1 / 23

Laser engraving in decorative printing – 18 months of experience

Laser engraving in decorative printing – 18 months of experience. Dr. Robert David Research & Development. Timetable of the project. March 2004 – November 2004: Evaluation of different engraving technologies Stylus, Etching, Laser in Cu, Laser in Zn December 2004: Purchase order

elan
Download Presentation

Laser engraving in decorative printing – 18 months of experience

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. LASER ENGRAVING Laser engraving in decorative printing – 18 months of experience Dr. Robert David Research & Development

  2. LASER ENGRAVING Timetable of the project • March 2004 – November 2004: Evaluation of different engraving technologies • Stylus, Etching, Laser in Cu, Laser in Zn • December 2004: Purchase order • October 2005: Arrival of first tanks • 23. December 2005: First cylinder engraved with stylus • Mid of January 2006: First laser engraved cylinder • February 2006: First laser cylinder with good engraving quality • ZOW 2006: First laser engraved decor presented • Interzum 2007: Interzum award

  3. LASER ENGRAVING Evaluation procedure • Questions to be answered: • Quality of engraving / printing • Speed • Ability for rechroming • Repeatability • Required space • Number of process steps • Stability of galvanic processes • Cost per cylinder

  4. LASER ENGRAVING Evaluation procedure

  5. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months • Quality: • Very high print quality: • Example: Soft Wear • and many other designs

  6. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months

  7. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months • Speed: • Time for cylinder preparation: 100 min • Time for cylinder engraving: 100 min • Time for finishing: 60 min

  8. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months

  9. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months • Rechroming: • Still not possible, no possibility expected in near future

  10. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months

  11. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months • Repeatability: • Excellent repeatability of engraving • Example: It is possible to exchange a cylinder without extra colour match time: • Proven in several lab jobs • No shorter colour match time in production prints • Some problems come from finishing process

  12. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months

  13. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months • Space: • More space necessary for laser engraving: • additional Zn-tank • two components for the laser

  14. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months

  15. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months

  16. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months

  17. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months • Stability of electroplating: • Very stable Zn-electroplating • 6 hours per day for all chemical tests

  18. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months • Stability of galvanic: • Problems only with mechanical process (finishing) • Too many break downs of the finish star and all cylinders have to pass this machine several times

  19. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months

  20. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months • Costs per cylinder: • Of course we will not discuss the costs here

  21. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months • Engraved cylinders:

  22. LASER ENGRAVING Facts after 18 months • Changes: • Quality of cylinder balance had to be improved • due to high speed in Laser and Cutting: > 1000 rpm • Changed printout • Less missing dots • Smoother ink laydown • Less susceptible to changes of viscosity • Step from lab printing to production printing is different • Not all old designs can be switched to laser engraving

  23. LASER ENGRAVING • Laser engraving in decorative printing – • 18 months of experience • Still a successful story

More Related