Rheonics Technical Session at AIMCAL R2R Europe Conference 2022 – Valencia, Spain
Ink viscosity is one of the most important factors for achieving high and consistent color quality in gravure printing. Despite the sophisticated measurement and control systems built into today’s printing machines, ink viscosity is still frequently measured with inefficient and inaccurate methods, such as efflux cups and falling ball viscometers.
The variability of these measurements makes consistent color quality difficult to maintain. They underscore the need for a viscosity measurement and control system that can help operators obtain the very best color quality over the very long print runs that are characteristic of gravure.
Viscosity plays an important role in the final quality of printed matter. Ink layer thickness and flow behavior deviate from the optimal values when the viscosity is incorrect, resulting in substandard print quality. Poorly adjusted ink viscosity can also lead to excessive ink consumption and unnecessary costs. Accurate viscosity measurement and control can substantially improve print quality, while reducing waste and improving efficiency.
Even though methods are now available for continuous inline measurement of ink viscosity, many are sensitive to contamination, installation variables, and baseline shifts, which can impair operator confidence and cast doubt as to their long-term reliability. We will show the value of stable, easily cleanable, and repeatable viscosity sensors in printing processes. We will support our conclusions with experience and data from printers who have been using our sensors and automation systems over a period of several years.
- Why is ink viscosity a crucial variable to be controlled in printing presses?
- Technical challenges in online ink viscosity control
- Installation on printing press
- Gravure challenges
- How viscosity affects the color precision and quality in printing? Benefits of tight viscosity control for print quality and ink economy
- Challenges with traditional viscosity measurement units
- Benefits of printing press automation (Industry 4.0) and predictive tracking control in terms of quality and efficiency improvements, VOC emissions and waste reductions
Speaker
Dr. Sunil Kumar
CEO @ Rheonics
Sunil Kumar has extensive experience in the sensors and energy sector, having worked in a variety of roles in engineering and research in his early career. Most recently Sunil worked at Baker Hughes where he led global engineering for drilling Services. Sunil founded companies in US and UK that successfully commercialized innovative products. He graduated with Bachelors in Aerospace from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Masters in Mechanical engineering from University of California, Irvine and Ph.D in Electrical engineering from Imperial College, London where he developed the Seis-SP seismometer that is part of the main payload for the NASA Insight mission to Mars. He is a prolific inventor with over 25 patents and multiple peer reviewed papers. Sunil’s vision of creating sensors for fluid property measurement that revolutionizes in-line process monitoring, control and optimization serves as the charter for rheonics.
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