Installing SMART solutions

Servomotors help Northern Expediting's flexo press make leap to PP film.

By Associate Editor Holly Ann Suzik -- Converting Magazine, 4/1/2001

Being across the hall from your biggest customer can pose unique challenges. For one thing, there's no sidestepping them.

Just ask packaging veteran Chuck Paulosky. He is general manager at Northern Expediting Corp., Union, N.J., and 70 percent of his business is from sister company Ce De Candy Co., manufacturer of sweet-and-sour SMARTIESr.

"When there is a problem, you have to make quick adjustments and get them going again," Paulosky comments about the family owned business with which he shares office space. His company prints the cellophane wrappers for SMARTIES, as well as paper and polypropylene for other candy companies.

For its 50th anniversary, Ce De Candy wanted to upbeat their packaging from one color to four. There was only one problem-the press most suited for the ambitious job had difficulty keeping four-color jobs in register. Its 23.5-in., 500-fpm Aquaflex press by Chromas Technologies wasn't initially cut out for PP jobs. At the time of the press purchase, Northern Expediting was attracted to its $300,000 price tag vs. $1 million for a central-impression press.

"We looked for a press that would do what we needed but was still reasonable. Going inline also gave us flexibilities like laminating material," Paulosky says.

Although it has three other presses-a 24-in., four-color FlexoTecnica by North American Cerutti Corp.; a 16-in., four-color Manhassett; and a 47-in., six-color, 660 CI press by Kidder-Northern Expediting was determined to have the Aquaflex run Ce De's spiffy, new wrapper.

"The press was sitting there, running 20 percent of the time. We thought that if we could get the Aquaflex to run the job, this would be perfect for it because it could run the job continuously, day in and day out," Paulosky says.

Who ya gonna call?

Two years after the press purchase, Northern Expediting called two companies to retrofit the machine: Casso Solar Corp. (Pomona, N.Y.) and Candy Manufacturing Co. (Niles, Ill.). Casso Solar upgraded the press' heaters and installed ultraviolet dryers for water-based inks. Until a year ago, Northern Expediting was printing 80 percent with solvent-based materials. Now, because of environmental issues, it's 70 percent water-based and plans to reach 90 percent soon, using only 10 percent solvent-based inks on the Manhassett press.

Candy Manufacturing removed the original open-loop register controls and installed a system with servomotors, an integrated web-handling controller, two touchscreen operator interfaces, position feedback and photo eyes. Each print unit has two photo eyes and a differential control-shaft servomotor. These communicate with the automation controller to monitor and maintain print-to-print register control.

Conveniently, the new system has a phone modem for remote diagnostics. Candy's engineers dial into the system to analyze performance, troubleshoot problems and make software changes. This modem was recently used during problems with mill splices. When a red splice traveled under the web photo eyes, the splice was interpreted as an error, throwing off register for about 50 ft.

Candy Manufacturing solved the problem by implementing a web splice detector and a time delay in the software.

After being retrofitted, the Aquaflex now consistently runs four-color film in register. It prints more detailed graphics, including half-tone pictures on wrappers. Running 60 to 70 percent of the time, the press operates two shifts daily, five days a week. Speed jumped from 250 to about 400 fpm.

Overall, Paulosky is thrilled with the new system and says the press is "as close to perfect as we're going to get. We turned it into a very profitable piece of equipment."

More information from:

Candy Manufacturing, 847/588-2639, fax: 847/588-0055, www.candycontrols.com Enter 265. Casso Solar Corp., 800/988-4455, fax: 845/362-1856, www.cassosolar.com Enter 266. Chromas Technologies U.S.A., 954/971-1380, fax: 954/979-1676, www.chromas.com Enter 267. North American Cerutti Corp., 412/788-1000, fax: 412/928-0515 Enter 268. Kidder, Inc., 413/786-8692, fax: 413/786-8785, www.kidderpress.com Enter 269. UCB Films, Inc., 800/822-3207, fax: 770/333-6980. Enter 270.