Designed by printers, for printers—Today’s printing presses are robust “work horses.”
When block-on-block construction is standard, the solid, basic structure provides the stability necessary to deliver perfect printing results at high speeds.
All photos courtesy of Allstein
As FLEXO Magazine’s January business prospects Flash Poll showed, efficiency is the priority for the majority of printers and converters (88 percent). This does not surprise us. Maximum productivity of the systems already is the ulterior motive of all automation solutions. Whether it’s intelligent processes that avoid errors and automate manual actions through to robot-controlled solutions that mount autonomously or change printing cylinders, there are many conceivable ways and gradations in automation.
For a truly effective investment, it is important to determine, understand and provide good advice on individual needs. Depending on the factors of the “job to be done,” different automation solutions make more or less sense.
For example, Allstein has developed the SPRINT series, which is ideal for printing small-to-medium-sized jobs. It offers the same stable construction as larger flexographic printing machines and boasts incomparable job changeover times. Perfect accessibility to the printing units and technical solutions such as Arun 2.0 ensure that the SPRINT is unrivaled in this class in terms of job changeover times. Great performance in a small space, with a footprint of less than 50 m², the SPRINT sets standards.
The presses in this line are 8-color with a print width of 33-in. to 49-in. and a repeat range of 12-in. to 31.5-in. Maximum speed is 1,300 fpm.
Similarly, massive solid steel side frames, as well as the proven Allstein slideway technology guarantee the best print quality in the market, no matter what production speed. The HYDRO product line stands for maximum productivity and high printing speeds of up to 2,620 fpm—no matter how demanding the challenges of the particular print job. The HYDRO’s portfolio adapts precisely to individual requirements.
HYDRO presses are available in eight or 10 colors, offer print widths of 41-in. to 73-in., repeats ranges run from 14-in. to 55-in. and running speed can range from 1,300 fpm to 2,620 fpm.
Another good example of both robust stability and resourcefulness are the hydrostatic bearings. These help to eliminate bouncing, even at high printing speeds. They make it possible to convert pressure-related mechanical energy and to easily dissipate it from the process in the form of heat.
OEE = Automation
In the Flash Poll, great importance was attached to the overall effectiveness of the equipment (OEE). Thankfully, fully integrated solutions fit individual requirements. Machines now manufacture product from the appropriate mounter to the central impression (CI) flexographic printing press to the winder.
The Flash Poll shows that printers have realized automation will be a large focus going forward, as labor is limited. Our automation solutions help make life easier for operators and let them be more productive.
In the field of mounters, for example, we offer automatic and robot-controlled solutions in addition to manual solutions. Mounters have been designed from the ground up to achieve maximum precision in plate mounting—now that’s efficient and user-friendly. The portfolio ranges from manual to robotically loaded variants, always with the aim of achieving the perfect print quality on flexographic presses. In combination with Arun technology, mounters become an important key feature to maximize the productivity of a press.
- Manual: This variant supports manual positioning of the printing plates via an intuitive user interface and a high-quality camera system. In addition, a drive facilitates perfect application to the format sleeve
- Automatic: With this variant, the operator simply places the plate on the mounter table and the machine does everything else
- Robotic mounter: The robotic mounter uses pick-and-place technology to transfer plates, one by one, from a customer’s storage onto the designated sleeve. Therefore, this variant is ideally suited to automatic workflows where the sleeves are delivered to the mounting machine via a range of Allstein automation solutions
As the Flash Poll shows, what printers want above all from manufacturers are efficient solutions. In order to ensure efficiency and productivity of the production processes, we constantly come up with something: the development of so-called gamechanging technologies. These are a mix of best practices and technical innovations.
Setup Stage
We are convinced: Gone are the days of long runs! With job lengths constantly getting shorter, we believe today’s packaging market is defined by setup times. That’s the reason we created the productivity-boosting register and impression system Arun. Arun is not just a mounting machine or a sensor in a sleeve, it is much more. Arun is an offline process that automatically calculates the perfect settings for register and impression, so you don’t have to.
Digitizing the work steps that would otherwise be necessary prevents errors and saves time. This is how you minimize setup-related machine downtimes, which is what the survey has shown to be an important goal. With the Arun process, you can also reduce setup-related waste by up to 100 percent. As the Flash Poll showed, the introduction of best practices and process controls is high on the agenda of the printers surveyed.
Your machine is most productive when it is producing. There is no doubt about that. That’s why it is mandatory to eliminate setup times as best as possible. This is exactly what Achange technology helps you to do. Achange enables you to set up unused print units at full production speed and prepare the following job while the current one is being printed.
But that’s not all. With “change on the fly” mode, you can print continuously and switch seamlessly from the current job to the next design—without having to stop production and almost no waste. Realize your own non-stop production with Achange technology.
In the Flash Poll, printers attached great importance to reducing waste. With Achange, waste can be reduced by up to 100 percent. We’re still working to eliminate the two to three meters of waste as the jobs switch.
Robotic Assist
According to FLEXO’s poll results, automation is an important topic for printers. Allstein’s Arobot system enables them to prepare print jobs fully automatic and without dependence on operator skill set. This reduces the number of machine operators required. The resulting reduction in setup-related workload speeds up internal processes considerably. The Arobot system also makes it easier to plan production, as fixed setup cycle times can be used as a basis.
In addition, the user-related error rate is reduced because the sequence of the Arobot system is clearly defined and, for example, the printing tools are transferred to fixed stations without error. They also increase operator ergonomics, especially with heavy printing tools.
Look to a robust and resourceful partner for highly productive machines and technologies that are optimally tailored to any printer’s/converter’s needs in the world of flexible packaging.
Working with a firm like Allstein, a printer can benefit from solid quality and maximize productivity. Plus, an impressive track record of success will win new customers who are hoping to secure a definite advantage and put out the best printing results on the market.
In times when skilled workers are in high demand, technical solutions help to make operators’ work easier. Through resourcefulness, coupled with robust machinery, printers/converters will be well prepared to meet the demands of a rapidly changing market.