EARLIER this month, ROTOCON director Patrick Aengenvoort attended Labelexpo Southeast Asia in Bangkok, Thailand. ‘Although the show was smaller than its European counterpart that takes place in Brussels, Belgium – which is traditionally attended by South African industry role players – the same cutting-edge technologies were on display by our ECOLINE AND CHROME machinery partners and principals, Erhardt + Leimer (E+L) and Domino Printing Sciences in Bangkok,’ he remarks.
Patrick explains that E+L’s SMARTSCAN system represents the perfect complementary quality control system for ROTOCON’S range of ECOLINE RSI slitter rewinders to satisfy label printers/converters’ ever-greater demand for cost-effective efficiency, quality, and accuracy.
E+L’s SMARTSCAN system combines web monitoring, 200% inspection and label counting with ease of use via a one-touch button set-up. SMARTSCAN permanently checks the entire web width and length to detect and intelligently classify defects as printing errors, missing labels, unremoved matrix, splice points, and flags.
According to Patrick, SMARTSCAN achieves this with double image capture – via two LED illumination methods rather than two cameras – to generate images of the web and evaluate them. This 200% inspection system makes it possible to detect defects in paper, transparent or clear-on-clear labels, and glossy film material printing that aren’t visible with classical incident illumination (100% inspection).
Progressive variable data printing
Domino was showcasing its modular K600i digital inkjet printer – based on sixth generation technology and a global install base of 1 000 – as the perfect cost-effective and 600dpi print quality solution to fulfil the growing demand for variable data printing (VDP) across a wide range of substrates.
Patrick explains that the K600i is capable of printing simple alpha-numeric text and sequential numbering to a wide range of industry-standard machine-readable barcodes and 2D codes, including QR and Data Matrix codes at speeds of up to 200m/min. These are used for logistics and reverse logistics in e-commerce and online retail, for ‘track and trace’ applications in the food and beverage sectors, and for security applications, including brand protection, in the pharmaceutical and tobacco sectors.
He also emphasises that this monochrome UV inkjet printer offers choice and flexibility and is available in seven different print width formats, ranging from 108mm to 782mm, in either a standard single print bar or the high-speed dual bar configuration. It can be retrofitted onto most conventional printing presses and finishing lines. The K600i can be used with Domino’s UV-curable, LED-curable and aqueous pigmented ink sets, with a high opacity white ink, a fluorescent ink and a clear varnish.
The K600i incorporates Domino’s intelligent Technology (i-Tech) features ActiFlow, CleanCap and StitchLink, which combine to create a flexible and highly reliable digital printing system with superior performance that requires minimal maintenance.
i-Tech ActiFlow is a continuous ink circulation system that degasses the ink, preventing air bubbles and blocked nozzles for superior jetting performance and resulting in fewer rejects, less maintenance and reduced downtime.
The i-Tech CleanCap automated print head cleaning and capping station maintains optimum reliable print nozzle performance with reduced start-up time and minimal operator intervention.
i-Tech StitchLink offers automated print head alignment for accurate registration and seamless print across the full web print width.
PDF of article»» as featured in PPM
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