Consumables
QuadTech to introduce latest press control innovations at PRINTPACK INDIA 2013
Friday 01. February 2013 - QuadTech increases volume and value of output by benchmarking consistent quality throughout the print run for packaging, commercial and newspaper printers
QuadTech, Inc. will present its enhanced portfolio of press control technology under the theme “The Power of BetterPeople + Technology = Solutions” at PRINTPACK INDIA 2013 in Greater Noida, NCR Delhi, India (23-28 February, Hangar 1 – Stand H15/07). QuadTech will exhibit products for newspaper, commercial and packaging print markets, as well as participate in the NPES Print Business Outlook Conference on 25 February.
QuadTech offers an extensive range of products for register and ribbon control, color control, ink control, 100% web inspection and data management software, with solutions that improve performance, productivity and output for newspaper, commercial and packaging printers.
For newspaper printers, new developments at PRINTPACK INDIA 2013 include the addition of water control to the Color Control and Web Inspection System with AccuCam. For commercial as well as newspaper printers, the Digital Ink System is an alternative to traditional open fountain systems. The Color Quality Solution provides in-line color and ink control on packaging presses by obtaining on-the-fly spectral data from QuadTech and ink formulation data from X-Rite via Huber Group dispensing technology. The QuadTech/X-Rite data output will also be compatible with other ink dosing system suppliers. Also for packaging printers, QuadTech’s Color Measurement System with SpectralCam HD measures color information in-line on paper, film, or foil at full press speeds and provides a high-resolution view of dot structure.
Also, QuadTech is participating in the NPES Print Business Outlook Conference 2013, which is scheduled to be held on February 24-25, 2013. Vince Balistrieri, director of engineering and general manager of commercial and newspaper will speak on the topic “New Developments in Press Color and Waste Reduction” and Randy Freeman, QuadTech vice president and general manager of packaging, will speak on the topic “New developments in Color for Flexible Packaging Printing” on February 25.
QuadTech’s product highlights by market sector:
Newspaper
Newspaper printers must work harder to attract readers and advertisers with consistently clear and clean copy. In addition, ink and paper prices remain volatile and so the urgency to eliminate waste is acute. To help printers meet these challenges, QuadTech provides press controls to improve the quality and consistency of printed output, while maximizing efficiencies with labor, time and materials.
The Color Control and Web Inspection System with AccuCam is a closed-loop system that offers image-based color control, and inspects the entire web to provide accurate defect detection within the first 170 copies continuously throughout the print run. It also offers plate verification to ensure minimal setup time.
AccuCam eliminates the need for gray bars and color bars by using pre-press image files to create L*a*b* target aim point values. Its six-channel spectral sensor measures the printed web and calculates the L*a*b* values of the entire image. It then automatically adjusts the printed image to these specified target values throughout the production run, for consistent output. Furthermore, AccuCam has been enhanced with water control, ensuring optimum water and ink balance to reduce ink usage.
Another new addition to QuadTech’s portfolio is the Digital Ink System, which replaces conventional ink fountains with computer-controlled ink injectors. This provides more precise density control at all press speeds by metering the exact volume of ink required per image, offering optimized image quality. It also eliminates the costs of contamination from open fountains, providing immediate ink, paper, and maintenance cost savings.
The Register Guidance System with MultiCam is a closed-loop color-to-color register control system designed to work on the ICON integrated platform with other QuadTech products including the Ribbon Control System with MultiCam, Color Control System, and Data Central Reporting. QuadTech’s Register Guidance System provides fan-out control, automatically keeping the full width of the web in lateral register throughout the entire run. The Ribbon Control System is a print-to-cut and print-to-fold registration system that minimizes cutoff waste.
QuadTech’s MultiCam boasts industry-leading performance by searching the web 30 times per second, identifying register marks as small as 0.36 mm (0.014 in) and making adjustments at press speeds up to 17.8 meters per second (3,500 ft/min).
