Due to automation, new technologies and improved process control the price of rotogravure cylinders has come down in the past years.
But still the contribution of printing tools to the overall costs of a print job is highly relevant.
When talking about ideas and concepts to make rotogravure print jobs more profitable, especially on short-runs, cylinders suddenly become a key aspect.

Since the very beginning 4packaging is manufacturing rotogravure cylinders in a fully automated production line.
During our presentation we will share some insides and describe the relation between physical cylinder properties such as type or dimension and their impact on the potential of automation.
We want to initiate a discussion about a narrow web cylinder concept that allows printers and cylinder suppliers to maximize automation, bring down cost and make better business!

Although the gravure printing process is well know as a very precise process with good reproducibility and it is mechanically relative simple a wide range of problems can occur in the daily production. Scumming, doctor blade stripes, comets, missing dots are just a few. In the presentation typical problems are shown and their reasons and some ink related solutions are discussed.

Our competence is printing in Roto and Flexo.

? The existing roto presses are not fit for small lots or order quantities.

? World class standards are the demand to pharma packaging products. They can never be achieved in Flexo print.

? Development (market demands) -> the lot quantities are decreasing. (We gathered experience with small batches in the pharma industry ranging from 500m2 to 5000 m2 Flexo prints for years in our production sites in Germany and Belgium).

? Demands to Constantia Hueck Folien:
- High efficiency for small order quantities
- Production costs meeting market prices
- Optimized waste rates
- Short setup times and short ways within a self contained production – In-Line
printing (Roto) and laminating / heatseal coating.

? The Challenge:
- Sleeve technology in Roto (production on site)
- Sleeve technology in Flexo familiar – no experience in Roto
- Handling und storing sleeves
- Defining printing widths
- Back up for Fa. Constantia Patz with the product groups blister foil and coldform
(contact lens-, security- and high-temperature blister foils)
- Use of existing Roto cylinder bases
- Storage systems and cost-benefit analysis

? Decision parameters Pro/Con:
- Introduce sleeve systems (max. printing width)
- Storage systems – cylinder bases/sleeves
- Produce cylinders in-house or externally
- Handling by operators etc.

Everybody knows that the world is colorful. But how colorful excactly?
In a digital world you’ll be more and more confronted with color values. So how can I reduce the error sources as much as possible, or how can I even find them?
To define a color digitally is no problem. Butt he digital communication today cantains still possible error sources. What kind of error sources can be found? How does a color measurement device work and where are its borders? Which error sources should I know and how should I avoid them?
This presentation should give you a basic info on the different measurement possibilities and the minimum requirements for a secure and reproducable color communication.

Color Management will be focused this time not from a technical aspect at all. Anyway, for a better understanding a comparison has to be done on color management for packaging printing versus standard 4C printing. Without any doubt, color management has raised the level of quality and consistency and given a predictable and stable process for printing.
But: Was kind and amount of effort has to be given as input to get a good and reliable color matching during press run? What kinds of cost are coming up? Where do we have cost savings at the press run if a color management is properly implemented? Does this effort give a payback? Are there other ways to handle this issue?

A lot of questions that will be illustrated during the presentation.