHECKpress system is claimed to reduce the amount of waste between press and rewinder, whilst increasing running speeds and reducing downtime. Both set-up and on-going configuration require minimal time and training, adds the company, which proved to be another bonus for Verweij Label in view of its exacting production and delivery schedules.

The system will begin checking for both random and repeating defects as soon as a print job commences, with both visible and audible alarms used to indicate errors, differentiating between persistent faults and ad hoc discrepancies. It continues to check even when a fault has been noticed, with a defect map archive giving co-ordinates of faults and total accepts and rejects within each printed reel.

Using stabilized illumination and a high quality performance linescan camera, the CHECKpress system can scan for print defects on almost any web width, explains Surfscan. The size of defect to be detected can be set through the “user friendly touchscreen interface, eliminating false error conditions”.

With a high degree of flexibility on system specification, Surfscan says it harnesses current, ever increasing, CPU capabilities to achieve maximum throughput from 2K, 4K and 6K pixel digital linescan cameras for defect detection in all web widths, but can still maintain the higher speeds usually associated with wider webs.

Founded in 2002, Surfscan Technologies specializes in providing true 100 per cent print inspection systems to the market. 'True' 100 per cent print inspection means that the film is inspected before, during and after printing in order to deliver the most accurate results possible - a factor that is becoming essential for many industries and is critical for the pharmaceutical sector in particular, it explains.

Having experienced first hand the growing demands placed on print suppliers by their clients for more accurate and reliable inspection, Surfscan has combined the knowledge of its founders Neil Parker and Andrew Hall, to provide what it says are the first UK developed linescan inspection systems for the converting market, using the most advanced technologies available. The result is claimed to be a highly reliable and technical product family at very cost effective prices.

Surfscan provides end users with a 100 per cent print inspection system which can be customized to meet their exact requirements, and can easily be installed onto any press, it adds. Systems are claimed to be user friendly, reliable and require little maintenance. In addition to the CHECKpress, the company manufactures the CHECKproof and CHECKrewind products for pre- and postpress inspection.

Surfscan has a Europe-wide customer base and a demanding programme of expansion planned for 2007. It is currently working on another new system which will be launched later this year.