Inline Flexographic Print Kinetix Integrated Motion in the Flexography Printing Industry. This paper provides an in-depth look at the machinery requirements of the inline flexography printing industry. It illustrates how kinetic integrated motion is helping to meet the increasingly strict performance, accuracy and efficiency demands of these challenging applications. Picture in courtesy from Cambridge Ltd
2 Inline Flexo Printing Table of Contents Executive Summary... 3 Introduction... 4-6 Challenges... 7 Solutions & Benefits... 8-14 Conclusions... 15 Resources... 16
3 Inline Flexo Printing Executive Summary As a machine builder, you are challenged to differentiate yourself amidst global competition and rapidly evolving technology. Flexographic printing machines need to combine high production output, reliable, consistent product quality with low manpower requirements and low maintenance costs. The machines also need to be flexible enough to adapt to different printing materials at varying production speeds under changeable environmental conditions. Lower your Total Cost to Design, Develop and Deliver Flexographic printing equipment with a Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture Solution. Whether measured from a business, commercial or technical perspective, Rockwell Automation can help improve your printing machine performance with solutions and services to lower the Total Cost to Design, Develop and Deliver machines and meet your customers requirement. At Rockwell Automation, we strive for a holistic approach that focuses on your machine and business performance. What may start out as an order-by-order relationship, can eventually develop into a mutually beneficial business relationship. Rockwell Automation will work with you to develop solutions that will help give you a competitive advantage throughout your machine s life cycle.
4 Inline Flexo Printing Introduction The vast, ever-growing demand for commercial and industrial packaging and labeling products has created an enormous business opportunity for machine builders worldwide. Whether it s a hologram security seal on your recent software purchase, the label on the overnight package that arrived at your door, or the shrink-wrapped sleeve on your favorite soft drink bottle, virtually every product we come in contact with has part of its identity tied to the packaging container or an applied label. The global markets for package printing only involving pliant materials such as foils, films, paper or flexible sheeting to form a container grew at a 4.4% rate to $75.4M in 2014. Add to that the expected 30% growth to $98.1M in 2015, and it is easy to see why machinery builders are demanding innovative automation and control solutions capable of meeting their customers precise performance, accuracy and time-to-market requirements. At Label Expo, a major North American tradeshow for the printing industry, the ability to leverage the power of automation was highlighted as one of the fundamental skills needed to achieve higher productivity, better yields, reduced changeover time, reduced waste, and greater flexibility objectives that are made all the more challenging with today s continuously changing substrate materials.
5 Inline Flexo Printing Introduction Flexography, or flexo, gets its name from the requirement that the printing plate surface maintain contact with the web (paper, nonwovens or film), which it does by being flexible. The method is commonly used on flexible packaging, cartons, shopping bags, food and hygiene bags, selfadhesive labels and wallpaper. The process of one color flexographic printing is demonstrated in the picture below. The plate is first affixed to the plate cylinder and then slated into the registration position. The ink is pulled from the well and transferred to the flexible plate by the Anilox roll. Since the web is pressed between the plate roll and the impression cylinder, the ink image will be transferred to the web. This is how the flexographic printing processed the image of the web created. A multi-station flexographic printing press is designed to precisely apply water-based or ultraviolet (UV) ink droplets from an anilox roll to a plate roll containing the image. The image is then transported to the substrate via contact with the impression roll. The ability to apply a dot of ink precisely onto another dot of ink is what defines color print registration and determines whether something is in focus to the human eye. It s an important measure of quality on the finished film, paper or carton.
6 Inline Flexo Printing Flexographic printing offers numerous advantages. First the plates are inexpensive to make and are disposable, accommodating the frequent end-user changes common with packaging printing. Second, plates are mounted easily on the machine. Third flexo printing produces quality images. On the contrary, flexographic printing does offer challenges. Nip pressure can distort the flexible plate material affecting the image quality. Pressure control is very important. Even with good control, plate material wears faster than with other technologies. A typical multi-station flexographic printing press consists of the following sections: Dual Tension Unwind keeps the web under precise tension control and velocity regulation through the infeed pacing section of the press. Infeed transports the web and isolates the tension before presenting the web to the first print deck. Print Deck, the first print deck station applies a printed registration bar to the web as well as the first color. Subsequent print decks individually apply colors one at a time using the printed registration bar for guidance. Outfeed, this section follows the last print deck and isolates the web once again with precise tension control and velocity regulation. Converting sections, these modules for die-cutting, punching, embossing, trimming or slitting the web prior to rewinding the product are common post-processing operations.