Packaging
QuadTech offers the package printer fast in-line inspection and spectral color measurement solutions for virtually all packaging substrates including transparent, supported, unsupported, reflective and various laminates.
Launched in May 2012, the Color Quality Solution provides in-line color and ink control. It comprises in-line spectral data obtained from QuadTech’s SpectralCam, ink formulation data from X-Rite and ink dispensing technology from Huber Group or other ink dispensing system suppliers. This assures color quality and consistency from customer-defined prepress color targets, through ink formulation, and then color measurement during the press run. Any color deviations are automatically captured and rectified immediately.
The Color Measurement System with SpectralCam HD enables continuous, in-line monitoring of virtually all web-fed package materials with QuadTech’s patent-pending web stabilizer technology, including transparent, translucent and reflective substrates. Using advanced spectrophotometer technology, the system quickly detects and analyzes colorimetric and density variations from predetermined targets, accurately calculating L*a*b*, ?E, Density and ?Density at full press speed. Also, featuring an optional HD capability, images are captured at up to 2500dpi and made available to the operator via the user interface. As a result, a host of defects barely perceptible to the human-eye can be pinpointed and remedied without production stoppages.
The QuadTech Inspection System inspects the entire substrate width 100% of the time throughout the entire press run. It is suited to gravure, offset, flexo or digital processes, and wide to narrow web widths. The system utilizes the Golden Template Comparison, which is a printed copy considered by the press operator to be as close to the original artwork as possible. All copies are compared to the Golden Template, resulting in a fixed, repeatable quality standard.
The Inspection System with SpectralCam combines complete web inspection with advanced color measurement. This system ensures 100% defect detection, greatly reducing makeready and waste. It utilizes the same patent pending technology as the Color Measurement System to enable continuous in-line monitoring of virtually all web-fed package materials. Using advanced spectrophotometer technology, the system quickly detects and analyzes colorimetric and density variations from predetermined targets, accurately calculating L*a*b*, ?E, Density, and ?Density at full press speed.
Another product available for the package printer is QuadTech’s Autotron 2600 Register Guidance System with ClearLogic. This system achieves accurate register regardless of ink, speed or substrate. It can be used on a wide range of difficult materials such as BOPP, metalized film, high-gloss cast and polypropylene. Scanning heads that identify a wide range of pale and low-contrast marks with precision assure accurate repeat print copy, thus eliminating waste.
Commercial
For the commercial printer, QuadTech provides solutions for companies to stay competitive and maintain quality while experiencing frequent makereadies and printing shorter runs.
QuadTech’s Color Control System with Instrument Flight and SpectralCam controls color, solid ink density, three-color gray balance and midtone dot gain. Its spectral-based sensor gathers colorimetric and densitometric data across a fast-moving web from a continuous color bar. This data is used to calculate to L*a*b* and densitometric values and is then analyzed by System Brunner’s enhanced Instrument Flight + L*a*b* to facilitate the highest levels of accuracy in color control and gray balance. This results in uniform color over the entire print run, including the delicate gray and tertiary tones.
Software Integration
QuadTech’s network-based ICON integrated platform enables a smooth running workflow. It is a single, centralized station that can control, recall and apply stored job setup data. This achieves makeready savings in terms of equipment setup time, labor and materials.
QuadTech’s Data Central Reporting receives, stores and analyzes information from the ICON integrated platform control systems and generates reports that show how well each job meets the desired tolerances. It is a single point for accessing all press control information and is linked to the printer’s IT system, optimizing control for operators who can then compare productivity and make any equipment or job changes according to previous and live runs.
QuadTech has also introduced Service Advantage with Proactive Care, which offers a first-of-its-kind service program. It is designed for customers to choose the level of service that best matches the needs of the business based on press, people and budget. The program includes a wide range of services such as Proactive Care24/7/365, on-line monitoring of your ICON system by skilled technicians-preventive maintenance, training, technical support, and more