At present, more than 100 flexo production lines have been introduced in China, of which a large part is used for the production of cigarette packs. Here are some of the common problems encountered in the production of cigarette packets and our solutions are summarized below for reference by peers.
First, plate making is the key. The test is very important. There are some common characteristics of cigarette package production. Among them, there are roughly the following points related to printing: (1) It is more difficult to copy the pattern. In order to reflect the grade of products and eliminate false cigarettes, cigarette factories often adopt a large number of methods that use complex patterns and spot color (anti-counterfeit) inks in packaging design, which brings certain difficulties to flexible plate making. (2) Since many cigarette packs are printed on offset or gravure, the conversion of the printing method will inevitably bring about differences in the printing effect. Therefore, how to make the effect of flexo printing consistent with the offset or gravure printing is also flexible printing. One of the difficulties. (3) As the flexographic printing uses a soft plate, the dot enlargement rate is large, the expression level of highlights and shades is poor, and the printing effects on different substrates are greatly different.
These particularities of cigarette pack production have brought difficulties to the flexo platemaking, especially some exquisite logo designs, which are not only diverse in content but also often appear at complex network levels. Some manufacturers use coarse mesh methods to solve the problem of gradual change, which results in the loss of the fine-grained performance of the pattern. The design of high-grade cigarette packs often involves the level, and how to properly duplicate the hierarchical edition is a problem that many manufacturers face and urgently need to solve. It needs to use a more special dot algorithm, and uses FM screening and AM screening on RIP. The technology and non-linear expression are used to realize the control and adjustment of outlets during the process of plate making. Due to the limited space, this issue cannot be described in detail. We will discuss the topic later.
Platemaking is the first process of printing. Its quality directly affects the subsequent process and the quality of the final printed product. Therefore, how to match the platemaking stage with the later printing is an important issue for us.
Accurately speaking, the process of flexo plate making is actually the process of making the process. If the plate making and printing are out of line and the ink parameters, the number of anilox roller lines, the printing sequence, and the pressure are not known, it will be difficult to produce. High quality version. For example, for the same layered version with dots, if different anilox rollers are used, they will have different amounts of ink, different ink drying speeds, and the hue and saturation of prints will also change, even directly affecting the quality of printing. .
Therefore, before the first plate-making, the plate-making company should conduct detailed understanding and testing of the equipment according to the specific conditions of the printing manufacturer, including the amount of ink on the anilox roller, the adhesion of the ink, and the machine speed, etc. The number of network lines and network expansion rate provide the basis.
In addition, in addition to the testing of the printing press, the entire process flow of plate making, film extraction, printing, printing, ink and die cutting needs to be tested to understand the operating conditions and stability of each link in order to meet the requirements of different living sources. At the same time, the loss of the subsequent process is properly compensated at the time of plate making, and a complete plate making scheme and printing process are formulated.
Second, printing is difficult, and it is more difficult to maintain consistency. The production volume of cigarette packs is large, the production cycle is long, and the printing quality requirements are high. At the same time, the manufacturers also have high requirements for product batch and quality consistency.
As we all know, there are many factors that affect the quality of printing, mainly in the following areas:
1, printing materials printability. Different substrates have different effects on the drying speed and amount of ink, and they also have different reactions to hue.
2, the characteristics of ink. Different ink manufacturers have different formulations, hue, saturation, PH value is not the same, it is difficult to exactly the same two preparations.
3, the choice of anilox roller. In the introduction of equipment, manufacturers generally equipped with a variety of line number of anilox roller, different line number of anilox roller ink amount is different, the reaction to the printing material is the depth of the color and ink layer thickness. Even with the same anilox roller, the anilox roller wears and clogs to varying degrees with the passage of time and the number of uses. The amount of ink contained in the anilox roller will change, and the printing effect will eventually change.
4, the machine speed. Changes in machine speed will directly affect the thickness of the ink layer, so the pressure and tension need to be readjusted when the machine's printing speed changes.
5, pressure and tension. Flexographic printing uses a soft plate, and the excessive pressure exerts excessive pressure on the dots on the printing plate, which increases the dot enlargement rate. Tension affects the accuracy of overprinting.
