Quality in Pressroom
“Evaluate your print. Minimize subjectivity and human error. Make operators jobs easier.
Collect data every single day. Perform root cause analysis. Rely on the checkpoints you put in place.” That, in essence served as the collective message put out in a 90-minute panel discussion emphasizing “Quality in the Pressroom.”
Ron Henderson printing director, Berry Global encouraged peers to, “Get where you need to be. Instill ownership up and down the line.” He later indicated that, “Numbers address nemeses. Looking at things we let slide too long keeps us honest. I, somewhat reluctantly, got dragged into putting a quality management system in place. Now, I’m a convert.”
The recommendation he voiced, “Put accountability out there. Find the system that works for you. We were able to eliminate 64 keystrokes per operator when we implemented our PQM system. We’re getting back to basics, instilling tribal knowledge and stressing that connectivity of our systems is a big deal.”
Henderson also noted, “Inspection is important and valuable. We’re running fast. Speed rules! We target 2,600 fpm.” Offering one other piece of advice, he said, “Short of your CI and print cylinder, the anilox roll is the heart of your print system. It is an often-neglected area. Understand the importance and true value of it.”
In similar vein, Jeff Hall, manager, graphic technical services, North America, Graphic Packaging, insisted, “Drivers of sustainability have caused problems for the pressroom. Managing through change must happen on a regular basis. We need to measure the back end of the process.”
He suggested, “Ask, ‘Where are my pain points?’ Budget to address them.” Hall also decreed, “Any time we onboard a new customer, we set expectations from the beginning. Aligning with the customer on what we can do and can’t do, eliminates potential challenges.”
His recommendation: “Boil it down to a red light green light scenario, so operators know when they have a problem. Over the last 15-20 years, everybody adopted best practices. We’re in a good spot. Transparency is easy. Sharing data is critical. People must clearly understand their role and responsibility in the workflow.” Pointing to an example, Hall remarked, “PQX is a common format to communicate color between printer and brand owner. We’re pushing our vendors to collaborate and get on board.”
Flexo Jeopardy
Bobby Congdon, Clemson University and Shawn Oetjen, AWT Labels & Packaging, joined with FTA Hall of Fame Members Lon Robinson and Mark Mazur, as well as Clemson University Student Lucas Dillard in staging a rapid-fire review of fundamental elements and components of the flexographic print process.
Modeled after the game show “Jeopardy,” “Flexo Jeopardy,” offered a glimpse into chroma and hue, the ink blame game, prepress practices, plate optimization and more. The review touched on density measurements, tint patches, delta E metrics, controlled light sources, alkalinity, pH, resin, solubility, stability, energy based curing, metamerism, plate relief, dot gain and density.
It also touched on gray balance, laser ablated masks, durometer, bleed, registration, color and communication, print control targets, web tension, banding chatter, slurring, surface energy and mitigation techniques. Color management, anilox roll specifications, doctor blades and end seals, and ink chambers, were also covered.
Redefining Limits
“Gage yourself against what you are hearing on the stage. Ask, “How can you do better?” With the gauntlet spelled out for the audience by session chairs, print panelists offered their take on what is redefining the limits of flexographic printing and why. Process control was lauded. Automation came into play; sustainability too.
Jack Fulton, FTA’s newest Hall of Fame member, kicked off the discussion, rattling off impressive statistics. “Corrugated post print volumes measure 350 to 400 billion sq ft annually. Ninety-five percent of work is flexo printed, 5 percent digital. Today, there are 462 corrugated plants (print and convert board stock) in the United States and 683 sheet plants (print). Press count per plant averages 4, so 4,580 presses print corrugated board every day. Brown box, or shipping containers, account for 70 percent of market share; graphic boxes, 30 percent. Ten years ago, it was 90 percent/10 percent.”
Fulton maintained, “Process control leads to satisfied customers and improves the bottom line. Full digital workflow is finally in place. Eighty-five lpi evolved into 100 to 150 lpi.” Citing “phenomenal people and great processes,” he reported that converters now confidently tell him, ‘We print stand-alone process images and think nothing of it.’”
James Dye, press manager, Emerald Packaging, advocated for a “conscious, responsible approach toward sourcing,” in looking at sustainable flexo and asking, “How vulnerable are we?”
He spelled out his firm’s six-point plan for creating a bridge to circularity and encouraged peers to consider mirroring it. “Advocate for help in underwriting recycling system upgrades. Accept some form of Extended Producer Responsibility. Create recyclable packaging. Prime post-consumer recycled (PCR) content in your supply chain. Work on source reduction—design and manufacture materials that reduce mass, volume and toxicity of products throughout their lifecycle. Replace plastics where we can.”
Jennye Scott, VP global creative services, Berry Global, delivered a resounding message, namely, “Continuous improvement is key to staying ahead.” She reiterated a familiar refrain, “Communication, communication, communication is so important. It provides empathy and opportunity.” Her strategy for pushing new technology down to the floor draws on knowledge gained through implementation of Flexographic Image Reproduction Specifications and Tolerances.
“When we first got into flexo, things were crazy,” Scott recalled. “Everything was chaotic—lots of finger-pointing, lots of downtime. We were in a bit of hurt. Then we started getting help. Suppliers came in, started training us to print to the numbers, pointed us to FTA and FIRST. …Today, we use FIRST as our bible. …We implement FIRST disciplines on almost every technology we have. Color comes in faster and more accurately. Jobs run cleaner and more consistently. Currently 99.8 percent of all print jobs go to press first time!”