FLASH DENS

FAG_iCMD
FAG iCMD
Inline Color Measurement Device
Preliminary Datasheet
‚All rights reserved by Fag Graphic Systems SA
This document is preliminary!
Status: preliminary 24.07.2003 1 / 1 Lukas Pescoller

FAG_iCMD
1 Index
1 Index................................................................................................................................... 2
2 ICMD Market..................................................................................................................... 2
3 ICMD System..................................................................................................................... 3
3.1 Key items.................................................................................................................... 3
3.2 Customization............................................................................................................. 3
3.3 System modules.......................................................................................................... 3
4 Datasheet:........................................................................................................................... 5
4.1 General ....................................................................................................................... 5
4.2 ICMD reliability goals ............................................................................................... 6
5 System ................................................................................................................................ 8
6 Availability......................................................................................................................... 8
7 Contact ............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2 iCMD Market
The quality needs for the printing process have grown together with the possibility to produce
quality. In past and even today there are used hand held densitometers, spectrofotometers or
scanning densitometers and scanning spectrofotometers to quantify the actual printing
situation in terms of solid density, dot gain, balance, trapping, CIEL*a*b*, CIEL*Ch etc.
On one hand a high quality production process nowadays is essential to compete on the
printing market, especially on markets with high volume (packaging, labels, high volume
commercial printing). On the other hand the improvement of quality reduces costs in terms of
wastage, time, image, complaints.
Handheld densitometers and spectrofotometers as well as press external scanning devices are
a good solution, but they will not be suitable for any situation. The quality control need a
person who is taking the readings or operating the scanning device. ICMD is an On-line
densitometer and goes beyond handheld and scanning solution due to the following
applications:
• Web to Web: A Web to Web printing process does not allow to take measurements
with external measurement devices without stopping the press, cutting out a piece of
paper and restarting the press. This is a very inefficient way of quality control und the
only practicable solution is a On-line Densitometer or Spectrofotometer.
• Web to folding: The location of colour problems on ink key based presses can not be
identified on multi-up jobs after cutting, folding and die-cutting. Therefore the
measurements have to be taken somewhere before. Normally it is not possible to get a
sheet out of the printing process road on the way without stopping the press. The only
possibility is to measure On-Line
• Sheet fed: Handheld Spectro-densitometers and scanning Spectro-densitometers are
basically adequate for the quality control on sheet fed presses. An On-line system like
the ICMD could make the quality control more efficient: the operator does not need to
walk back and forwards between press and control console to take sheets, more sheets
(any) could be measured with an On-line system, the control intervals are shorter,
operation errors can be avoided.
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FAG_iCMD
Automation takes place in any technical production process and the ICMD is a basic
component for the fully automated printing road.
3 iCMD System
3.1 Key items
The FLASH2 is a inline Spectrodensitometer designed to be embedded into offset, flexo and
gravure presses.
• iCMD is a complete system with easy hardware and software interface feasible for
OEM and upgrade business
• iCMD has high speed sensors conforming to DIN 16536-2, Ansi Status I, Reflection
with polarisation filter, 45°/0° geometry, CMYK
• Possible press speed > 16m/sec.
• Easy to enhance to multi color (CMYK+OGB) and spectral sensor (16 filters)
• Auto trigger and Scanning approach makes the system tolerant to paper shrinkage,
motion and stretch on and across the grain
• High maintainability and serviceability due to modular design, auto configuration,
easy mechanical interface and error diagnosis
• A simple communication Interface (RS422, TCP/IP planned) makes the integration of
the iCMD into existing environments easy.
• iCMD measures control strips with > 4mm with a sophisticated scanning approach,
that needs only approx. 30% more sheets than there are patches to be measured per
sensor (goal). Example: 4 Patches / Ink key zone, one sensor for two zones requires
approx. 12 sheets for a full scan.
• Competitive price
3.2 Customization
FAG offers FLASH2 as a complete system with a simple, well defined mechanical, electrical
and communication interface (TCP/IP UDP, RS232). The iCMD System is available in
various configurations, customized for different applications
• Number of measurement heads 1..24 / side
• Face printing or face and back side printing
• Measurement head type: 4 color Densitometer CMYK (Multi-color densitometer
CMYKOGB, Spectrofotometer CIELab planned)
• Static system (keyless inking systems) or Scanning system (ink key based inking
systems)
3.3 System modules
The iCMD has a modular design and is composed by modules of the following type.
• The FLASH controller is the unique interface between the iCMD On-line
Spectro-densitometer and the operator (PC). A simple set of communication
commands allow the setup of a job parameters, i.e. job specific behaviour of the
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FAG_iCMD
system like number of control patches per ink key zone, trigger mark
configuration, sheet length, etc.
The iCMD controller manages the auto configuration, such as there can be
removed, added, or replaced one single module (Trigger, Reference head, or
densitometer) without the need of external configuration. A simple RESET of the
system will auto-configure the system. The auto configuration functionality is
essential to enable the customer to replace a faulty module by himself. Errors
during configuration can be avoided and the mean time to repair can be reduce.
The iCMD controller collects trigger data, the reference data, and the measurement
data, evaluates the data, applies a patch recognition and reports sheet number,
press speed, cross speed, cross position, and measurement data to the PC.
One iCMD controller unit can handle two FLASH lines, face and back printing
with up to 24 densitometers each.
• The trigger unit finds the measurement position directly on the print without any
angle encoder with an accuracy of 0.1mm on a range of 5xTrigger mark size. This
unit makes the iCMD flexible for the mounting position. The flexibility is essential
for the upgrade business because there are many different types of presses installed
and any press has its optimal measurement position in terms of space, environment
parameters, temperature, wet or dry ink, dust etc. The measurement position on the
sheet on grain can vary absolutely by the sheet length from job to job and ≤ 2mm
during the run of off the press.
The trigger mark can be configured and is part of the control strip over the cross
motion area of the trigger unit.
• The densitometer is a complete unit with 3 ANSI Status I glass interference filters
(430nm, 530nm, 610nm, 20nm width each, black calculated by application of the –
V-lambda curve), with polarisation filter and a 45°/0° geometry. It is conform to
the DIN 16536-2 requirements.
• The reference head is manufactured equal to the Densitometer and has a ceramic
white plaque mounted as measurement patch. It measures the spectral variations of
the flash.
• The FLASH unit illuminates via fiber optics the measurement patch triggered by
the Trigger unit.
• The positioning device is composed by a beam with two suspensions, one driven
by a servo motor, one freewheel and a servo motor control device.
• Mechanical parts for mounting and alignment. The parts are developed and
customized by VIPTONIC and need to guarantee a correct alignment inside the
press. The iCMD modules need to be cleaned, replaced etc. by one single operator.
The system is mechanically fail save.
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FAG_iCMD
The Application Software enables the customer to check the actual press situation and to
document the job. It contains the following functions:
• A Job database containing a simple customer database, job parameters, and job
measurement data. The job database interface manages the insertion of reference
values and tolerances, the restart of the measurements storage after the setup time,
and reports and printouts of measurement data.
• Visualization of the actual measurements as Density/Ink key (Bar diagram),
Statistic/Ink key (Box plots), Trend/Ink key and Table of Density numbers.
• The software enables the operator to start and stop the measurement process
• The software receives System Warnings and Errors and displays warnings to the
operator and offers functions (as far as possible) to react on these warnings.
4 Datasheet:
4.1 General
Environment Parameter Comment
Trigger mark on print configurable
3 lines ≥ 0.2mm each
white spaces ≥ 0.2mm
part of control strip
Example:
Measurement subject Control strip ≥ 4 mm 4mm brutto including white space
Patch hight ≥ 2.6mm before and after the control strip
Patch width ≥ 4mm
Constant patch width One patch / Densitometer is paper
white for relative density
measurements.
Ink key based presses ≤24 densitometers / side
zone with configurable
flexible mounting of
densitometers
Short inking presses …
Sheet width Configurable
≥ 500mm ≤ 1200mm
Sheet length Configurable in 0.05mm
≥ 600mm ≤ 1300mm
Number of patches / zone Min(8,
Zone width / 4)
Substrate type Offset papers,
Flexo substrates
Gravure substrates
Substrate thickness 0,025..0.15mm
One densitometer for max. 90mm
(1,2 or 3 zones depending on real
zone width)
densitometer width = 29.6mm
Number of Densitometers and
space between two densitometers
Max. measurement speed of 20Hz
could require an empty sheet
between two measurements
Patch width ≥ 4mm
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FAG_iCMD
Distance Sensor/Substrate 5mm (-0.5mm)
Distance variation due to
unround web
< 0.05mm
Stretch, shrinkage of paper
across the grain
< 1% Scanning approach
Paper motion, Strech,
shrinkage on job start across
the grain
±10mm Scanning approach
Paper motion across the grain
during the run of a job
≤ 2mm Scanning approach
Control strip position variation Any
on grain on job start
Measurement frequency ≤ 20Hz Automatic frequency recognition
and frequency reduction
Press speed 0.5m/sec..16m/sec
Working temperature 10°..60°
Storage temperature -20°..80°
Working humidity 30..65% relative
Storage humidity 5..90% relative
Communication Interface RS232 / UDP/TCP-IP
iCMD dimensions without Depth
≤ 250mm
opening radius
Height
Length
≤ 150mm
≥ 800mm ≤ 1500mm
Box containing Controller 600x400x250 (h/w/d) Contains
Unit & power supply (external
1x power supply including fuses
to press)
1x Controller Unit
2x Motor controller unit
(1x Ethernet adaptor)
Compressor for oil free
compressed air
optional
4.2 iCMD reliability goals
Parameter Goal Comment
Distance sensitivity

