Packaging

New EASY Modules – New TURBOCLEAN

Wednesday 23. May 2012 - Packaging printers are constantly facing increasingly diversified and competitive markets, with the resulting challenge for them to enhance the economic efficiency of their production. Customers are demanding perfect print quality, competitive prices and JIT delivery along with ever decreasing run lengths, as well as compliance with environment standards and the sustainable use of energy and raw materials. Windmöller & Hölscher has responded to these requirements by offering their customers highly useful and field oriented automation modules for flexographic as well as gravure printing machines.

The new automation modules were developed with the goal to further reduce makeready and press setup times, while at the same time improving print quality and optimizing both the material and energy efficiency of the printing process.
Impression setting of plate cylinders and anilox rollers and print register set-up are critical functions when changing a flexographic printing press from the ending job to the next one. Since 2004, with the launch of EASY-SET, EASY-REG, and EASY-SYNC, Windmöller & Hölscher has brought to the market suitable automation solutions for these adjustments and has kept updating them based on experience gathered in the field. With the introduction of EASY-COL about 4 years ago, Windmöller & Hölscher was the first printing press manufacturer to pave the way to program supported color matching on CI flexo presses, in conjunction with the added functions of ink usage measurement and minimization of left over inks. At drupa 2012, the youngest generation automation modules are making their debut in public.
TURBOCLEAN
The automatic TURBOCLEAN ink supply and wash-up system has proven its outstanding performance for optimum inking results and very short press set-up times over many years. Since its launch, increase in efficiency and the sustainability factor have been in the focus. The result of W&H’s consistent upgrading efforts is reflected in the youngest generation TURBOCLEAN, which provides a dramatic reduction of energy usage along with a notable increase in inking and wash-up efficiency. In figures: energy and solvent usage is lessened by 20 percent, while wash-up times are reduced to 4 minutes. This is tantamount to a marked improvement in both the efficiency and sustainability of the inking and wash-up process.
EASY-SET HD
Current developments in printing plate technology using high-resolution plates make more exacting demands on proofing and set-up processes than conventional plates used to do. With EASY-SET HD, Windmöller & Hölscher is presenting at drupa to visitors from the trade the latest upgrade of the proven EASY-SET system, which will enable flexo printers to utilise to the full the advantages the new plate technology has to offer.
Unlike offline printing plate measurement systems which allow but only an indirect estimation of final print results, the line camera based HD analysis of the printed image provides direct evaluation of the print result to be expected. The system takes into account any influencing factors, including plate, sticky back, anilox roller, substrate, etc. and displays them to the last detail. On top, the system is capable of developing from the ascertained data a high-resolution 3D graphic of the print design topography, enabling the printer to know and judge – as early as the proofing phase – the production conditions to be expected for the job. Design details calling for special monitoring during production can be touch button selected and graphically represented. In addition to notably enhanced quality, the use of EASY-SET HD also reduces set-up time as well as waste and in this way contributes to both productivity and sustainability.
EASY-CHECK C
According to the maxim “Trust, but verify!” EASY-CHECK C was developed in order to provide printers with an instrument to constantly check and verify the quality while printing. Crucial quality parameters such as color location, solids density, and dot gain are fully automatically monitored and simultaneously represented also in a trending display. In this way the pressman is able to detect instantaneously any deviations from the setpoint or target value and to initiate corrective measures immediately. In conjunction with EASY-COL it is even possible to automate such corrections and have them done without interrupting production.
EASY-CHECK C is hence an indispensable instrument for production monitoring and documentation to the highest quality standards.