6, operating level. The operator's experience is different, and the judgment of the manuscript and the printed matter is different. There is no data basis, subjective factors have a great influence on the printing quality.
7, the ambient temperature and humidity have a direct impact on the ink drying speed, such as the first color has not been dried for the second color printing, ink adhesion will be reduced, so that the process can not be successfully completed.
Any change in any of the above factors will directly or indirectly affect the quality of the printed product and the consistency between the printed batches. Stability is very important for printing, but it is hard to really do in real life. From this we can see that in order to better maintain the quality and consistency of printed products, we need to have a better method that allows us to intuitively and accurately analyze the areas in which problems occur, facilitate timely adjustments, and make early judgments about this Whether the loss can be compensated in the subsequent process, to prevent more unqualified products from flowing into the next process, reduce scrap rate, and improve product quality.
In view of the above situation, we need to have a reference, and this reference must be able to maintain a certain degree of stability, and easy to use. With pressure control as an example, flexo printing is light pressure printing, but it is difficult to really control the pressure. There is no pressure display on the general flexo press, and the size of the pressure will vary depending on the replacement of the operator. In the absence of data display, and no automatic monitoring equipment, how to make the pressure between the batch size appropriate and as close as possible? We have been using a test tracking method, according to different situations, different colors and a set of targeted tracking bar, through its observation to determine whether the pressure is appropriate, whether the left and right pressure balance, in order to facilitate the operation The personnel adjusted the pressure in time. In subsequent batch printing, as long as the observation tracking bar is similar to the first time, the city can, for a certain degree, consistently maintain the same quality of the same printed product at different times.
Third, increase income and reduce expenditure, improve the efficiency of cigarette packs are high-end packaging products, strict production quality, not only requires beautifully printed, but also requires accurate size, and generally have the requirements of the post-processing.
Flexographic printing presses are mainly suitable for packaging and printing. Compared with other printing methods, they have their own unique advantages in the production of cigarette packs. Flexographic output is high, and the in-line processing capability is strong. The speed of the party of the flexo printing machine can be up to 2M/S. The imported flexo presses are generally equipped with die-cutting units. Die-cutting, indentation and embossing can be completed simultaneously. It has greatly saved manpower and provided favorable conditions for printing companies to open up markets.
It is undeniable that the high-speed operation of the flexo press has increased the production efficiency, but the waste when the waste product appears is quite serious. There are many causes of waste, mainly registration and die cutting are not precise enough.
First of all, at the time of printing, because flexographic printing is a round-pressed printing method, continuous jobs will produce cumulative errors, coupled with the effects of many subjective and objective factors such as machine vibrations, differences in personnel operations, and changes in the surrounding environment. Quasi-accuracy is difficult to maintain for a long period of time, and operators need to make corrections to register to adapt to changes. However, in the high-speed production of machines, this adjustment is very difficult for the operator. By reducing the speed to increase the operability is a common method commonly used, but the speed of the subsequent machine will be to a certain extent Makes the register change. Secondly, the adjustment of the machine during the large-scale production of paper change is also one of the reasons for overprinting.
Printing has only completed one part of the production process, and it has also been connected to complete the entire production process. Therefore, in addition to the emphasis on printing, the production of cigarette packs should also focus on the processability of the post-production sequence, such as whether the dimensions meet the requirements, whether the static electricity is removed, and whether the drying is complete. The failure of post-processing will multiply the scrap rate by a factor of two, resulting in great waste. Therefore, the processing capacity of the line must be improved.
