Print defects are a headache in many ways, costing converters time, materials and valuable resources. Thankfully, industry suppliers continue to innovate and upgrade camera and inspection technology in order to ensure that no defective labels leave the shop floor. Here’s a look at what some of the label industry’s leading inspection system suppliers have to offer.

AVT
AVT offers new solutions for streamlining quality process workflows, which stem from integration with sister company offerings within the Danaher Product Identification Platform (PID). AVT boasts new 100% inspection solutions, as well as a host of other systems for digital press inspection and control, inspection for labels and packaging web applications and next-generation automation.

As part of the Danaher Product Identification (PID) Platform,  AVT – along with sister companies X-Rite and Esko – provides several joint solutions that streamline the entirety of the quality workflow process, from brand owners to printers and back to brand owners. The Platform’s points of integration include Esko’s Automation Engine, which connects to AVT’s 100% inspection platforms (AutoSet), linking prepress to inspection with close to zero setup time or operator intervention. The result is greater production time per press, higher accuracy and fewer rejections.

At the 2018 Labelexpo Americas, AVT held the North American debuts for two new 100% inspection solutions: Helios S Turbo+ and Helios Turbo HD+. Each offers high-resolution capabilities even at top speeds, with 100% inspection performed at full press and rewinder speeds without sacrificing inspection quality and bar code verification. 

AVT’s Helios D is a high-end 100% print inspection solution designed to meet the specific needs of digital printing in the label and narrow web markets. Helios D supports various digital printing technologies at all stages of production workflow, including the identification of specific defects like missing nozzles, ink dripping spots, and color changes as soon as they occur. The result is reduced waste, enhanced production and comprehensive process monitoring.  

For digital inkjet press vendors, AVT offers Jet-IQ, a closed loop quality engine that works in synergy with press controllers to maintain excellent print quality, offering full connectivity to all steps and solutions of digital inkjet printing. The solution allows digital printers to gain a competitive advantage through enhanced print quality at high speeds, reduced press downtime and full reporting capabilities.

AVT’s workflow solutions complement its inspection systems through a full range of capabilities. Offline Setup enables customers to perform setup offline based on the job’s PDF. This is essential as run lengths become shorter and shorter, and customers must handle changeovers as quickly as possible.

AVT’s iCenter platform is a cloud-based solution that empowers printers to manage and control quality and production standards for facilities around the world, thus ensuring global consistency. Quality standards need only be set once per industry, product type and brand owner. iCenter then automatically applies the correct job-specific quality standards. The advanced Industry 4.0 solution allows printers to tightly control cross-site quality standards, auto-analyze PDF files for inspection, and access business intelligence from production floors with seamless connectivity to MIS and prepress systems for optimized, automated workflows.

Jaron Lotan, president and CEO of AVT, says, “As a member of the Danaher family of companies, AVT has expanded opportunities for strategic partnerships. We are now able to more closely collaborate on smart, interconnected solutions that not only automate workflow but also provide insight into production performance. This is invaluable as we move further into the Industry 4.0 era.”

Baldwin Vision Systems
Baldwin Vision Systems offers a product range that enables a more efficient, automated production process for managing the complex requirements and exacting standards required throughout the packaging industry. This streamlined workflow provides numerous benefits to converters and their customers, such as consistent, accurate print quality, reduced waste, and reduced customer rebates – all delivering a faster return on investment.

Stephen Matthews, regional sales manager for Baldwin Vision Systems in the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia, says, “When it comes to packaging design, color inconsistencies will often be negatively interpreted by the consumer. It can affect brand awareness, recognition or even lead them to believe the product inside is inferior. The need for accurate color across the same or several product ranges by one brand is critical in a world of fast-paced consumer buying habits.”

Among the products Baldwin Vision Systems’ offers is ColorTrack, an intuitive software that facilitates fast, accurate press-side correction of ink formulations. This “color expert in a box” software automates the process of delivering absolute consistency from press-to-press, shift-to-shift, and plant-to-plant.

Baldwin’s Color Measurement with DeltaCam delivers affordable, accurate inline spectral measurement to achieve absolute color consistency. Packaging converters can utilize accurate, automated L*a*b* measurement on film, paper or board, ensuring that all printed products are within the customers’ color specifications.

Guardian PQV for advanced inspection is a feature-rich system that provides true 100% print inspection for pharmaceutical, converting, label, flexo, wide and narrow web applications. At home on any press or slitter/rewinder, the system provides excellent power and accuracy through defect detection, OCR/OCV, bar code grading and verification, dimensional gauging and much more.

As a new business unit formed by Baldwin Technology Company Inc., Baldwin Vision Systems strategically combines the expertise and technology of acquired businesses PC Industries, QuadTech, and Web Printing Controls to form a comprehensive portfolio available for print process automation, inspection and related services.

Commenting on Baldwin Vision Systems’ presence at Packaging Innovations, the UK event held in September, Matthews concludes, “This new powerhouse of technologies enables Baldwin Vision Systems to offer complete software and hardware solutions. It’s an exciting time for our valued customer base, and for prospects wanting to speak to us during the show, as this combined expertise and resource creates a unique proposition. The option to tie in multiple products from one leading supplier maximizes our customers’ investment and provides a more coherent solution to meet demand for fast, accurate color and quality control. Packaging Innovations provides the ideal platform to connect with the packaging community, showcase the benefits of our products, and communicate this new and unique offering.”

