Supplier On-line streamlines paper ordering
Printology07 showcases productivity through technology - 05/11/2007 - Tharstern Limited
05/11/2007 Printology07 showcases productivity through technology
SIX Printology07 partners – Komori, QuadTech, UPM-Kymmene, Tharstern, Screen and Coates Brothers Inks – held three seminars last month on the theme ‘Productivity through technology’ in
The wide range of subjects covered at the conference includes web and sheet-fed press technology, in-line quality control, paper trends, ink standards and standardisation, latest workflow and management techniques, and the benefits of JDF.
UPM-Kymmene
Saunderson says that in a highly-competitive paper industry, while choice of paper quality does influence print quality – as the correct choice of substrate can contribute to higher smoothness, brighter gloss and better ink coverage – the most important factor is the ink/paper/water interaction. ‘No single supplier masters the entire process,’ he says.
Intensive co-operation between printers and consumable suppliers therefore facilitates success in this demanding technical environment, where increases in web widths (to over two metres in some cases), roll diameter, the use of uncoated papers and the incidence of automatic plate changes are being experienced, while ‘it is not uncommon to see printing speeds of 15m/sec now’.
Ink drying needs to happen in one second; if not, it can reduce gloss and even cause blistering. Cameras are now being used in web monitoring; whereas previously it was believed that 70% of problems in the press were caused by the incorrect choice of substrate, cameras are now indicating that this is often not the case. Print media trends include free newspapers that usually include four-colour supplemenmts, while magazines tend to be special-interest or niche titles, with gloss or premium-silk surface finishes.
QuadTech
Marcel Schooneman, regional sales manager at US-based QuadTech, the largest privately-owned manufacturer of web offset printing equipment in the world, presented a paper entitled Customer benefits of in-line quality control systems.
Schooneman looked at the main differences between sheetfed and webfed printing. He says that a web is like a rubber band when stretched, expanding and contracting in response to tension, pull, lateral weave or humidity factors. In web offset presses, tension leads to instability of the web, which means that continual monitoring of and adjustment to the register, ribbon, colour and data is necessary. As no such tension exists in sheetfed presses, these instability problems are not experienced – the main difference between the two technologies.
Schooneman gave an overview of QuadTech’s innovative products – including the Colour Control System with Instrument Flight, and the Ribbon Control and Register Control Systems with MulitCam – and how they improve productivity by reducing waste and make-ready time. For example, QuadTech’s Colour Control System measures colour bars for solid ink densities, gray balance, print contrast and tonal value. It increases, traps and automatically adjusts the ink keys to maintain control over CYMK and special colours throughout a print run.
QuadTech’s register guidance systems monitor the location of register marks and quality and determine which couples are out of register and adjust them accordingly, while the ribbon control system adjusts the cut-off compensators for print to cut, and adjusts the sidelay compensators for print to fold.
The Data Central Performance Reporting Module collects data from the control systems and generates reports that allow monitoring and optimisation of the performance of equipment and processes efficiencies, while providing a valuable tool for verifying and documenting the quality of the printed word.
Screen
Sjaak Veeken, European product manager for workflow at Screen, one of the most innovative companies in the graphic arts industry in the last 60 years, discussed print markets, products and workflow systems in his presentation Integrated Workflow.
Screen Media Technology offers products for the commercial printing and packaging industries. Its main focus is on a pre-press environment, using hardware and software combinations. Computer-to-plate (CTP) technology was introduced to the world by Screen in 1995 and the company is now a worldwide leader in CTP, with over 12 000 CTP installations and 36% of worldwide market share. The current CTP product range features 20 different types of machines for flexo, newspapers and large-format printing. The fastest can process 68 plates/hour.
Screen’s new focus is on print-on-demand (POD) technology, involving inkjet printing devices for a wide range of applications, such as high-speed roll-to-roll (transactional) wide-format sheet and sign-making applications.
