Customers Expect Efficient and Reliable Quality Control
11.10.2017
Bsb-label is one of two beta site customers to participate in an extensive field test of BST eltromat’s innovative POWERScope 5000 web monitoring system. As a manufacturer of high-quality roll labels, bsb-label covers a particularly wide range of market requirements.
Book, screen, flexo, and digital printing – with its ten printing machines featuring various technologies, bsb label GmbH can offer its customers the full range of options when it comes to labeling, marking, and decorating products. “In eight of our ten printing machines, BST eltromat’s web guiding systems ensure that the printed material passes perfectly,” states Brigitte Alers, managing director of the Bielefeld-based roll label specialist. “In addition to that, we verify the print quality in three machines using the manufacturer’s video systems.” The bsb-label systems from BST eltromat are also used for the high-speed stamping presses from Feldbaum + Vogt and inside the converting machines of Grafisk Maskinfabrik.
The partnership of these two companies goes back to 2008. At that time, bsb-label replaced the web edge guiding systems and web monitoring in its narrow-web Gallus ECS 340 flexo printing machine with solutions from BST eltromat. “Our sister company bsb-proprint had been using systems from BST eltromat for years already,” shares Alers, remembering how their relationship came about.
Since the end of 2014, bsb-label has been using the SHARK 4000 LEX 100% inspection system to inspect large label rolls in a production machine. The system inspects the labels on the rolls to see if they correspond to the reference labels and verifies that the matrix are properly removed.
In spring of 2016, BST eltromat asked bsb-label if it would be interested in participating in a beta test of its POWERScope 5000 digital web monitoring system, which was new at the time. Then in mid-2016 it was installed in the Gallus ECS 340, which bsb-label uses to produce a wide variety of different roll labels. “Many customers expect us to have complete control over their products. They can utilize the full potential of their machines only if the machines produce perfect label rolls,” stresses Peter Bellmann, bsb-label’s head of printing department, referring to the importance of quality assurance in label production.
The new system for narrow and medium-width printing processes, which was presented at drupa in 2016, was completely redeveloped by BST eltromat. Compared to the previous version (the POWERScope 4000), all key components were to be improved, starting with the traverse where the camera is mounted and positioned in the printing machines, to the camera and software, which included the user interface.
Improved user-friendliness
In light of the variety and complexity of the market requirements, bsb-label places a high value on ease of use. “With the POWERScope 5000, BST eltromat simplified the user interface to include only the necessary functions, which resulted in a particularly clean design,” points out Daniel Dießelhorst, who is responsible for strategic purchasing at bsb-bentlage, remarking on the system’s improvements. Machine operators only need to enter a few application parameters into the menu, such as format lengths and widths. They can accomplish that by selecting shortcut keys on the external keyboard or by using the multitouch screen.
On top of that, the POWERScope 5000 reduces the number of work steps required. “We can save settings, such as camera positions with image sections or the zoom factor, and then access these again at any time. The camera automatically moves to the corresponding positions. We need one to two minutes at most to set up the system for each job,” says Bellmann. With up to five job changeovers daily on this machine, this saves considerable time and money over the course of a year.
Quality control at all times
The split-screen function enables machine operators to contrast paused live images from the production process with reference images on the 21.5-inch wide multitouch screen – with outstanding image quality. It also allows paused images to be compared with the live images, and for image sections to be enlarged with the wear-free, electronic zoom, free of distortions. This makes is easier to view the details of the printed labels, such as the quality of the registers, and to reliably detect any irregularities. Even the punching lines are clearly visible. The digital camera provides high resolution, while the high-performance LED flash illuminates the webs evenly.
“No BST eltromat system has experienced a failure yet,” says Dießelhorst, confirming the reliability of the technology. It’s possible that bsb-label will modify further printing machines with the POWERScope 5000. The system’s compact design will play a key role in this process.
“With our high production speeds, our printers need systems that reliably detect print quality, including the register. BST eltromat’s systems work so well that we don’t have to worry about this anymore,” adds Bellmann, summarizing the company’s experience so far. Our customers no longer receive defective labels. And the quality assurance process is easy to document.