BST North America
BST North America, along with its subsidiary AccuWeb, offers converters a comprehensive range of quality assurance products for label printing and the narrow web market, including products with 100% inspection capability, web monitoring and web guiding. The BST and AccuWeb comprehensive portfolio of solutions cover the label industry’s numerous technical and economic challenges that arise with the web-oriented manufacture of labels. The inspection systems, the quality assurance systems in the iPQ family, as well as the web guiding systems combine to offer an extensive portfolio of products for all needs in terms of ensuring and controlling quality in web-oriented processes.

“We provide customers in the label and package printing market with a comprehensive portfolio of solutions for quality management in their production operations. Their experience with our systems is that they are reliable and simple to operate, delivering the benefit of fast machine setup times. At BST North America, customer service not only means listening to our customers but also providing solutions and support,” says Mark Lambrecht, president of BST North America.

BST North America’s full line of 100% inspection and web monitoring solutions include the Super HANDYScan 4100 and the POWERScope 5000. Launched initially in the North American market in 2016, the POWERScope 5000 features a high level of operating convenience. It can be operated via the hotkeys of the external keyboard or by using the intuitive gesture control of a multitouch monitor. In both cases, operation is reduced to the essential functions, providing maximum user friendliness. The web monitoring system also features a wear-free electronic zoom and outstanding image quality thanks to the high-resolution camera and LED flash. BST North America’s updated Super HANDYScan 4100 comes with new features. While the camera unit, monitors, cables and synchronization remain the same, the Super HANDYScan 4100 features a new state-of-the-art controller. The new controller includes an updated user interface, startup screen, and as an added benefit, every controller includes TeamViewer for remote access.

BST also features the Shark 4000 Lex system for 100% inspection and the TubeScan eagle view inspection system. Shark 4000 Lex has been developed for a variety of uses in the narrow web and label printing industries. Designed to be easy-to-use, Shark 4000 Lex reliably detects the  smallest defects in real-time and is suitable for web widths up to 600mm. The 100% print inspection system, for use on rewinders and narrow web printing machines, stands out due to the well-engineered technology, extensive range of functions and comprehensive defect management software.

TubeScan eagle view combines 100% print inspection with web monitoring, enabling seamless printing error monitoring. With the new QLink Workflow, the company has expanded its TubeScan product portfolio and has concentrated on synchronization, data handling and error editing. This solution was developed for customers who use the TubeScan system on print and cutting machines in parallel. With QLink, TubeScan systems can be used for the automatic control of cutting machines and standalone 100% inspection systems.

The iPQ-Check from BST is part of a modularly-constructed system that offers extensive possibilities for quality assurance in order to target the best production results. The abbreviation iPQ stands for “increasing Productivity and Quality” in the production process. The module for 100% inspection is called iPQ-Check, while iPQ-View covers digital video web monitoring tasks and iPQ-Spectral is a tool for inline spectral color measurement. iPQ-Workflow integrates these three modules into a common quality assurance process, which creates the basis for the continuous optimization of print processes. The iPQ-Center reliably recognizes and records errors, so machine operators are in a position to quickly and easily intervene in the process and correct settings.

EyeC
EyeC is a Germany-based inspection system and quality control technology supplier with US headquarters in St. Charles, IL. The EyeC product portfolio includes file-to-file comparison for artwork revision control and prepress applications, as well as print-to-file inspection systems for press sample testing and 100% print quality control of products such as folding cartons, labels, leaflets or flexible packaging. The company recently launched its EyeC Proofiler 600 DT. This system’s latest software version now offers combining print inspection and dimensional measurement capabilities in just one system.

Label converters with pharmaceutical and medical customers can take advantage of EyeC’s new pharma workflow,  offering improved data integrity, data security and an easier audit trail review. EyeC also offers the EyeC Proofiler Graphic for automated PDF-checks at the prepress stage. This system now includes optional Workflow Integration into existing workflow software such as the Esko Automation Engine. The EyeC ProofRunner 100% print inspection system for labels and flexible packaging is an inline inspection system that checks the print quality of texts, graphics, color, and foil embossing over the entire production run.

Juergen Klicker, CEO of EyeC-America, comments, “With our wide range of inspection solutions, we are the only supplier on the market to ensure print quality throughout the entire production process of our customers. With EyeC products, our users avoid recalls, keep production costs and material waste in check and optimize their quality control. Worldwide, there are over 1,800 EyeC inspection systems in use by top artwork design, prepress, printing and packaging companies, as well as pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food manufacturers.”

NDC Technologies
NDC Technologies, a Dayton, OH-based provider of precision measurement and control solutions, has recently released several new and innovative measurement systems ready for Industry 4.0, with data integration and connectivity down to the gauge level. These new solutions enable label and narrow web manufacturers to produce higher quality products, increase productivity and realize production savings.

NDC’s new Web Surface Inspection Systems (engineered by R.A.M.) provide 100% product coverage, enabling manufacturers to achieve zero defects. Systems include powerful capabilities to instantly detect, classify, document and record all optical defects across a broad scope of web materials.

DC’s new Low Energy X-Ray Sensor is ideally suited for thickness and basis weight measurements of lightweight products and offers excellent narrow streak resolution. A highly stable, precisely tuned power supply runs at or below 5keV, providing high signal-to-noise characteristics and optimum measurement performance.

The new Beta LaserMike LaserSpeed Pro non-contact length and speed gauge offers converters top accuracy levels (better than +/-0.03%) and wide measurement depth of field for the full velocity range. LaserSpeed Pro offers a new, faster processing engine for faster communications and supports Ethernet connectivity. Providing an ideal replacement for contact encoders, there are over 8,000 gauges installed worldwide, the company says.

Every NDC measurement system is backed by the company’s service and support organization where customers have 24/7 access to NDC’s customer service cloud portal known as myNDC.