Coast to Coast November 2010

Printer Continues Transition to Digital

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—Weber Marking Systems has purchased an HP Indigo WS6000 press. The press prints at up to 98 fpm in four-color mode and is compatible with a broad range of media—from thinner flexible packaging substrates, to label and shrink sleeve media, to folding carton material. The press is designed to be more cost-effective than analog printing on up to 80 percent of the jobs label converters typically produce, allowing Weber to transition more of its work to digital printing.

"The WS6000 is the perfect complement to our ws4500," says Thomas Michalsen, director, marketing. "The WS6000's wider and longer frame size makes digital more cost-efficient for 4˝ wide labels and/or labels longer than 9˝, so we are looking forward to the new business opportunities the WS6000 can bring to Weber."

Inspection Control Eliminates Defects, Cuts Waste, Improves Material Yield

WAUKEGAN, Ill.—Nosco, Inc., a Waukegan, Ill.-based pharmaceutical packaging printer that installed a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 press in 2008, recently served as a beta site for Heidelberg's Prinect Inspection Control.

Russell Haraf, president of Nosco, Inc., says, "Our Speedmaster XL 105 press is one of the best capital investments Nosco has ever made. It runs amazingly fast, changeovers are a breeze, and start-up waste is minimal. What's more, we're thoroughly impressed by the confidence our operators have gained since Prinect Inspection Control was installed. They can now identify defects more effectively, and they also have an opportunity to reduce waste. The net result is a significant improvement in our overall material yield."

Prinect Inspection Control is designed to locate printing and material defects—hickeys, marking, scumming, scratching, etc.—on every printed sheet as it passes through the coating unit of the press.

Defects are captured in real time by comparing every printed sheet with a digital reference. Upon detection, the system provides audible and visual alerts and inserts a tab in the delivery pile to indicate the first occurrence of the defect. If the defect clears itself, an additional tab is inserted into the delivery pile to mark the last defective sheet and accurately define the range of defective printed materials in the delivery pile.