How to solve these problems is a major problem faced by various manufacturers. It is not enough just to raise the level of operators and properly stabilize the operating environment, because in addition to human factors, there are also some objective and unavoidable factors. For example, the speed of the machine, the paper's pumping up, and other waste products are also quite serious. Therefore, it is equipped with some professional auxiliary equipment, such as automatic registering and precise die-cutting systems. It uses machines for automatic control to improve the accuracy of registering and die-cutting, which can save manpower, improve quality, greatly reduce scrap rate, and can also be modernized. Management provides good reference and basis to increase the economic benefits of the company. At the same time, due to advanced equipment and quality assurance, the development of high-end living sources has also become possible, providing a strong backing for the company's good development and opening up the market. (Beijing Today's Best Company Wu Xuefei) ("Paper Packaging Special")
First, plate making is the key. The test is very important. There are some common characteristics of cigarette package production. Among them, there are roughly the following points related to printing: (1) It is more difficult to copy the pattern. In order to reflect the grade of products and eliminate false cigarettes, cigarette factories often adopt a large number of methods that use complex patterns and spot color (anti-counterfeit) inks in packaging design, which brings certain difficulties to flexible plate making. (2) Since many cigarette packs are printed on offset or gravure, the conversion of the printing method will inevitably bring about differences in the printing effect. Therefore, how to make the effect of flexo printing consistent with the offset or gravure printing is also flexible printing. One of the difficulties. (3) As the flexographic printing uses a soft plate, the dot enlargement rate is large, the expression level of highlights and shades is poor, and the printing effects on different substrates are greatly different.
These particularities of cigarette pack production have brought difficulties to the flexo platemaking, especially some exquisite logo designs, which are not only diverse in content but also often appear at complex network levels. Some manufacturers use coarse mesh methods to solve the problem of gradual change, which results in the loss of the fine-grained performance of the pattern. The design of high-grade cigarette packs often involves the level, and how to properly duplicate the hierarchical edition is a problem that many manufacturers face and urgently need to solve. It needs to use a more special dot algorithm, and uses FM screening and AM screening on RIP. The technology and non-linear expression are used to realize the control and adjustment of outlets during the process of plate making. Due to the limited space, this issue cannot be described in detail. We will discuss the topic later.
Platemaking is the first process of printing. Its quality directly affects the subsequent process and the quality of the final printed product. Therefore, how to match the platemaking stage with the later printing is an important issue for us.
Accurately speaking, the process of flexo plate making is actually the process of making the process. If the plate making and printing are out of line and the ink parameters, the number of anilox roller lines, the printing sequence, and the pressure are not known, it will be difficult to produce. High quality version. For example, for the same layered version with dots, if different anilox rollers are used, they will have different amounts of ink, different ink drying speeds, and the hue and saturation of prints will also change, even directly affecting the quality of printing. .
Therefore, before the first plate-making, the plate-making company should conduct detailed understanding and testing of the equipment according to the specific conditions of the printing manufacturer, including the amount of ink on the anilox roller, the adhesion of the ink, and the machine speed, etc. The number of network lines and network expansion rate provide the basis.
In addition, in addition to the testing of the printing press, the entire process flow of plate making, film extraction, printing, printing, ink and die cutting needs to be tested to understand the operating conditions and stability of each link in order to meet the requirements of different living sources. At the same time, the loss of the subsequent process is properly compensated at the time of plate making, and a complete plate making scheme and printing process are formulated.
Second, printing is difficult, and it is more difficult to maintain consistency. The production volume of cigarette packs is large, the production cycle is long, and the printing quality requirements are high. At the same time, the manufacturers also have high requirements for product batch and quality consistency.
As we all know, there are many factors that affect the quality of printing, mainly in the following areas:
1, printing materials printability. Different substrates have different effects on the drying speed and amount of ink, and they also have different reactions to hue.
2, the characteristics of ink. Different ink manufacturers have different formulations, hue, saturation, PH value is not the same, it is difficult to exactly the same two preparations.
3, the choice of anilox roller. In the introduction of equipment, manufacturers generally equipped with a variety of line number of anilox roller, different line number of anilox roller ink amount is different, the reaction to the printing material is the depth of the color and ink layer thickness. Even with the same anilox roller, the anilox roller wears and clogs to varying degrees with the passage of time and the number of uses. The amount of ink contained in the anilox roller will change, and the printing effect will eventually change.
4, the machine speed. Changes in machine speed will directly affect the thickness of the ink layer, so the pressure and tension need to be readjusted when the machine's printing speed changes.
5, pressure and tension. Flexographic printing uses a soft plate, and the excessive pressure exerts excessive pressure on the dots on the printing plate, which increases the dot enlargement rate. Tension affects the accuracy of overprinting.
6, operating level. The operator's experience is different, and the judgment of the manuscript and the printed matter is different. There is no data basis, subjective factors have a great influence on the printing quality.
