Automation offerings bring quality consistency, reduced waste, larger profit margins to packaging, commercial, and newspaper printers

Sussex, Wisconsin, USA – Under the theme “The Power of Better,” QuadTech, Inc. will feature advanced press control innovations at Grafitalia/Converflex in Milan, Italy (7-11 May, Hall 1, Stand L 10).

For packaging and converting

The Color Quality Solution combines the advantages of in-line and off-line color measurement to significantly reduce press downtime and waste, ensuring color quality and consistency from customer-defined prepress targets. The process harnesses the strengths of the world’s most advanced and proven color technology companies to share data in a common format, which will give printers confidence that their color quality is well within targets, and consistently high. The Color Quality Solution uses in-line spectral data from QuadTech’s SpectralCam™, ink formulation data from X-Rite and ink data from market-leading suppliers.

Color Measurement System with SpectralCam HD enables continuous, in-line monitoring of all web-fed package materials with QuadTech’s patent-pending web stabilizer technology, including transparent, translucent and reflective film substrates. The system quickly and accurately calculates L*a*b*, ΔE and ΔDensity at full press speeds, correcting colorimetric and density deviations from predetermined targets. An optional high-resolution view of dot structure enables operators to quickly identify any issues, without production stoppages.

The QuadTech Inspection System inspects the entire substrate in-line during printing, laminating and rewinding. Inspecting the entire substrate width 100% of the time instead of scanning small sample areas, the QuadTech Inspection System achieves total defect detection with the press running uninterrupted at normal print speeds.

QuadTech’s Autotron™ 2600 with ClearLogic™ Register Guidance System features specialized solid-state scanning heads that can detect a wide range of pale and low-contrast marks, ensuring complete control regardless of substrate, ink, or printing technique.

For commercial printers

QuadTech’s closed-loop Color Control System with Instrument Flight? and SpectralCam™ features technology pioneered by leading international color specialist System Brunner, and controls not only solid ink density, but three-color gray balance and midtone dot gain. SpectralCam delivers a full range of print attribute data – including L*a*b* and TVI – for precise color management. This allows printers to minimize rebates and reruns with quantified job quality, and streamline startup to save time and money.

A new cooperation between QuadTech and  Alwan Color Expertise brings on-the-fly automated plate curve standardization and color control to web offset printers. Alwan PRINT Standardizer analyzes all spectral measurements coming from QuadTech's SpectralCam, and generates Dynamic Press Calibration curves that will be applied on the CTP device for the subsequent jobs. Data from any number of presses or papers per press is easily retrieved, using parameters such as job, press, or paper name. The result is simpler, faster make-ready times, and greater stability from job to job. The combined solution is easily integrated into any existing workflow.

Commercial and newspaper

The Color Control and Web Inspection System with AccuCam™ is a closed-loop system that offers image-based color control and water control. The system also inspects the entire web to provide accurate defect detection within the first 170 copies—continuously throughout the print run, and offers plate verification to ensure minimal startup time.

The Digital Ink System replaces open fountains or upgrades existing “pump and rail” systems. This provides precise density control at all press speeds by metering the exact volume of ink required per image, offering optimized image quality. It also eliminates the costs of contamination from open fountains, providing immediate ink, paper and maintenance cost savings.

QuadTech’s closed-loop color-to-color register and ribbon control technology utilizes the performance proven MultiCam, the best-selling register camera in the world with over 10,000 sold. MultiCam makes adjustments at press speeds of up to 17,8 meters per second. QuadTech's Register Guidance System also provides fan-out control software, automatically keeping the system in lateral register across the width of the web. Other recent enhancements include cocking control, anti-embossing, and ink guiding capabilities.