Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 22

manufacturers active in
product decoration
MAnUFAcTUrer

WeBsITe

Apex Machine

apexmachine.com

Azonprinter

azonprinter.com

Cyan Tec

cyan-tec.com

Direct Color Systems

directcolorsystems.com

Engineered Print Solutions (EPS)

epsvt.com

Fermac

fermac.it

Heidelberg

heidelberg.com

Hinterkopf

hinterkopf.de

Inkcups Now

inkcups.com

Inx International

inxinternational.com

KBA-Kammann

kba-kammann.com

Krones

krones.com

Machines Dubuit

machinesdubuit.com

Martinenghi

martinenghi.com

Mimaki

mimakiusa.com

NMP Systems

nmpsystems.khs.com

OMSO

omso.it

Roland

rolanddga.com

Sacmi

sacmi.com

SMTD Digital

smtd-digital.fr

Tapematic

tapematic.it

Till

till-tech.com

Wifag Polytype

wifag-polytype.com

Xerox

xerox.com

Designing inkjet systems that print well onto flat surfaces
is challenging enough, requiring a multidisciplinary approach -
including, but not limited to, mechanical, electrical, electronic,
fluidic, and software engineering; image processing; color management; and system control. Building an inkjet system to print
directly onto a bottle or tube requires all of the same disciplines,
but with the added complexity of the third dimension. In order
to create a good quality print, the developers must consider
the curvature of the object to be printed, the orientation of the
printhead, and the time of flight of each drop from each nozzle.
When thinking about printing onto objects, it can be useful
to imagine that shape as being flat. For example, if you take
a tube, cut it lengthwise, and lay it flat, it becomes a square
or rectangle, depending on its height. The shape is now a
22

screenprinting

familiar one for inkjet printing; the "flat" image just needs to
be wrapped around the tube.
Developers use different positioning options for the
printheads, depending on the overall configuration of their
system. Some want to ensure that inkjet fits seamlessly into
an existing process or product-handling mechanism, and
this can dictate the way the heads are positioned. Typically,
printheads jet downwards, and this is well-suited to systems
using mandrels to move the products, but in some systems,
items such as beverage containers may be gripped by the
neck and presented vertically to the printheads, which means
that the heads must be positioned in "skyscraper" mode,
jetting sideways onto the object.
A number of systems are now available for printing onto
tubes or cylinders. Among the small-format flatbed printers,
Mimaki introduced the Kebab option for its UJF series, Roland
markets the RotaPrint attachment, EPS offers the Bottlejet,
Direct Color Systems has the EasyCyl attachment for its 1024
printers, and AzonPrinter offers the Rotax. Other production
tube decoration systems include the Michelangelo KX48P from
Martinenghi, launched at MetPack 2013, and the new ServoJet
from OMSO introduced at last year's K Show.
An increasing number of systems can now print not only
onto tubes, but also onto conical or tapered shapes as well,
which are far more challenging. If you cut a cone lengthwise
and lay it flat, you would create a shape that looks like a section
of a circle. During printing, as the cone narrows, the resolution
changes, as does the speed of rotation under the printhead. In
order to print an image successfully onto the whole circumference of a conical object, you must use image compensation
software that employs special screening and/or color management techniques to correct for the changes in dot gain. Differences in drop time of flight, nozzle misalignment, and density
changes all need to be corrected as well in order to produce a
fully compensated image with minimal image artifacts.
The Helix from Inkcups Now uses patented technology
to print onto straight-walled and tapered cylinders at up to
1200 x 1200 dpi and up to four pieces per minute depending
on image/product size and print quality settings. The DigiCup
from Polytype can print not only onto cones, but also onto
more complex shapes such as tubs. Systems from Machines
Dubuit and KBA-Kammann have also demonstrated the capability to print conical shapes as well as tubes and cylinders.
Regulatory issues present a further challenge for the
adoption of inkjet in some applications, but significant strides
forward have been made in the development of low-migration,
low-odor UV curable inks by companies such as Agfa, Sun
Chemical, and Kao Collins. These inks enable direct-to-shape
printing on products such as medical syringes and PET
beverage bottles. Further ink innovation is expected, which
will open up more applications for inkjet in product decoration. In the field of PET beverage bottles, KHS - another
giant in the beverage filling and packaging industry alongside
Krones - also introduced an inkjet system at Drinktec in

http://www.apexmachine.com http://www.azonprinter.com http://www.cyan-tec.com http://www.directcolorsystems.com http://www.epsvt.com http://www.fermac.it http://www.heidelberg.com http://www.hinterkopf.de http://www.inkcups.com http://www.inxinternational.com http://www.kba-kammann.com http://www.krones.com http://www.machinesdubuit.com http://www.martinenghi.com http://www.mimakiusa.com http://nmpsystems.khs.com http://www.omso.it http://www.rolanddga.com http://www.sacmi.com http://www.smtd-digital.fr http://www.tapematic.it http://www.till-tech.com http://www.wifag-polytype.com http://www.xerox.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Screen Printing - June/July 2017