Inspection Saves Pack Printers' Time And Materials

Flexography or gravure packaging printers that need to save time and materials with improved job quality controls, now have an alternative to camera-based systems for in-line inspection of prints.

Flexography or gravure packaging printers that need to save time and materials with improved job quality controls, now have an alternative to camera-based systems for in-line inspection of prints.

Vippaq from GretagMacbeth is claimed to be the only in-line densitometric colour measuring system designed for production control and quality assurance in flexography and gravure printing.

Vippaq is said to reduce set-up time for print runs and enables press operators to recognise errors earlier in the printing process.

Print jobs can now run at higher speeds, improving the overall production output as Vippaq is based on the same measurement technology used in standard multicolour handheld densitometers.

Iris Mangelschots, vice president and general manager of digital imaging at GretagMacbeth, said: "Vippaq is the most recent addition to our growing portfolio of products for the packaging market.

In addition to the Spectro Eye system and the iCPlate II platereader, our recently announced Ink Formulation System 5 (IFS5) now accommodates the metallic substrates and transparent materials commonly used in packaging, whilst Profilemaker 5 Publish Plus is the first professional colour management system capable of building profiles for multi-colour (CYMK+N) colour printing, which is increasingly becoming popular in packaging.

We'll be introducing products aimed at the packaging market over the coming months and we'll be showcasing our full range of packaging systems at the upcoming Print '05 exhibition in Chicago this September." The company added that Vippaq has been well received by many flexo press manufacturers and packaging printers, several of which have already committed to integrate it in their presses to create a closed-loop quality control system.

Vippaq is modular and employs a minimum of one to a maximum of four measuring heads connected to a controller unit.

Each measuring head consists of a trigger unit, which automatically locates the exact position of the printed control strip without the need of any external signals, a nine-channel densitometer capable of measuring both process and spot colours and a lighting unit used to illuminate the area being measured.

To provide the high speeds necessary for inline colour density measurement, the densitometers in each measuring head have a short effective measuring time of < 10usec and are capable of taking measurements at speeds up to 20 times per second.

Three of the nine channels in each densitometer correspond to the standard printing inks cyan, magenta and yellow, said the company.

The various channels are distributed over the complete visible spectrum, so the system can also measure special inks.

The system also uses standard 0/45 optics with an optional polarisation filter, which ensures it is compatible with standard handheld measurement devices.

The optional polarisation filter makes it possible to measure even high density values on wet inks or glossy substrates, added GretagMacbeth.

Vippaq software running on the PC is used to configure the system and it provides a clear, touch screen user interface.

It includes a real-time visualisation module which indicates the state of the printing run and shows a trend analysis of the density values for each colour being printed.

A statistical module makes it possible for customers to print detailed quality reports and perform statistical analysis using the information collected in the database, said the company.

Christian Benz, the product manager at GretagMacbeth, added: "The system provides three advantages to packaging printers.

It reduces set-up time for print runs and enables press operators to recognise errors early, thereby helping them to increase their productivity and save ink and paper.

It also enables higher production speeds, since there is no need to slow down the press for colour quality inspections.

The result is 100 per cent control over the print production process to ensure a real improvement in quality.".

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