Machine Vision & Web Inspection Quality, consistency and efficiency
Print inspection has never been more important for packaging business success as Guy Yogev, Esko AVT senior director of product marketing from Esko explains.
he higher the demands on flexible packaging quality in the branded goods industry – and therefore the higher the operational costs for converters – then the more important it becomes for producers to be able to precisely define their quality assurance parameters. Print inspection has advanced greatly in the past few years, bringing huge cost, productivity and quality benefits for today’s flexible packaging, label, and commercial print converters. Esko, the global developer of integrated software and hardware solutions that digitize, automate and connect the go-to-market process of consumer goods, continues to develop innovative solutions that achieve this end-to-end inspection, empowering packaging converters to boost production, maximize efficiency and improve quality and customer satisfaction – something which is increasingly important in these challenging times. With dramatically rising prices for consumables like inks, oil-based substrates, equipment, energy and even for logistics, the return on investment of an inspection system improves directly proportional to the said price increase. Every inch of printed substrate that ends up in the waste bin is an inch too many.
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Print inspection solutions are playing an increasingly important role, both as more businesses continue their digital transformation journey - providing advanced process control, quality assurance, and press control – and perhaps more importantly by helping reduce the contents of the waste bin,” said Guy. “This means they not only improve overall print efficiency, but also positively impact the bottom line of a print operation.
RELIABLE QUALITY AT HIGH SPEEDS To achieve this, the Esko AVT Apollo line is a robust and reliable automatic 100% quality assurance solution exclusively for wide web packaging applications. Designed for press and post-press applications, Apollo Turbo HD visually inspects a range of printed materials, automatically and efficiently detecting imperfections in real-time. The system seamlessly inspects transparent, flexible, or reflective substrates used in the flexible packaging and labels industry.
The system can be easily installed on any press
to achieve online quality assurance and process control and can also be integrated into a rewinder or finishing equipment to create a uniquely combined Automatic Inspection Station. The Apollo Turbo HD system significantly decreases production time, automates manual processes, and provides valuable waste savings. Backed by pioneering technology, Apollo Turbo HD helps boost online process control and ensure unmatched quality assurance throughout the entire print process, raising the bar on in-line quality assurance by providing high resolution and performance at any given web width up to 16K resolutions.
REMOVAL OF DEFECTIVE MATERIAL Using remote access to the PrintFlow data of the inspection system, AVT WorkFlow Link from Esko allows the virtual inspected roll to be edited prior to the finishing stage. Using PrintFlow data from the on-press inspection system, WorkFlow Link automatically stops the rewinder at the precise location of a defect, so the faulty material can be removed – boosting quality, efficiency and productivity.
WorkFlow Link provides a reliable connection between printing and finishing, delivering end- to-end automation and optimization of the print production process. It helps speed up overall print production via seamless transfer of quality data from press to rewinder, in order to efficiently remove defective material downstream. This early detection of defects enables immediate corrective actions and prevents waste.
Not only does WorkFlow Link deliver consistent quality through roll editing by designated QA
personnel, but there is a reduction of as much as 50% in the time taken to remove waste, and the system ensures full traceability and high-quality results. Additionally, all printing faults, including all random defects, are recorded for downstream process and analysis.
Together with the edited roll data, WorkFlow Link increases finishing machine speed by eliminating the need to stop operation for every suspected defect. Operators can allow finishing machines to run at full capacity, as they are automatically slowed down only for real defects as previously defined during the editing process,” he said.
AUTOMATED INSPECTION SET-UP Press operators already have so much to check before printing begins, and the workload is only getting heavier as the number of print runs constantly increases,” said Guy. “For some short runs, setup can take longer than the run itself. Manual setup takes valuable time on press, it is exposed to errors and can have inherent inconstancy and quality results between different operates and shifts.
But with AutoSet providing automatic job setup and job verification, setup time is reduced to zero and the need for manual intervention is eliminated. Powered by Esko Automation Engine, AutoSet eliminates multiple tasks and quality risks by connecting prepress to the inspection system in the press room. It increases press utilization by reducing setup time by five minutes per job, enabling 30-60 additional minutes of press uptime per shift.
AutoSet boosts operational efficiency and reduces human error by eliminating manual processes, which also serves to eliminate customer rejections due to poor quality. AutoSet automatically identifies barcodes, text, inspection limits and die lines for print defect detection and trend analysis. With AutoSet, data is automatically sent from Esko Automation Engine to the AVT inspection systems, where even very short runs and multi-design jobs can be automatically inspected - resulting in exceptional print quality.
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www.esko.com/en/products/print- inspection
34
September 2022
www.convertermag.com
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