Production pain points in the printing industry and MES management system solutions

 The printing industry is mainly engaged in the production of printed materials such as manuals, color boxes, gift boxes, books, promotional color pages, etc. The manufacturing process mainly includes white material cutting, printing, folding, UV, glue binding, saddle stitching, packaging and other processes. Due to the complex process and short delivery time of the printing manufacturing process, it is difficult to manage.

Production pain points

It is difficult to control the production progress in real time, and it is impossible to predict the delivery time: there are many types of products and small batches, and most orders have to be re-quoted and designed. The quantity and quality status of different processes change, and the counting is difficult and the statistical workload is large, which brings difficulties to management. 

Digital Printing Under the COVID-19

 The economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic over the past two years has been enormous -- and its nature has varied widely depending on the economic sector. While some companies, such as the gastronomy, tourism, aviation or cultural industries, had to struggle to survive, others profited from the crisis. These winners include, for example, e-tailers and delivery services, streaming service providers and pharmaceutical companies.

While the reasons for the declines or earnings in the aforementioned industries are obvious, the picture is a little more complicated for another industry that has also been strongly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: printing. Here, the Covid-19 pandemic has on the one hand accelerated the decline in offset printing volumes over a period of time, but on the other hand has provided considerable opportunities for service providers who know how to make targeted and creative use of the many possibilities offered by different printing technologies. more opportunities. So what exactly happened?

Digital printing under the new crown epidemic

Robots and AI Will Revolutionize Printing Technology

 Industry research body Smithers says innovation to meet the urgent need for greater digitisation, sustainability, productivity and automation is critical for the printing industry to continue to grow through 2031.

"This need is especially urgent for a $760.6 billion global market," Smithers said. "Covid-19 has fundamentally reshaped much of the print industry landscape with the emergence of new business and buying models, as well as declines in many traditional media sectors."

Robots and AI will revolutionize printing technology

In its latest technology survey - A Decade of Disruptive Technologies in Printing - Smithers assesses the market potential of 23 innovations in the printing industry through 2031. This ranges from direct innovation applied to printing equipment, to broader technology and technology integration. Industry 4.0 concept.

How To Replace Printing Consumables?

Printers are quite common in our daily life and work now. With the increasing popularity, replacing the ink/toner cartridge is a skill that most people must have. Although it's far more easier than a rocket science, improper handling will renter the printer unusable. Below, let's start with how to check the ink cartridge/toner cartridge model, and then how to choose a suitable consumable for the printer, before learning to change them in the correct way.

How to check the ink cartridge/drum model

There are many types of printers, and the consumable items that are compatible with them are also different. Therefore, you need to choose according to the printer model when replacing the ink/toner cartridge. The easiest way is to check the label of the ink cartridge/toner cartridge itself, such as the HP 131A series toner cartridge model shown as in the figure below:

The consumable codes of Brother Color Toner Cartridges can be found on the toner cartridge label beside the warning label of the fuser inside the printer (as shown below).

How to install the ink/toner cartridge correctly

Before replacing the ink/toner cartridge, make sure that the printer is turned on so that the device can recognize the newly replaced cartridge. 

1. Replace cartridges for all-in-one printers

• Check whether the model of the ink cartridge to be installed matches the model of the printer.
• Open the ink cartridge access door, gently press the ink cartridge down to release it and pull it out of the slot.
• Take out the new ink cartridge from the package and tear off the package of the print cartridge, and carefully tear off the plastic tape.
• Pinch the ink cartridge so that the front part is slightly inclined upward, and then slide the ink cartridge into the slot.
• Until you hear a "click" sound, it means that the ink cartridge has been locked in place by the base.

Notice:

When installing, please install the color ink cartridge on the left and the black ink cartridge on the right

Do not touch the ink nozzles or copper contacts when attaching the ink cartridges. Touching these parts will cause ink clogs, no ink jets, and poor electrical connections.

2. Split printer cartridge installation

• Check whether the model of the ink cartridge to be installed matches the model of the printer;
• Open the access door of the printer's ink compartment, and after the printer is completely stationary, press the tab on the front section of the old ink cartridge to release it and take out the ink cartridge;
• Take out the ink cartridge from the package and then pull the orange pull tab backward;
• Hold both sides of the ink cartridge, unscrew the orange protective cap counterclockwise and remove;
• Gently pull the tab to move it away from the ink cartridge;
• Turn over the ink cartridge so that its contacts are facing down, and align the color of the label with the color dot on the ink cartridge;
• Slide the ink cartridge into the printer card slot and press until you hear a "click" sound, which means that the ink cartridge has been locked by the base.

Notice:

Make sure to completely remove the orange pull ring and plastic packaging before removing the orange protective cap, otherwise it will easily cause the risk of ink leakage

When pulling the tab, do not make the tab bend outward more than 1.27 cm (0.5 inch), because if you move it out too far, it may damage the ink cartridge and cause the tab to break

3.  Laser printer toner cartridge installation

• Check whether the model of the toner cartridge to be installed matches the model of the printer;
• Open the toner cartridge door and pull out the toner cartridge cartridge, grab the handle on the old toner cartridge and pull it up vertically to take it out;
• Take out the new toner cartridge from the packaging box, remove the orange plastic protective material at the bottom of it, and be careful not to tear off the protective tape on the toner cartridge;
• Hold the handle of the new toner cartridge and insert it into the corresponding slot;
• Pull up the pull tab on the left side of the toner cartridge vertically, tear off the protective tape completely and discard it;
• Just close the toner cartridge and the hatch.

