Print quality and substrate checkFutec’s online inspection at Labelexpo India 2014At Labelexpo India 2014 one of the major inspection system exhibitors was Futec which displayed its visual inspection systems with charge coupled device (CCD) image sensors to provide a continuous in-line inspection technology to inspect multiple substrates. Futec sells web surface inspection units, printed surface inspection units, thickness profiling units and label inspection systems. L – R: Krishnakumar Srinivasan, business development manager, GES; Yoshihiro Hasebe, director general manager, Futec; Takahiro Miura, general manager of product strategy, Futec; and Riju Earaly, regional sales manager, GES with Futec online inspection system at Labelexpo India 2014. Photo PSAOne of the global leaders in inspection technology Futec has applications for paper, non-woven fabrics, plastic sheets, metal sheets, all forms of substrates for printed materials like paper, cloth, canvas, flexible films and paper board. The inspection is done before printing, during printing at the press, at the rewinder, laminator and slitter and is different for inspection of material and inspection of print quality. The solutions are in-line quality control systems linked to the high output production networks and are extensively used in Japan as well as most parts of South East Asia.
The first stage of inspection is the optical flaw inspection system on each substrate which is different for different materials. For paper the flaws include oil contamination, water marks and paper tear or shear marks. For metal foils these are dents, bumps and uneven polishing or scratches whereas for films it is fish eye, gels, foreign matter, lumps, extra material and even pin holes. The optical conditions vary by material type and application process.
The printed web inspection systems are intended to inspect the print quality in a wide range of printed materials such as flexible films and laminates, monocartons, corrugated, board packaging, gravure, flexo and paper packs. Additionally, there is also the X-ray inspection that looks at the thickness of the film, the foil and the paper that is printed and used in packaging. “The Indian market is opening up to sophisticated inspection systems and we have several clients in India including Positive Packaging and Tetra Pak India,” says Yoshihiro Hasebe, director general manager, Futec, South East Asia. “We are planning to increase our presence in India and have GES Infotek in Mumbai to market our products.”