The company’s True Press Jet 520, its first commercial inkjet printer, has a maximum printing speed of 64m/min, making high-speed variable colour effective and affordable. Markets include direct mailing and transactional newspapers. It combines good print quality, commercial speed, variable data printing, and is easy to run and use (touch-panel operation) at a low cost/page (efficient ink usage and no daily maintenance). The Piezo POD inkjet head has three droplet sizes for real greyscale and uses the latest water-based inks.
The True Press Jet 2500UV was shown for the first time in
The true Press 344 is an automated A3-size digital offset press with on-press imaging, using conventional offset inks and consumables. It is best suited to conventional offset printing, processless thermal plates, and supports Spektra screening, and fast make-ready. In an upcoming issue, Graphix will cover four installations of this press in
Trueflownet is Screen’s umbrella term to cover its workflow and interconnected products that move the printing industry towards a truly automated workflow. Product families include Rite Suite, Colour Suite and Trueflow Suite. Rite Suite is a portal from print supplier/printer to customer and can connect to the customer to enable job upload and online PDF certification. Trueflow focuses on the steps from concept to job approval. It contains the production workflow environment’s print production management modules such as JDF Prepress Manager and an automated workflow set up, equipped with Adobe PDF Print Engine. Trueflow jobs are created automatically from JDF to MIS. Colour Suite is a pre-press tool to manage print quality and includes automation in quality enhancement.
Komori
In the Japanese market last year alone, 1 500 web offset presses were installed, together with 60 Komori webs. This is a reflection of the Japanese philosophy, Kaizen, which roughly translated means ‘continuous improvement’. Komori is the largest producer in the world of 16pp webs. Komori’s computer-integrated manufacturing follows the Kaizen premise in an attempt to meet the needs of printers who demand quicker make-readies, lower waste and no compromise on print quality and flexibility. For example, all Komori’s existing presses are UV ready so that if a printer wishes to switch to UV in the future, the technology is in place to do so. Automatic make-ready features include automatic cylinder and ink roller cleaning, with fully automatic plate-changing as well.
Among Komori’s milestones, the following are particularly noteworthy: in 1928, the company developed the 32-inch sheetfed offset press; in 1990, it launched the world’s first fully-automatic plate-changing system; in 1995, it launched the Printroom 2000 concept; in 2000, it introduced the world’s first B1 direct imaging prepress; and in 2006 the
Sun Chemical
The reduction of alcohol and the implementation of ISO 12647, an internationally-accepted standard, helps to streamline the offset workflow from pre-press to print buyer. The content, realisation and advantages of ISO 12647 were explained in detail.
Tharstern
Scott Marienthal, sales manager for Tharstern, a leading supplier of management information systems based in the UK, spoke of Introducing JDF into your management systems, by giving a ‘live’ on-screen demonstration of how JDF works.
A management-information system can help to manage and measure key performance indicators, maximise profit, improve administration efficiency and automate workflow. Marienthal discussed best practice principles of how to use an MIS effectively, and the benefits of implementing a JDF workflow to streamline business.
He says that MIS is the natural birthplace of the JDF file. Estimators need to calculate the cost of a job and the production department has to work to those figures. ‘JDF has highlighted this problem,’ he says. The system has a comprehensive list of materials and costs which it understands – including the printing machines available and inks, among others. It allows the printer to obtain a quote on what a job will cost, as well as the price that the printer needs to charge in order to make a profit.
It allows printers to analyse the impact of a job on their business and, at a glance, enables them to see whether it merely covers the wages or contributes to offsetting the overheads. ‘Sadly, most printers today are operating in the sphere of offsetting some, but not all, of their overheads,’ he notes.
The data capture viewer can provide a detailed analysis of all the jobs that are running at the factory, while the Tharstern Production Dashboard provides an easy-to-interpret ‘graphic’ visual of all the information populated by the JDF file.
The Printology07 conference ended with a word of thanks from
‘By implementing some of the technologies seen today, hopefully we can all learn how to streamline our businesses and become more profitable,’ he concluded.