Notice:

Do not touch the green roller (photosensitive drum) at the bottom of the toner cartridge, as fingerprints will cause print quality problems

What Does The Printing Press Do?

What is a printing press?

A printing press refers to a machine that produces books, newspapers, etc. in mass, by pressing a surface covered in ink onto paper. It makes it possible to get a large number of uniform copies done in mass production in short period. Modern offset presses operate at speeds up to 18,000 sheets per hour, or 300 sheets per minute. 

Some well-known printing press brands include: Heidelberg, Koenig & Bauer, Manroland, Mitsubishi and Komori, etc.

What does the printing press do?

The printing press is a machine that prints text and images in mass production. Its working principle is: first make the text and image to be printed into a printing plate, install it on the printing machine, and then apply ink to the the printing plate by manual or printing machine, and then directly or indirectly transfer the text or images to the surface of paper or other substrates (such as textiles, metal plates, plastics, leather, wood, glass, and ceramics), that is to replicate the same printed matter as the printing plate. 

How does the printing press work?

Take offset printers, the most common type of commercial press, for example. An offset printer generally consists three cylinders: Plate cylinder, Blanket cylinder and Impression cylinder.

The thin Plate cylinder used in the offset printing process has a plastic or aluminium plate around it. Each plate is customized according to the text and images to be printed onto the paper. The plate cylinder has been pre-treated to have the images attract ink and repel water. When the plate cylinder spins, it will make contact with rollers that apply the ink and water.

The Offset blanket cylinder has a rubber blanket around it and turns in the opposite direction to the plate cylinder. When both cylinders roll against each other, water is squeezed away and ink is transferred onto the rubber blanket. This creates a mirror image of the ink design.

The third one, Impression cylinder, made of clean steel, turns in the opposite direction to the blanket cylinder. The impression cylinder transfers the ink as it presses paper against the rubber blanket.

What Is A Screen Printer

What is a screen printing? 

Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a screen as a plate base to produce a screen printing plate with pictures and texts through a photosensitive method. Use the basic principle that the mesh of the graphic part of the screen printing plate can penetrate the ink, while the mesh of the non-graphic part can not. When printing, pour ink on one end of the screen printing plate, use a squeegee to apply a certain pressure to the ink position on the screen printing plate, and at the same time move toward the other end of the screen printing plate at a uniform speed, the ink is moved by the squeegee from the image and text Part of the mesh is squeezed onto the substrate. 

What is a screen printer

A screen printer is a type of printing machines machine that uses a screen printing plate to print. Screen printers are a representative printing equipment of the stencil printing machines. In addition to real silk, the silk screens can also be made of nylon, copper, or stainless steel wires. It can be divided into flat screen printers, curved screen printers, rotary screen printing machines and so on.

Screen printers are the simplest and cheapest printing equipment in the commercial printing industry. Of course, there are complicated automatic screen printers which are more expensive as well as simple, manual and cheap screen printers. And their prices vary largely. A screen printer consists of five major elements: screen printing plate, squeegee, ink, printing table and substrate. 

Features of a screen printer

1. Prints made through screen printing equipment has good ink adhesion, thick ink layer, non-fading, good weatherability, and bright color.

2. A screen printing machine has a unique frequency conversion speed regulator, and its printing speed ranges from 20 to 70 prints per minute.

3. Screen printing machines are very accurate for alignment and color registration. Because they are equipped with multi-color printing electric eye devices, which can improve the quality of printing.

4. The high-quality configuration of the screen printing machines also helps save a lot of consumables.

5. Screen printing machines usually have their own electronic counters, which can automatically shut down according to the pre-designed total number, saving manpower and money.

6. The screen printing machine can not only be used alone, but also can be connected to a UV dryer, or a slitting machine, a rewinder and other auxiliary machines for use;

Advanced Printing Equipment and Green Printing Materials Are Unveiled

Intelligent typesetting and automatic printing by robots, comfortable visual effects from green environmental protection materials, and flexible printing making prints more personalized... At the 10th Beijing International Printing Technology Exhibition, which opened in Beijing on June 23, a lot of advanced equipment and green materials, system applications have been exhibited, conveying new reforms and trends in the printing industry in the digital age.

Printing is not only an important industry in the economic and social fields, but also bears a long history. Printing originated in China. The introduction of movable type printing from China to the West promoted the development of Western society. Several industrial revolutions in the world promoted the development of printing technology and equipment, and sheet-fed offset presses, web offset presses, and digital presses came into being.

According to data from the China Printing and Equipment Industry Association, by 2020, China printing industry will have nearly 100,000 companies and more than 200 export destinations for printing equipment. From January to April 2021, the added value of the printing and recording media reproduction industry increased by more than 20% year-on-year.

While the overall strength of the printing industry has improved, the huge Chinese printing market has also received more and more attention.

Wang Wenbin, chairman of the China Printing and Equipment Industry Association, said at the Exhibition opening ceremony that more than 1,300 manufacturers from 16 countries and regions attended this exhibition. Many well-known printing companies exhibited their first technology and new products. The exhibition also closely followed the innovation trend of printing technology, set up comprehensive brand, digital pre-press, printing machinery, label equipment, post-press theme, packaging theme and other theme halls, launched green and innovative theme parks, and concentrated displays were forward-looking and leading Innovative products, technologies and system applications.

"The exhibition not only showcases advanced manufacturing technologies and equipment, but also serves as a window to understand the changes in the consumer market for printing and packaging machinery and related products." Inject new impetus into the process of continuous innovation.