Manroland has made its automatic inline colour measuring and controlling system available on the Roland500 series presses.
The Roland InlineColorPilot module measures and regulates ink density during the job run without having to stop the press and pull the sheets for inspection. It aims for consistent print quality from the first approved sheet to the last one in the pile. Manroland calls it the ideal digitalised tool for quality control and it helps to analyse and resolve customer complaints.
Features of the module include coloured flash illumination that enables the complete print control strip to be measured within three sheets – regardless of the number of colours printed; a high-resolution CCD sensor with polarizing filter used for measuring; and the RGB flash illumination corresponds with the colour of the filters used for normal densitometrical measurements, allowing the printer to adapt standardised printing in accordance with ISO 12647-2 in the production.
It also offers optional balancing for printing stability and inline register for flexibility in having the workshop process integrated. Lab values of the colour can also be simultaneously measured with an optional online system.
The Roland 500 handles substrates of up to 1mm thick and speeds of up to 18,000 sheets per hour.
Manroland says that, thanks to the inline automatic functions, test sheets no longer need to be pulled out of the machine during a print run, therefore stable ink-water balance is preserved. It adds that, in tandem with the CIP3-based ink slides pre-setting measures, the InlineColorPilot helps shorten overall make-ready time and significantly reduces wasted sheets. Operators can use its log of measurement results quality control and for the analysis and resolution of customer complaints.
The company adds that the module detects colour variations on the print job during production automatically.
