Erhardt & Leimer

BUMP TREATING IS a way of life in a package printing plant. Re-treating substrate surfaces before going to press helps provide a consistent and predictable print quality. Skipping it can leave a print job littered with pinholes, poor ink adhesion, and other printing blemishes. Progress made in recent years in surface treating equipment has extended the longevity of treatment applied following extrusion, but printers still rely on bump treatments for successful runs. In fact, according to Ralf Weber, marketing, Erhardt + Leimer Inc., the trend in surface treating leans more toward multiple treatments. This is due to several reasons, Weber said, including: • Increased printing

AAA PRESS INT'L Digital and analog video inspection systems. Write 735, Visit www.aaapress.com, AccuWeb Web Width Monitor System makes width measurements for both acquisition and process control. It uses no moving parts and can detect almost any web material. Write 736, www.accuweb.com Advanced Vision Technology (AVT) Offers process control and 100 percent quality assurance solutions on-press or on-rewinder, including register and pressure control solutions, inline color management, barcode verification solutions and job quality data management. Write 737, www.avt-inc.com BST PRO MARK Premius Digital system provides automatic inspection and identification of print defects and color variations, register control on flexo CI presses, and

A look at today's cost-cutting web-handling technologies. TODAY'S PRESS OPERATORS don't have to be the fiddling wizards of yesteryear's press rooms. As technology continues to improve, operators have less tinkering to do in order to keep the web in register and maintain the appropriate tension control than compared to even a few years ago. Automatically adjusting edge detectors and rolls designed to mitigate web-troubling deflection, to name just a couple, make an operator's job that much easier. But even with the most advanced technology available, do all printers and converters need top-of-the-line web handling equipment? "If you define top-of-the-line equipment as expensive or

Surface treating technology makes printing on plastic substrates possible, but not just any off-the-shelf equipment will do. PRINTING ON FILMS without first treating the substrate surface is a lot like skydiving without a parachute. It's possible, but the result is going to be a mess. Luckily, there are several surface treating options, each with advantages for different applications. Of the three main kinds of treaters, corona treaters are the most common, according Tom Gilbertson, Enercon Industries Corp.'s vice president of applications engineering. They are used for most applications and are less expensive alternatives compared to atmospheric plasma and flame treaters. Atmospheric plasma

Exhibitors at Labelexpo Americas 2004 had plenty of web inspection equipment on display. LABELEXPO AMERICAS HAD many exhibitors showing off their web inspection equipment, but does a converter really need to purchase inspection equipment? Some say yes, if they want to keep their waste, cost, and production time under control. Web inspection has come a long way, and packagePRINTING took a look at the different makes and models of web viewing systems that were available at Labelexpo, and spoke with some of the customers that use them. Smile, you're on camera There are two major different kinds of web scan equipment—web inspection systems and

AAA PRESS INTERNATIONAL Web cleaning systems, anilox roll cleaners.Visit www.aaapress.com, ABSOLUTELY MICRO*CLEAN Micro*Clean uses plastic media to deep-clean rolls. The well-proven method is used off-press in an enclosed, automated blast cabinet. Media is cleaned/recycled for reduced costs and elimination of hazardous waste. Write 296, Visit www.microcleanintl.com BST PRO MARK Complete line of single and dual-sided "contact" cleaning systems. Visit www.bstpromark.com COMEXI GROUP/ENVIROXI Offers the EVI 2000/2600 Parts Washing unit, the EVT 1500/2000/2700 Parts Washing Unit, and the EV-25/50 VAC Solvent Recovery Unit. Visit www.comexi.com Conversource Conversource is a distributor of consumable supplies and accessory equipment for the flexographic pressroom. The company

AAA PRESS INT'L AAA Press carries the full Enercon line of corona treaters and accessories, including the TL Max and XL Series Narrow Web Corona Treaters. These treaters feature easy electrode maintenance, increased treating power, and ducting for ozone removal. Surface tension measurement solutions are also available. Write 705, Visit www.aaapress.com, Corona Designs Aluminum, steel, or composite industrial rolls (treater, nip, and idler) up to 34˝ in diameter and an overall length of up to 370˝. Treater rolls include PowerTreat compound, PowerCoat epoxy, PowerTuf ceramic, silicone sleeves, or hypalon. Standard idler rolls include various finishes and special machined surfaces. Write 706, Visit www.coronadesigns.com Corotec

Proper web guiding, tension, and register control are basic ingredients needed for good print quality results. PRINT REGISTRATION IS one of the first things packagePRINTING's Excellence Awards judges inspect when assessing the print quality of contest entries. For our expert panel, it's an easy variable to assess, and is used as an initial culling point to "separate the men from the boys." Entries will not contend for a first-place finish if they are not produced with good print registration. This is clearly understood in the industry, but not everyone pays enough attention to some of the web-handling issues that directly impact registration, says Henry

Attack static problems early, or else they could take over by Kate Tomlinson, Associate Editor IT'S THAT TIME of year once again. As temperatures drop and the heating units are turned on (sucking much of the humidity out of the air), pressroom static problems intensify. We all know the standard static control drill: add a bar, some tinsel, or a vacuum unit to avoid dirty webs and to keep your operators from getting shocked (or worse!). In addition to expanding product lines, today's static control and web cleaning suppliers have taken the best of the best, made slight improvements, and added features to ensure