7, the ambient temperature and humidity have a direct impact on the ink drying speed, such as the first color has not been dried for the second color printing, ink adhesion will be reduced, so that the process can not be successfully completed.
Any change in any of the above factors will directly or indirectly affect the quality of the printed product and the consistency between the printed batches. Stability is very important for printing, but it is hard to really do in real life. From this we can see that in order to better maintain the quality and consistency of printed products, we need to have a better method that allows us to intuitively and accurately analyze the areas in which problems occur, facilitate timely adjustments, and make early judgments about this Whether the loss can be compensated in the subsequent process, to prevent more unqualified products from flowing into the next process, reduce scrap rate, and improve product quality.
In view of the above situation, we need to have a reference, and this reference must be able to maintain a certain degree of stability, and easy to use. With pressure control as an example, flexo printing is light pressure printing, but it is difficult to really control the pressure. There is no pressure display on the general flexo press, and the size of the pressure will vary depending on the replacement of the operator. In the absence of data display, and no automatic monitoring equipment, how to make the pressure between the batch size appropriate and as close as possible? We have been using a test tracking method, according to different situations, different colors and a set of targeted tracking bar, through its observation to determine whether the pressure is appropriate, whether the left and right pressure balance, in order to facilitate the operation The personnel adjusted the pressure in time. In subsequent batch printing, as long as the observation tracking bar is similar to the first time, the city can, for a certain degree, consistently maintain the same quality of the same printed product at different times.
Third, increase income and reduce expenditure, improve the efficiency of cigarette packs are high-end packaging products, strict production quality, not only requires beautifully printed, but also requires accurate size, and generally have the requirements of the post-processing.
Flexographic printing presses are mainly suitable for packaging and printing. Compared with other printing methods, they have their own unique advantages in the production of cigarette packs. Flexographic output is high, and the in-line processing capability is strong. The speed of the party of the flexo printing machine can be up to 2M/S. The imported flexo presses are generally equipped with die-cutting units. Die-cutting, indentation and embossing can be completed simultaneously. It has greatly saved manpower and provided favorable conditions for printing companies to open up markets.
It is undeniable that the high-speed operation of the flexo press has increased the production efficiency, but the waste when the waste product appears is quite serious. There are many causes of waste, mainly registration and die cutting are not precise enough.
First of all, at the time of printing, because flexographic printing is a round-pressed printing method, continuous jobs will produce cumulative errors, coupled with the effects of many subjective and objective factors such as machine vibrations, differences in personnel operations, and changes in the surrounding environment. Quasi-accuracy is difficult to maintain for a long period of time, and operators need to make corrections to register to adapt to changes. However, in the high-speed production of machines, this adjustment is very difficult for the operator. By reducing the speed to increase the operability is a common method commonly used, but the speed of the subsequent machine will be to a certain extent Makes the register change. Secondly, the adjustment of the machine during the large-scale production of paper change is also one of the reasons for overprinting.
Printing has only completed one part of the production process, and it has also been connected to complete the entire production process. Therefore, in addition to the emphasis on printing, the production of cigarette packs should also focus on the processability of the post-production sequence, such as whether the dimensions meet the requirements, whether the static electricity is removed, and whether the drying is complete. The failure of post-processing will multiply the scrap rate by a factor of two, resulting in great waste. Therefore, the processing capacity of the line must be improved.
How to solve these problems is a major problem faced by various manufacturers. It is not enough just to raise the level of operators and properly stabilize the operating environment, because in addition to human factors, there are also some objective and unavoidable factors. For example, the speed of the machine, the paper's pumping up, and other waste products are also quite serious. Therefore, it is equipped with some professional auxiliary equipment, such as automatic registering and precise die-cutting systems. It uses machines for automatic control to improve the accuracy of registering and die-cutting, which can save manpower, improve quality, greatly reduce scrap rate, and can also be modernized. Management provides good reference and basis to increase the economic benefits of the company. At the same time, due to advanced equipment and quality assurance, the development of high-end living sources has also become possible, providing a strong backing for the company's good development and opening up the market. (Beijing Today's Best Company Wu Xuefei) ("Paper Packaging Special")
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