Consumables

Advanved Hazing Detection reliably detects colour haze on transparent film

Wednesday 31. March 2021 - The Swiss packaging film manufacturer SÜDPACK Bioggio SA uses the 100% inspection system PrintSTAR from ISRA VISION to check the print quality. The inspection system has been upgraded with the Advanced Hazing Detection assistant.

This enables the reliable and early detection of colour haze on transparent foils that are not visible to the operator. Now the “QuickProof” module has also been retrofitted, which compares the print image with the reference file before production starts. These two assistance systems prevent customer complaints and unnecessary wastage of material.
The SÜDPACK group of companies produces packaging solutions that not only optimally protect products, but also ensure an attractive appearance at the point of sale and maximum convenience for the consumer. With innovative concepts, state-of-the-art technologies and values such as reliability and stability, the company has become one of Europe’s leading suppliers of film packaging. The manufacturer of plastic films for the packaging of food, medical technology articles and high-quality technical goods makes no compromises when it comes to the quality of its products and services.
In doing so, SÜDPACK consistently relies on automation. At the top of the company’s agenda is finding new ways to further optimise production, improve efficiency and thus also ensure greater sustainability. The 100% inline inspection system PrintSTAR from ISRA VISION is already being used successfully. The ISRA technology is well known in-house and has proven itself.
In particular, the defect classification also convinces the user. The classification system works very accurately. Depending on the calibration, it is possible to adjust the defect detection particularly finely. Very reliable results are achieved. The parent company SÜDPACK Verpackungen GmbH & Co. KG initiated a comprehensive digitalisation project. In this context, the Swiss subsidiary SÜDPACK Bioggio SA – from Bioggio near Lugano, Switzerland – has been working on new types of innovative assistance systems, which now also make an important contribution to quality assurance.
Reliably detecting colour fogging on transparent substrates
The manufacturer sees the newly installed PrintSTAR option “Advanced Hazing Detection” as a clear plus point. This option represents a unique selling point of ISRA in print inspection. An additional camera bank allows the reliable detection of light ink hazing on transparent substrates across the entire web width already during the printing process. The technical term for this type of defect is hazing, which refers to weak but undesirable ink transfer in non-image areas. As the doctor blade wears, barely visible ink veils can creep into the product motif. For the operator, these veils are not visible at the high production speeds and are not among the defects that inspection systems can typically detect. Defective production could therefore not be stopped. Until now, these defects often only became apparent during further processing.
With its new development “Advanced Hazing Detection”, ISRA VISION has found a reliable solution that automatically detects these defects. The multi-coloured transparent films produced by SÜDPACK Bioggio are now free of hazing and can therefore be delivered to the customer without any worries regarding complaints. Misproductions are avoided. In the event of an error, the system alerts the operator, who can immediately begin a root cause analysis and initiate countermeasures. Rejected goods and misprints with the corresponding waste of material are a thing of the past. This is also an important contribution to sustainable production.
Monitor all print-related specifications before the start of production
The QuickProof function in the PrintSTAR system from ISRA offers further advantages. It is difficult for the printer to determine whether the wrong version of the printing plate has been delivered to the press by mistake, as there is no printing defect. If the delivery is sent to the customer with the wrong content, this quickly results in considerable financial damage. QuickProof compares the print image with the reference print file (PDF comparison) before good production starts, thus preventing unnecessary waste and extra work. The system performs a fully automatic version check and checks the content for deviations. This works excellently with all font types – including non-Latin fonts.
Since all print-related specifications are monitored and automatically adjusted, the production and quality management processes at SÜDPACK Bioggio have been noticeably accelerated. The time saved per order is around 10 to 15 minutes. With several orders per day, significant savings add up in the set-up phases for each order. In addition, the quality managers need less time for the outgoing inspections. On average, the company can now produce more orders per day, which adds up significantly to the annual output.
Further increase in productivity
100% tested and inspected quality is an unbeatable selling point for the packaging manufacturer. The ISRA technology led to a noticeable acceleration of the workflow process and to improvements in quality management. Thanks to the improved product quality and the reduced error rate, SÜDPACK Bioggio benefits from a decreasing number of complaints, which leads to further cost savings. The manufacturer’s reputation as a reliable supplier of high-quality products was further strengthened with the “Advanced Hazing Detection” assistant.
In future, the information stored in the production log from the inspection system will also be used for more efficient use of the winder. Relevant defects can be cut out of the reel faster and in a targeted manner. This will further increase productivity and reliability on the winder. PrintSTAR, together with the highly flexible assistance systems, has a suitable tailor-made answer ready for every printing task, no matter how demanding.