7 Inline Flexo Printing Challenges Increasing competitiveness and market pressures are causing converters to demand more flexibility, higher productivity, better yields and less waste from their converting machinery investments. This is a challenge, as press machine builders are already approaching 750 to 1,200 feet/min (229 to 365 m/min) web speeds and maintaining +/- 0.002 to 0.005 inch (.05 to.13 mm) print registration tolerances. They re also keeping scrap to the length of the full press plus one print deck during machine make-ready. Web throughput will continue to increase as new drying system technologies are designed. To meet changing styles and packaging requirements, end users are seeking machines with interchangeable sections and variable-size print roll sleeves. Since flexible packaging and label print images, unlike newspapers or magazines, vary widely in size, as well as in substrate and material requirements, the ability to quickly change machine sections or roll size is critical. OEMs must meet additional end user requirements such as: Compensation for gear-marking generated by the machine s mechanics. Eliminating pull-out, as print registration must be held during speed changes of the web. Registry with and without electronic registration correction (ERC). Re-registration of a pre-printed web for insetting and additional color application. Compensation for printing long and short due to web variation. Constant sampling and trending of the error in the web for ongoing correction. Web guide for cross register control in certain applications. Combine these challenges with changing substrates, inks and drying systems and one begins to fully understand the demands of printing for the packaging and label printing industry. The Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture provides a proven solution to meet the challenging demands of the packaging and narrow
8 Inline Flexo Printing Solutions & Benefits The Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture provides a proven solution to meet the challenging demands of the packaging and web label printing industry. Kinetix Integrated Motion leverages the Logix Control Platform to seamlessly integrate with Allen-Bradley Logix family controllers, servo drives, servo motors and actuators. Kinetix reduces programming time, improves information flow between components, and brings flexibility to machine design and efficiency to the manufacturing floor. Figure 1: Typical Press Control Architecture featuring the Kinetix 5500 EtherNet/IP servo drive
9 Inline Flexo Printing Logix Controller The Logix controller combines motion and sequential control into a single multi-tasking controller platform, resulting in lower system costs, easier maintenance and simplified system installation. The Allen-Bradley ControlLogix processor delivers the speed, resolution and accuracy needed for reliable web control and axis synchronization via the fully digital, SERCOS-based Kinetix servo system. Rockwell Software Studio 5000 Logix Designer Rockwell Software Studio 5000 is the only software necessary for both motion and sequential control, eliminating the need for multiple programming tools. The Power Programming methodology utilizes the Studio 5000 development software powered with Phase Manager and Add-on instructions (AOIs) to implement the integrated torque, velocity and position requirements of the unwind, infeed, print, outfeed, converting and rewind press sections. Kinetix 5500 Servo Drives The Kinetix 5500 servo drives provide the required dynamic performance for print registration accuracy. The multi-axis servo drive combines advanced control capability with innovative design features to significantly improve system performance and reduce integration and setup costs. Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus Human Machine Interface (HMI) Terminals An Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus terminal is used to monitor, control and display critical application data and production and process information graphically, allowing operators to quickly understand the real-time status of the press operation. CIP Motion New CIP Motion makes the network simple and reliable (DLR Technology), thus delivers high performance, deterministic control required for closed loop drive operation, using standard, unmodified Ethernet. Clock synchronization of better than 200ns can be readily achieved, meeting the needs of the most demanding motion control applications. The clock in the end devices are tightly synchronized, a small amount of jitter in receipt time of the message is unimportant, because information in the message is time-stamped. EtherNet/IP with CIP Motion allows 100 axes to be coordinated with a 1ms network update to all axes,
10 Inline Flexo Printing Integrated Registration Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture can seamlessly integrate the registration function in the ControlLogix, or work with third party registration controller. As an integrated platform, Studio 5000 makes it easy to integrate print mark automatic registration together with our KINETIC servo system. The Kinetix 6000 servo drive offers high registration accuracy with 3us uncertainty time and 500ns capture time. Using a third party registration controller can also be an option with our Integrated Architecture system. Third Party Automatic Registration System VS Servo Drive and Automatic Registration System integration --- Third Party Automatic Registration System :the controller detaches the print error by double mark registration and use a specific algorithm to calculate the adjust distance value of the print roller. --- Servo Drive and Automatic Registration System integration :Eliminates the need for an Independent Automatic Registration System by leveraging the PLC and Servo drive system.
