Business News
QuadTech highlights performance-enhancing solutions at ProFlex 2010
Friday 03. September 2010 - Latest product portfolio helps packaging printers and converters strive for 100% perfection
With a theme of “moving you forward,” the QuadTech stand at ProFlex 2010 in Stuttgart will feature Packaging and converting solutions that drive efficiencies into the printing of a wide variety of substrates from flexible film to corrugated.
QuadTech’s current product range broadly covers the areas of register control, color measurement, web inspection and viewing as well as print-data management. These capabilities are customized to specific market sectors within a Strategic Business Unit structure.
“Our Packaging SBU works hand-in-hand’ with packaging printers and converters to ensure that QuadTech solutions meet or exceed expectations in performance, servicing and training”, states Randy Freeman, Vice President and General Manager of Packaging. “Indeed, ProFlex will see the launch into this market of a unique Performance ProvenTM Guarantee which is a quantifiable pledge to deliver nothing less than the best results possible – a philosophy which we know reflects the continued drive by flexo printers to match or exceed the results of alternative printing techniques.”
The QuadTech products at ProFlex will highlight three areas of capability applicable to packaging and converting:
Print inspection and web viewing
The QuadTech Inspection System augments the quality improvements provided by color and register controls by identifying any defects in the printed image, such as incorrectly printed logos, missing or filled-in text, incorrect fonts and inaccurate barcodes.
The system works by capturing a “golden template” from a printed substrate when the press minder is satisfied with the quality. The QuadTech Inspection System then inspects 100% of the substrate at a very high resolution, 100% of the time, comparing each repeat with the ideal reproduction stored as the golden template. Defects, which also include printing characteristics such as scumming and hickies, are highlighted graphically on a display unit. This gives the press operator the early warning he requires to make fast course corrections to minimize waste.
An option for the inspection system is the QuadTech Inspection System with SpectralCam, which measures color targets within the work, using the same 31-channel spectral sensor found on QuadTech’s commercial color control.
The color targets are chosen by the operator using the “golden template” from the inspection system. The SpectralCam then pinpoints, captures and analyzes the color data for all targets, displaying the deviation from a perfect match in a highly graphical form. The combined data containing information on defects and incorrect color matches is then available for waste rejection, further analysis, pricing variations or legislative regulation adherence.
Other products in the inspection and viewing category include:
Offline Inspection System: suitable for sheetfed packaging printers. Allows the printer to inspect printed samples at a very high resolution offline. It can detect subtle continuous defects that press-mounted systems cannot. When paired with PDF Verification, it becomes a high resolution proofing system – a must-have step in any makeready process.
PDF Verification: compares customer-approved artwork to the inspection system “golden template.” It ensures that the inspection image is free from print and content errors that would otherwise go undetected. This is key to eliminating costly re-prints due to setup errors.
Data Central for Inspection: monitors, audits, stores and generates reports of both live and historical data to optimize quality control. It provides accurate, intelligent information about print processes enabling more effective and strategic quality control decisions. It can also export reports to be analyzed by third-party statistical tools, to help identify unwanted production trends.
Waste Management System: provides automated control for optimized waste removal. The system gives unparalleled access to production data, either detailed information on every defect or just a high-level overview. This gives the rewinder and slitter operators the confidence to run faster by knowing exactly where defective material is.
QuadTech Web Viewing System: suitable for all packaging applications, providing a “freeze-frame” view of a section of the web in high resolution. When used in conjunction with 100% inspection, it provides an optical zoom to show a repeating defect in a much higher resolution while the inspection system continues inspecting the entire substrate.
Color measurement
A prerequisite in packaging, the accurate reproduction of color for every pack, label or box is essential to the consistency of brand recognition. QuadTech’s Inspection System with SpectralCamTM accurately measures color information in the printed image on a running press. The SpectralCam delivers L*a*b* data for precise, cost-effective color management, with feedback provided to the press operator to ensure color consistency throughout the print run.
Register control
To ensure accurate registration across images and the small print’ required for many packaging applications, the QuadTech AutotronTM 2600 with ClearLogicTM Register Guidance System provides complete register control regardless of substrate, ink, or printing technique. Capable of distinguishing glues, laminates and special colors as well as the standard ink laydown, it automatically controls the registration of one color on the next throughout the entire press, ensuring optimum quality and minimum waste in packaging and decorative printing applications.