FAG_iCMD
Inter instrument agreement A
for m Densitometers of one
single FLASH installation on
Density ≤2.0
A ≤ max( 0.
01,
0.
015×
D)
D
D
n
∑
i=
k = 1
m
∑
i=
= 1
m
D
n
D
k
ki
A = max D k − D
k = 1..m
n ≥ 200
MTBF Xenon Flash 10 8 Flashes Mean flash rate = 3/sec
10 8 /(3*3600) = 10’000 factory
hours
MTBF Positioning Device grease intervals 300-700
factory hours
Medium speed of 800 R/min.
MTBF Electorinical Parts > 1’000’000 factory hours Artificial maturing by exposing
the parts to extreme environment
conditions and calibrating the units
afterwards.
MTBF EEProm 100 years data retention -RESET & Auto configuration
1’000’000 RW Cycles -Job configuration
-Calibration
MTBF Calibration (~10’000 factory hours) It has to be checked, what are the
differences in light deviation after
the change of the flash lamp.
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k

FAG_iCMD
5 iCMD System
Front print
Flash
Back print
Fiber optics
220V
Fiber optics
Flash
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Positioning
CAN-Bus
Vcc/GND
Rs422 Signale
DB25F
Engine-Control
2x
6 Availability
In August 2002 the iCMD 4-Color open loop system will be launched.
Positioning
DB25M
DB9F
DB9M
DB25M
PC-Data
Service
Encoder
Measure
RESET
Power Supply
220VAC/
5VDC 4,6A
Controller
220VAC Switch
&Fuses
Reset
key
Meas
Key
Enable
key
LED red
Error
LED green
Measure
LED red
Emnable
L N G
Schuko connector
220V