11 Inline Flexo Printing Use of a Third Party Print Registration System Rockwell Automation Integrated Print Registration System
12 Inline Flexo Printing Benefits Machine Builder Efficiency Standard, re-usable software modules and Add-On-Instructions (AOIs) reduce engineering time Integrated Architecture for seamless connectivity of control components Quick lead time and off-the-shelf components Engineering expertise and support Kitting and panel building capabilities Machine Optimization Kinetix integrated motion Excellent print registration More precise tension control and smoother operation Logix control and integrated motion Adapt more quickly to a broad range of substrate characteristics End User Servo control and recipe management Faster and repeatable changeover Logix control and integrated HMI Easier operation and setup Remote diagnostics Reliability to keep presses running Off-the-shelf components Global parts availability Development Tools Power Programming is suitable for any Logix controller, including small memory sizes, and is useful for simple to moderately complex applications. Modular programming techniques with ready-to-use, predefined templates and faceplates result in shorter engineering times across machine portfolios. Flexible production allows existing assets to be adapted to new product requirements with minimal time and capital investment. Ease of modular implementations to test software objects reduces development time (typically >= 50%) Significantly less chance that new software modules or modification to existing software modules will adversely affect other unmodified modules. This encourages and facilitates continuous improvements while reducing the risk that changes can present.
13 Inline Flexo Printing Add on Instructions (AOI)
14 Inline Flexo Printing AOI (Add on Instructions) allow the design engineer to create re-usable modules that brings the power of the Integrated Architecture to your system quickly and easily. Add a device, like a PowerFlex drive, into a Logix controller project with ready-to-use tags. By implementing pre-programmed, pre-tested AOI sets for devices such as drives, networks, and I/O modules, you can configure, commission, and operate devices without the need to write a single line of code. Many diagnostic functions are included to assist with maintenance and troubleshooting of your system.
15 Inline Flexo Printing Summary Global Solutions Locally Delivered Whether you re around the corner or around the world, our Services & Support network can provide the skills and resources you need to optimize performance and utilization of your automation equipment, helping you meet your business objectives. Global emergency support 24/7 Offices and agents in more than 80 countries 35,000 distributors and agents 1000 service engineers, consultants and project managers worldwide For converters, the Logix Control Platform delivers improved production capabilities and reduces total cost of ownership by providing unparalleled functionality, flexibility and scalability. It allows them to respond more quickly to customer or market demands, reduce maintenance costs and downtime and easily gain access to actionable plant and production information for improved management and decision-making. For printing OEMs, the Logix Control Platform is a powerful system of control, networking, visualization and information technologies that delivers a lower Total Cost to Design, Develop and Deliver machinery. Unlike conventional control architectures, it provides fully integrated, scalable solutions using a single control platform and a single development environment. This enables printing machine builders to efficiently re-use engineering designs to reduce development time and cost and greatly enhance business performance.
16 Inline Flexo Printing Resources Call a Rockwell Automation sales office or an authorized distributor today or visit us online at: www.rockwellautomation/solutions/oem For more information on the PAC controller, please visit: http://ab.rockwellautomation.com/programmable-controllers Allen-Bradley, ControlLogix, Integrated Architecture, Kinetix, LISTEN. THINK. SOLVE., PanelView, PowerFlex,, Rockwell Automation, Rockwell Software, Studio 5000 and Total Cost to Design, Develop and Deliver are trademarks of Rockwell Automation, Inc. EtherNet/IP is a trademark of the ODVA. Publication OEM-WP023A-EN-P Copyright 2015 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in XXX.